President of India attends a roundtable of Czech Indologists at Charles University in Prague; receives briefings at ELI Beamlines, Europe’s leading Laser Research Centre, on tie-up with TIFR in Mumbai

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, attended a roundtable discussion of Indologists at Charles University in Prague today (September 8, 2018).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said Indology has a very old tradition in Prague, starting with the establishment of a Chair in Sanskrit at Charles University in 1850. Professor Lesny was among the founding fathers of the Czech school of Indology. He was the first European Indologist who translated Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry directly from Bengali into Czech, instead of using English as an intermediary. The President said Indology has not just brought India and the Czech Republic together. It has had an enormous role in the making of modern India and rediscovering India’s rich past.

Later in the day, the President visited ELI Beamlines International Laser Research Centre in Prague. He received detailed briefings at this cutting-edge institution, one of the world’s centres of laser technology and research. Coinciding with President Kovind’s visit, ELI Beamlines has signed an agreement with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. Technologists from TIFR also met the President and briefed him on the implications of their work in a variety of fields, including healthcare, energy, and security.

The President will leave for New Delhi tomorrow (September 9, 2018) on the completion of his three-nation visit to Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. Before leaving Prague, the President will visit Thakurova Park, named in honour of Rabindranath Tagore, and pay respects to the poet. 

The President,Ram Nath Kovind visiting the ELI Beamlines International Laser Research Centre, at Prague, in the Czech Republic on September 08, 2018.