Embassy of India
Warsaw
Address by the Ambassador on the occasion of 77th ICCR Day
Namaskar, Good evening
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all to the celebration of the 77th Foundation Day of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
2. I extend warm welcome to our ICCR alumni, who are living bridge between our two cultures and they are also Cultural Ambassadors of India in Warsaw and possibly in other countries.
3. Before I speak on ICCR, let me state the well accepted definition of culture given to us by a sociologist Edward Tylor that Culture is a set of knowledge, belief, art, science, law, morals and customs acquired by humans as a member of society. Its canvas is very broad, and that is why the scope of ICCR is very vast, not only performing arts but development of other intellectual aspects by means of education.
4. The origins of ICCR are deeply rooted in India’s freedom struggle, where one of the key aspirations was to revive and strengthen cultural ties with the world. This vision was reflected in the historic Asian Relations Conference held in New Delhi in March-April 1947 i.e before the independence. This vision materialized with the establishment of ICCR on 9th April 1950, and therefore we are celebrating this day.
5. Let me quote the then education minister, at the time of foundation of ICCR that said that political agreements may be temporary but cultural relations make enduring bonds with the people. We are talking about that time when many countries were getting their freedom, at that time he said that no program of reconstruction can complete without weaving the fabric of culture in the life of nation.
6. Since its inception, ICCR has worked with clear objective of: Establishing and strengthening cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries.
7. Let me quote Dr. S. Jaishankar, Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India: It is difficult to talk about diplomacy without its cultural and soft power accomplishments. Dr. Jaishankar has also emphasized on the civilizational aspect in India’s diplomacy.
8. Coming back to ICCR, one of ICCR’s most impactful initiatives has been its scholarship programmes. Every year, ICCR offers over 4000 scholarships under 21 different schemes to students from around 190 countries. At any given time, more than 8000 international students are studying in India under these programmes, pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. courses across a wide range of disciplines.
9. Let me underline one important aspect of ICCR, it is not about promotion of Indian culture, but promotion of the cultural understanding between two countries or among many countries. That is the reason ICCR also welcomes cultural troupes from different countries of a variety of genres to India under ICCR programme to familiarize the larger Indian audience. It conducts conferences on topical subjects on a regular basis where scholars bring their own culture’s and country’s perspective to the table.
10. We are particularly happy about ICCR’s support to bringing peoples of our two countries closer. It happens through various ways:
Poland is a country, where ICCR’s initiatives have strengthened our bilateral bonds in various sphere of activities. In the recent past, Hon’ble Member of the Sejm Ms. Kinga Gajewska represented from Poland in the Generation Next Democratic Network programme organized by ICCR. ICCR has conferred on its prestigious awards “Bharat Mitra Samman” award to Prof. Joanna Jurewicz and Mr. Krzysztof Iwanek. Scholars from Polish Universities visited India in 2024 under Knowledge India Programme and one of them Prof. Halina Marlewicz is present here. In 2025, Prof. Danuta Stasik, Chair of South Asian Studies, University of Warsaw went to India under Academic Visitors Programme. Dr. Anna Rucinska represented Poland in 2025 in International Gita mahotsawa organised in Kurukshetra, the land of famous Battle of Mahabharat. Ms. Magdadelena, ICCR scholar (Kathak) and so many who are present here enjoyed ICCR’s initiative. The ICCR sponsored teachers in the field of Yoga and Kathak. Currently Prof. Santanu Dey, ICCR Chair (Indian Studies) is posted in Jagiellonian University and contributing Indian knowledge.
11. In today’s interconnected world, the relevance of culture and cultural diplomacy cannot be overstated. Culture speaks a universal language. It builds trust and brings people closer beyond boundaries of geography and politics. Institutions like ICCR play a vital role in nurturing these connections.
12. The other aspect of Culture is that it widens the limits of our lives. It does not let you restrict yourself to your job, social circle and entertainment. Practicing an aspect of culture, expands the life, sometimes multiple times. Of course, ICCR’s contribution in that is priceless.
Date: 21-Apr-2026
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