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Cultural Exchange

Cultural affinity between Azerbaijan and India is close. World renowned Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi had a profound influence on eminent Indian poets like Amir Khusrau. The late Rashid Behbudov, a noted tenor who switched to singing popular Azeri songs in the European classical tradition was a close friend of the late Raj Kapoor. Behbudov,Elmira Rahimova and other artists have been instrumental in popularizing Indian music and songs in the country. Indian cinema continues to have a large following and Azeri language TV channels screen Hindi films periodically, including the new Bollywood cinema as well as the older movies of Raj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachhan, Mithun Chakraborty, Hema Malini, etc. A student from Azerbaijan is currently enrolled at the FTTI, Pune for film direction course. 
 

Dr. Vasumathi Badrinathan, a well known Carnatic Classical musician from Mumbai, was invited to participate at the First International Mugham Festival in March 2009. Similarly, Hindustani raga exponent, Indrani Mukherjee from Kolkata was invited to participate at the Second International Mugham Festival in Baku in March 2011. Amaan Ali Khan and his brother Ayaan gave two scintillating performances at the \'Silkway Music Festival\' in Baku on 29 and 30 June 2011. The 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was celebrated at Baku on May 6, 2011 at a scientific seminar organized by the Institute of Literature named after Nizami. A Tagore scholar from Viswa-Bharati university, Shantiniketan, Prof. Abhijit Sen, participated in the event. The Indian scholar also interacted with the students and faculty of the Azerbaijan University of Languages. ICCR sponsored the visit of Aman and Ayan Ali Khan, sarod exponents for the Silk Way Music Festival held in Baku in late June 2011. A Hindi teaching section started functioning in the Azerbaijan University of Languages (AUL) in October 2010 with the deputation of a professor of Hindi from Delhi University under sponsorship of a \'Hindi Chair\' by ICCR. At present 34 Azerbaijani students are learning Hindi as an elective subject.One student from Azerbaijan has just completed a special; course for foreigners at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra and a second student is currently in Agra doing course. On her return, the first student has been absorbed by the AUL as a Hindi language teacher. The Embassy sponsored Dr.Karimov and Dr. Parvin from Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Baku from the funds allocated by the Ministry of Culture, New Delhi for such activities to participate in the International Seminar on Indo-Iranian Cultural Heritage in the context of Sufism As a Strong Bond of Cultural Relations between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Central Asia organized by University of Gawahati, Gauhati on 2-4 February, 2012. The 870th anniversary of Nizami Ganjiavi celebrations were held in Azerbaijan and India during 2012. 

 
Ministry approved continuation of Technical and Economic Cooperation(ITEC) programme for the year 2014-15. GOI Tourism Office Frankfurt and three tour operators from India participated for the third time in the 13th Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism (AIFT) held in Baku on April 3-5, 2014. The ‘Incredible India’ pavilion was inaugurated by the Ambassador.
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