Lucknow, July 12 (FN Agency) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that Indonesia has been a close associate of India’s heritage. He said it was possible that there may have been some difference in the practices of worship in both the countries with time, but the basic spirit is the same and in such a situation, the two-century-old relationship of both the countries can be taken to new heights with the help of shared culture.
During a meeting with Indonesia’s Ambassador to India Ina H Krisnamurthi at the CM residence here, Yogi said that both the countries have had very close cultural and commercial ties since ancient times. He said that Bali, Jakarta and Sumatra have been mentioned in the Ramayana, written by Maharishi Valmiki and Buddhist texts. The CM said that every Indian feels proud to be associated with these areas related to Lord Shri Ram and Buddha. During the meeting, while discussing the common heritage of both the countries, Yogi said, “Every year we organise a grand Deepotsava in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Shri Ram, a day before Diwali. Artists from Indonesia, who stage Ramlila, are invited to this event every year. Their performances of the artists are very captivating. “Our shared culture can play an important role in giving new heights to the relations between the two countries.
In this regard, I wish that in this year’s Deepotsava, a cultural group led by the Indonesian Minister should come from there,” he added. The Chief Minister said that taking inspiration from the ‘One District One Product’ scheme (ODOP) of UP, a ‘One Village One Product’ scheme is being run in Indonesia as well. “I feel happy to know that Indonesia has adopted one of the schemes of UP,” he said. The Indonesian Ambassador said that Krisnamurthi is associated with her name itself, it is natural for her to have deep attachment with UP in such a situation. “We want that there should be a direct air service between UP and Indonesia. This air service will facilitate further improvement in the relations between the two countries,” said Krisnamurthi. She said that taking inspiration from the UP’s ODOP scheme, a programme of ‘One Village One Product’ has been started in Bali, Indonesia. “This effort has led to a boom in the economy at the grassroots level,” she added.