This time it is dedicated to the luminaries of Goa state in India, who cherish the memory of the Lithuanian missionary Andrius Rudamina.
Read more Linas Linkevičius. No one prepared the Russians for such a crisis
Andrius Rudamina is the first Lithuanian mentioned in historical sources who arrived in India 400 years ago. On August 22, 1625, he landed on the coast of Goa and spent more than a year there.
In 2015, a commemorative stone for Andrius Rudamina was unveiled in the courtyard of the Old Goa Cathedral, and last year, on the anniversary of his arrival, the cathedral’s art collection was enriched with a sculpture of Andrius Rudamina made from Lithuanian oak, carved by folk artist Juozas Kalinauskas.
These initiatives by the Lithuanian Embassy in India were helped to be implemented, the monuments maintained, and presented to interested visitors by the leaders of the Goa Archdiocese and members of the Christian community. Nearly 400,000 of them live in Goa state, most of whom are Roman Catholics.
The award “For Merits to the Friendship of India and Lithuania” was presented to Natasha Fernandez, head of the Goa Christian Art Museum, who will take it to India and hand it over for safekeeping to the Goa Archdiocese.
Read more «Feels like the Caribbean»: A paradise-like place with crystal-clear water hidden in Italy
A large group of distinguished guests traditionally arrived at the celebration in Rusnė: Indian Ambassador to Lithuania Devesh Uttam, Lithuanian Ambassador to India Diana Mickevičienė, Lithuanian Ambassador to the Holy See Sigita Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė, Chairwoman of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community Faina Kukliansky, Mayor of Šilutė District Vytautas Laurinaitis.
Poet Eugenijus Ališanka’s poems, laureate of the 2012 Poetry Spring and 2016 Jotvingiai Prize, were read to the audience in Lithuanian and Hindi, as well as poems by the famous contemporary Indian poet Sarabjeet Garcha translated into Lithuanian.
A delightful collection of classical and contemporary Indian songs was performed by Songeeta Mitra, a singer from Assam and participant of the project “The Voice of Lithuania.” The most applause was received by her Lithuanian rendition of Jordana Butkutė’s song “Nemylėjau tavęs” (“I Did Not Love You”).
The award “For Merits to the Friendship of India and Lithuania” has been given since 2019. It aims to encourage relations between Lithuania and India and people’s interest in these countries. Candidates for the award are nominated by the association “Lithuania and India Forum,” and the laureate receives a reduced copy of Romo Kvintas’s sculpture of Gandhi and Kallenbach. The award has been received by luminaries from Lithuania, India, and Israel.
