Rosel Youssef, (newspaper), P.20 (16-11-2008)

A historical visit to India

The two countries to revive the NAM

By: Karam Gabr (Chief of Board of Directors of Rosel Youssef newspaper)

History records when a huge number of the residents of Port Said gathered at the port to welcome the great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, while he was en route to London to attend the Roundtable Conference in 1931.

India still remembers that historical moment with gratitude, as the Embassy of India in Cairo organized, during the celebration of India's 62^nd Independence Day in the middle of last August, a photo exhibition depicting that incident and other events

India gained its independence in 1947 and well before independence; the two countries have enjoyed high-level political, cultural and economic relations. The two countries highly appreciate the international and regional status of each other and they are keen to coordinate with each other.

India keeps record of other unique photos that highlight the historical relations between the two countries, such as photos of a visit paid by the Indian PM Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi with the former Egyptian PM Mustafa Al Nahas to the tomb of Saad Zaghloul in 1939.

After the July Revolution, the leaders of the two countries had firm and close relations. For instance, the Indian PM Nehru visited Egypt in 1953 to congratulate President Mohammed Naguib on the success of the revolution. Also, Abdel Nasser, dressed in the military uniform, visited India, while he was in his way to attend the Bandung Conference in Indonesia. Again, Nehru visited Egypt in 1960 and Abdel Nasser was keen to accompany him in his tours at Anshas Air base, Mohamed Ali Mosque and Qaitbai Fort. The Embassy of India in Cairo keeps a record of rare photos for that visit.

How has India managed to develop itself and emerge as one of the most promising economies in Asia? How has Egypt managed to be one of the countries predicted to be among the emerging countries in Africa? These two questions will be dealt with on the agenda of the visit of President Mubarak to India, which starts today.

The President previously visited India in 1982 and 1983 to attend the NAM meeting. In 1995, India conferred upon President Mubarak Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Peace and International Understanding on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of India's independence.

India is not a rich country, but it has managed to achieve progress thanks to investment of its human capabilities, which is considered one of the most important sources of wealth and progress for nations. 

India's population, 1.120 billion persons, is 14 fold the number of Egyptian population and it is the second most populous country in the world after China. Also, the area of India is 3.285 million km, which is three times and a quarter of Egypt's area.

India is characterized with religious diversity: Hindus (80%), Muslims (13.5%), Christians (3%), Sikhs (2%) and other religions. India has also linguistic diversity (more than 1500 languages), as it has 18 official languages and 67 languages are used in the Indian schools.

The service sector is largest field in terms of its contributed to the NDP: services sector (53%), industry (29%) and agriculture (17%). The average of India's annual economic growth rate is more than 9% and this is the largest in the world.

The most serious problem India is facing today is the social challenges. In her address to the nation last month, the Indian President Pratibha Patil called on the Indian people to address what she termed as "social evils". Among examples she cited for "social evils" are dowry system, discrimination against girl child, female feticide discrimination against and the addiction of tobacco, drugs and alcohol. She said that 800.000 tobacco smokers die every year.

The President of India is leading a public awareness raising campaign to encourage individuals and voluntary organizations to work for the interest of the nation. In this context, she cited some lines from one of Tagore's poems: The roots below the earth claim no rewards for making the branches fruitful.

Both Egypt and India have great civilizations that are full of legends. They are awaiting promising future. The current visit of President Mubarak launches a new phase of fruitful cooperation that seeks the interests of the two peoples.

India is Egypt's third trade partner after the US and Italy. The Indian exports to Egypt are estimated at US$ 355 million, while the Indian imports from Egypt registered US$ 1.39 billion. India is one of the major countries that receive Egyptian exports.

Egypt's relations with India are unique and special, as they are based on firm foundations of history, civilization, culture and similarities between the two peoples.

In fact, the President spares no pain and heads everywhere in the globe in quest for the interest of the Egyptian people. This has always been the role exerted by Egypt and its leader. History will record this current visit of President Mubarak to India.

The visit of President Mubarak to India will revive the NAM, which calls for introducing reforms into the UN and the UN Security Council in order to better reflect and represent the realities in today's world. The reforms of the international organization seek to make its resolutions fair and just.

The outcomes of the visit will be reflected in the amount of joint ventures to be established between the two countries. Bilateral relations are based on common history, cultural rapprochement and common taste of the citizens of both countries. Now, what are the fruits Egypt will gain?!