The Lithuanian Embassy in India has recently undertaken a unique initiative to promote cultural exchange between the two countries. The embassy has painted the walls of a school in New Delhi with common words in Sanskrit and Lithuanian. This initiative has been widely appreciated on social media, with many people praising the embassy’s efforts to foster cultural understanding.
The wall, which was previously plain and unadorned, now features colourful murals with words such as Deva, Din, Veer, Swapna, Loka, Rasa, and Madhu written in both Sanskrit and Lithuanian. The embassy collaborated with school authorities to create the murals, which has been widely appreciated for its beauty and message of cross-cultural understanding.
Lithuanian-Sanskrit Street Art: Lithuanian Embassy gets a mural on a wall of school with common words in Lithuanian & Sanskrit like Madhu, Agni, and Deva. Painted by renowned Lithuanian artist Linas Kaziulionis. pic.twitter.com/OtbAgdZiGz
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 27, 2023
While talking to the media, the Ambassador of Lithuania to India Diana Mickeviciene, said “Lithuanian has been officially recognised as the closest living sister language of Sanskrit and we are very keen to research this particular connection at the academic level”. She further said that this was a sign of friendship between the two countries.
“Hamari desh key dosti ka Nishan Bharat key liye” (Symbol of India Lithuanian Friendship), says Lithuanian Ambassador @LTEmbassyDelhi Diana Mickeviciene @DMickeviciene. pic.twitter.com/DAdLg6ypRo
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 27, 2023
Painted by renowned Lithuanian artist Linas Kaziulionis, the walls of the school now have words like Deva, Din, Veer, Swapna, Loka, Rasa, and Madhu and their Lithuanian equivalents. The words in Lithuanian and Sanskrit sound very similar.
“Feels amazing..”, Lithuanian artist Linas Kaziulionis who painted the mural. pic.twitter.com/erklYkAsst
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 27, 2023
The project was undertaken with the aim of fostering better relations between the two countries and promoting a deeper understanding of each other’s cultures. It is also a way of highlighting the similarities between Sanskrit and Lithuanian, as both languages have their roots in the ancient Indo-European language family.
It serves as a reminder that cultural exchange and cooperation can go a long way in promoting greater understanding and harmony between countries and communities. It is hoped that more such initiatives will be undertaken in the future to promote cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, and to build stronger and more meaningful relationships between countries.
