Honestly speaking I don’t find any reason why should have Russia helped India and stood with India against the world. Practically I see no reason at all apart from friendship of course. But in international relations, there is hardly any example of free friendship. We were not even buying oil from Russia. But possibly Nehru, Shastri, and Indira built and maintained an excellent relationship with USSR which is something still prevailing. It is some value chain that has gone deep into their ecosystem. The impact Raj Kapoor had or has even today on people there is just unbelievable unless you see it yourself. This is one of the greatest legacies of Nehru’s foreign policy to build up a relationship not with the political leadership but with the people of the USSR. Generations have passed, but the legacy continues.
Photograph: Prime Minister Nehru gets a rousing reception in Samarkand (then Russia, now Uzbekistan), June 1955. Photograph: Courtesy and copyright the Russian News and Information Agency, RIA Novosti. Source - rediff.com.news
Today we are living in a world where marriages fall and fail, but here is a friendship between two nations that is standing tall and strong. We need to invest more to cement this relation beyond the political discourse. Rajiv Gandhi carried the same family legacy, But after him, I do not see any effort to strengthen the bond at least on the social platform. There is a huge opportunity to inculcate a strong bond between the people of the two great nations as well as with the erstwhile fragments of the USSR. Not taking the relation to people's level is one of the weaknesses of Indian foreign policy. Our relationship with Nepal is the greatest example. We have lost all the advantages of being the closest neighbour of a Hindu nation. Today China and Pakistan have better relations with Nepal.
We need to learn from Russia. It never flexed muscle on India India in spite of being much more powerful and a superpower. It never tried to impose terms on India by hurting our sentiment. This is where possibly India doing a mistake. Many of our relations have been spoiled because of rubbing shoulders the wrong way.
Why did Russia help India? I have already answered - Friendship. Now with friendship, you don’t need any extra reason. I would like to refer to a Sanskrit sloka, learned in childhood…
उत्सवे व्यसने चैव दुर्भिक्षे राष्ट्रविप्लवे | राजद्वारे स्मशाने च यस्तिष्ठति सः बान्धवः || Utsave vyasane chaiva durbhikshe rashtraviplave | Rajadvare smashane cha yah tishthati sah bandhavah || Meaning - The one who stands (with you) in festivity, in adversity, in scarcity, in national calamity times, at the door of king and in cemetery (is) a real the kinsman / friend (of yours) (त्योहार में, विपत्ति में, तंगी में, राष्ट्रीय आपदा में, राज दरबार में और शमशान घाट में जो (आपके साथ) खड़ा रहता है वो ही वास्तविक / सच्चा मित्र हैं |)
People there feel good talking about India and Indian films. Today's generations have not seen Nehru nor Raj Kapoor. But the legacy is still there. I give credit to the leadership of both the nation then who cultured a bond of friendship. India hardly had anything to give to Russia apart from love. It was a friendship between two unequal nations. Possibly Russia saw the honesty in our approach and believed in building an ecosystem of mutual respect. Which was important to stop the US from making the world unipolar. Possibly USSR appreciated that Indian PM Indira Gandhi dared to stand up to defy US dictate.
When legendary Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor first landed in Moscow in 1954 without a visa, Soviet authorities allowed him to pass through immigration with ease. How a movie helped to build strong relations between two nations - Sar Pe Laal Topi Rusi, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani: Why Russia Loved Raj Kapoor. May Indian heroes of today’s generation are quite popular there.
Raj Kapoor was in the Soviet capital to distribute his then recently released film ‘Awara’ to a new audience. “Translated as Bradgaya, the film’s Russian release instantly captivated audiences, catapulting Kapoor as a relatable underdog’s idol and a ‘sex-symbol’ across the Soviet sphere,” writes Anubhav Roy for E-International Relations. The movie sold approximately 64 million tickets and remains the third-most watched foreign film in Soviet Russia.
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