Indians in Russia have sought PM Modi's support for Hindu temples
The Indian community in Russia is eagerly awaiting a possible interaction with Prime Minister Modi.
Moscow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the Russian Federation for the 22nd annual summit has received good response and attention from many quarters, including the Indian community in Russia, for obvious reasons. He is looking forward to a possible interaction with Prime Minister Modi.
Otherwise, he hopes that the Indian Prime Minister will agree to his demand to build a Hindu temple in the country and discuss it with his counterpart, President Vladimir Putin.
Apart from the temple, the Indian community will seek their support for the construction of a new Indian school building and the availability of more direct flights to India.
Prime Minister Modi will be in Moscow from July 8 to 9 at the invitation of President Putin for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit to be held on Tuesday.
Members of the Indian diaspora in Russia expressed excitement over Prime Minister Modi's visit as they expressed their three key demands.
“There are certain things in society that are lacking. For example, we will demand a Hindu temple through Prime Minister Modi. There are some issues with airlines as only Aeroflot works. If any other airline like Air India operates flights to Russia, the frequency will increase with the availability of seats,” said Rakesh Kumar Srivastava, an Indian from Patna based in Russia.
As Hinduism spread in Russia in recent years and the number of Indians increased, the community felt the need to have a Hindu temple in the country to meet their spiritual needs.
“The only hope we have from Prime Minister Modi is to do something for the Indian diaspora so that diaspora students get better education and schools are strengthened. And the Indian diaspora, which imports goods from India, is facing some difficulties, they should also be addressed so that India-Russia relations become stronger,” said Dilip Kumar Minglani, another Indian living in Russia.
“As I am a mother, I want a new building for an Indian school. The current building is very old and if we get a new building, the future of the students will be secure,” said Pojja Chandra, an Indian from Uttar Pradesh and living in Russia.
(with PTI input)