KUWAIT: The Indian Embassy gifted a collection of English books on India to the American University of Kuwait (AUK) on Tuesday as a gesture to strengthen cultural cooperation between the embassy and AUK. “This is a small way of starting our cooperation with AUK,” Indian Ambassador Dr Adarsh Swaika said at a ceremony which was jointly organized by AUK and the Indian Embassy on the university premises. AUK President Dr Rawda Awwad, embassy and university officials were present.

The ambassador said the embassy is keen on working with universities in Kuwait to forge greater cultural cooperation between the young generations of both countries, alluding to the strong historical past between India and Kuwait. “This is an effort to bring the young generation of India and Kuwait together. Because they may not be aware of the history of our countries as some of the older generation,” he said.

Dr Rawda Awwad takes a look at the books on display at the India Corner at AUK library.

The collection of books is diverse in nature. “The books give a bird’s eye view of different states of India, culture, philosophy, international relations, etc. I am sure that students of AUK will be interested to learn many diverse facts about India,” he said.

Referring particularly to a book in the collection, “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World”, written by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Dr Swaika said: “It says about how Indian foreign policy has been shaped in today’s uncertain geopolitical world and how India is navigating through it.”

Talking about possible collaborative initiatives, the ambassador said there is a good scope of educational exchanges between AUK and Indian universities. He also proposed holding collaborative cultural events and film festivals on the AUK campus. Appreciating the initiative, Dr Awwad said, “It is a gift and no money can replace this. It is knowledge that always remains both priceless and timeless,” she pointed out.

“Libraries are repositories of knowledge. They provide us with an opportunity to raise important questions, answers to which we may not have. They provide us with moments of exploration, an opportunity for understanding ourselves and our place in the world,” she said, adding that the university is looking forward to further cooperation with the Indian Embassy.