Team Herald
PANJIM: Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Eduardo Faleiro, claimed that of the 11 agreements signed by the governments of India and Portugal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Iberian country last week, the one regarding the establishment of a Chair of Indian studies at the University of Lisbon and development of a Hindi-Portuguese dictionary merely endorses the existing arrangement. He said both the facilities exist at the University of Lisbon and were created at his instance by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
“During my visit to Portugal sometime ago I met several prominent individuals of Indian origin and they complained to me about the absence of any Indian cultural centre in that country. India was the only major country with no cultural presence in Portugal,” Faleiro said.
He added, “On my return, I spoke to Dr Karan Singh, then Chairman of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and to the Director General of ICCR and asked them to establish a Centre for Indian Studies in Portugal. They agreed to do so and as a result a Centre for Indian Studies has been set up at the Faculty of Arts, University of Lisbon. In the very first year, 240 students enrolled for the Hindi language programme. A dictionary of Hindi-Portuguese is also under preparation there.”
Faleiro also said that Goans residing in Portugal seek facilities to study Konkani.
so that they and their children remain connected to their cultural roots. He called upon the Goa government to ensure that this is done.
