Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Modi Highlights Uzbek Students’ Passion for Indian Culture
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met students in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The students study India and Indian culture.
They recited some poems that Modi had written many years ago.
Modi said he felt moved because they expressed the poems’ emotions accurately, even though Hindi is not their first language.
An Uzbek scholar said many people in Uzbekistan know the greeting “Namaste.”
The scholar also spoke about interest in Indian music, dance, Yoga, philosophy and literature.
Modi suggested translating the Tamil book Tirukkural into Uzbek.
His visit was also connected to broader agreements between India and Uzbekistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies during his Uzbekistan state visit.
Students recited poems written by Modi in Hindi, which he said conveyed the emotions he originally felt.
Modi praised Uzbekistan’s interest in India, including Gandhi’s life, Indian arts, Yoga, philosophy and Tamil culture.
He encouraged the university to translate the classical Tamil text Tirukkural into Uzbek.
The visit was part of a two-day India-Uzbekistan engagement that also produced 11 agreements and understandings across multiple sectors.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uzbek students and an Uzbek Indologist.
- What
- Modi visited an Indian studies centre, interacted with students and discussed Indian languages, literature and culture.
- When
- The student interaction took place on Sunday during Modi’s two-day visit; one article identifies the date as August 30, while the highlights were shared Monday.
- Where
- The Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
- Why
- To engage with students studying India and strengthen cultural and broader bilateral ties between India and Uzbekistan.
- Location
- Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent
- Visit
- Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to Uzbekistan
- Student activity
- Students recited poems written by Modi in Hindi
- Cultural interests
- Gandhi’s life, Indian arts, dance, music, philosophy, Yoga and Tamil culture
- Proposed project
- Translation of the Tirukkural into Uzbek
- Bilateral outcome
- India and Uzbekistan exchanged 11 MoUs, agreements and understandings
- Other reported stop
- Modi later arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where he interacted with Friends of India
