India Russia Relations : The friendship between the Prime Minister of India and President Putin of Russia is so deep that everyone discusses it. Recently PM Modi has returned from a visit to Russia. Relations between Russia and India have been strong since ancient times. An ambassador has played the biggest role in this, about whom very few people know. It is said that in the 1950s, the Soviet Union and the then President Joseph Stalin did not have a very good opinion about India. This was the period when there were no relations between the two countries. India’s image had always remained negative in Moscow. He felt that even after independence, India was playing into the hands of imperialist powers. Moscow newspapers used to write news considering India as a hanger-on.
The first ambassador had to leave Russia
Ashok Kapoor, who lived in Russia for a long time, has written in his book ‘The Diplomatic Ideas and Practices of Asian Status’ that in the year 1950, when Radhakrishnan was sent as ambassador to Moscow, his task was very difficult, because India had given Vijayalakshmi Pandit After independence, he was sent as his first ambassador to the Soviet Union. He tried to meet Stalin several times, but he was not allowed. Stalin considered him arrogant. Vijayalakshmi Pandit was confined only to the Indian Embassy in Moscow for 2 years. He had to return later.
This is how Moscow and India were brought closer
In such a situation, Radhakrishnan was sent to Moscow in place of Vijayalakshmi. There was a big challenge before him. Before going to Moscow, Radhakrishna was India’s Ambassador to the United Nations. He had to pacify Stalin, who was also very moody. Stalin had created a negative perception against India and Nehru, but Radhakrishnan was a cunning person. He was also a philosopher. In those days, philosophers were given a lot of respect in Russia. Therefore, he tried to capitalize on the image in Moscow to make himself look different and special. Propaganda started being spread in Moscow that he sleeps only 2 hours at night. Stay busy writing books all night. Plays the role of a diplomat during the day. He became a mysterious personality. After this, a different image of Radhakrishnan started forming in the Soviet Union. When he asked for an appointment with Stalin, he got it immediately. In a telegram sent from the Indian Embassy to the Ministry of External Affairs, it was said that the first meeting was very useful, which changed many of Stalin’s ideas about India. Stalin believed that the English language ruled India. He asked in which language the work is done at your place. Radhakrishnan cleverly replied that the most popular language of the country is Hindi. The Soviet chief was happy at this. If Radhakrishnan’s answer had been in English, Stalin might not have liked it.
meeting three days before returning
Radhakrishnan stayed in Moscow for two and a half years. He tried to meet Stalin three days before he was to return to India. If he got time, Stalin used to make foreign ambassadors wait a long time to meet him. Radhakrishnan was successful in bringing Nehru and Moscow closer after the meeting. Even in his last meeting, he cleared the remaining misconceptions about India.