Swaraj to deliver inaugural ICCR's Pt Deenadayal Upadhyay memorial oration

ICCR President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe today said the council has instituted Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Memorial International Oration and its inaugural lecture will be delivered by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on May 21.

He said India enjoys goodwill across the world and a need is felt to further consolidate it by adopting a more focused approach for spreading understanding about Indian culture, civilization and the people.

"In order to achieve this and propagate innovations taking place in the academic, art and cultural sphere in India, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has undertaken several new initiatives. Instituting the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Memorial International Oration is one of them," Sahasrabuddhe told reporters here.

The oration will take place every year on May 21, marking the World Culture Day.

This year Swaraj will deliver the lecture on 'Soft Power Diplomacy: Strength of India', he added.

"As a mark of tribute to the eminent thinker and leader of modern India, the ICCR institutes this oration after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay," he said.

Sahasrabuddhe said Upadhyay had an insight into the role India can play in making the world free from conflicts, misery and deprivation.

The relevance of integral humanism propounded by him is not only eternal, but also applicable beyond boundaries of nations.

Talking about the ICCR, the BJP MP said the institute has been working on introducing new ways to enhance global goodwill of India. It is also working towards making the cultural understanding more broad based and inclusive.