PM Narendra Modi was honoured with Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, the Mitra Vibhushana, on Saturday during his three-day visit to the island nation.
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00:00My colleague Geeta Mohan is joining me live on the broadcast from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
00:04Geeta, PM Modi is in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, where he will shortly be inaugurating the
00:09upgraded railway line and the railway signalling system, as we know.
00:13But beyond symbolism and infrastructure, what long-term impact do you think this visit could
00:18have on the people-to-people ties and the regional diplomacy?
00:21Massive impact.
00:23Massive impact.
00:24The fact that the agreements and the statements made by Prime Minister Modi show commitment
00:30to development of Sri Lanka.
00:32There are homes that are going to be built.
00:34We are looking at 10,000 homes being completed for the Tamil community.
00:38The Tamil leaders met him yesterday.
00:41There are other projects that are also going to be announced.
00:43They have their own proposals, and we'll be talking about that in just a while from now,
00:47when the Tamil leaders join us.
00:49But the fact is that there is a lot of concrete work that is being done.
00:53And when you invest in a country, in the development and infrastructure of a country, then you're
00:59here for the long haul.
01:01If you look around Sri Lanka, and you see many of the projects, also particularly in
01:06the north and the eastern provinces, they have been done by India.
01:11So the long-term impact or benefits that people over here and the government of India
01:19would reap is not just recent.
01:21This has been going on for decades.
01:23Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government also was dedicated and committed to the very
01:29same cause of ensuring that the Tamils and the people of Sri Lanka have a better life
01:34and that India can provide for.
01:36And it is continuing, even in practice, the Modi regime.
01:40We see more...
01:58Geeta, there seems to be an issue with your audio connection there.
02:00But Prime Minister Modi, we are getting visuals of Prime Minister Modi at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi,
02:04which is one of the most sacred and historically significant religious sites in Sri Lanka and
02:09across the Buddhist world.
02:11That's Prime Minister Modi there at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi, which is in fact a sapling
02:16from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.
02:21That is why the area is so significant.
02:24Now, the tree is a living symbol of the deep cultural and spiritual ties between India
02:29and Sri Lanka, rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.
02:32And Prime Minister Modi's visit here to this site reflects not just religious reverence,
02:37but also it reinforces centuries-old civilizational links between the two nations.
02:42Now, Jai Sri Mahabodhi is considered the oldest living human-planted tree in the world
02:47with a known planting date and its continuous care for over 2,300 years
02:51shows the reverence Sri Lankans have for Buddhism and their historical continuity.
02:56So, that's Prime Minister Modi there, along with Sri Lankan President D'Sanayake
03:00at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi, which is one of the most sacred and historically significant
03:04religious sites in Sri Lanka and across the Buddhist world.
03:12Now, what the site is, is that it draws thousands of pilgrims and tourists every year,
03:16both from Sri Lanka and abroad, especially from Buddhist majority.
03:19And Prime Minister Modi's visit there has shed a further light on the significance of the area,
03:24which is also home to the tree that is a living symbol of the deep cultural
03:28and spiritual ties between the two countries, between India and Sri Lanka,
03:32rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.
03:35Now, Sri Mahabodhi is considered the oldest living human-planted tree in the world
03:39with a known planting date. The tree is located in Anuradhapura,
03:42which is also one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
03:47It was brought to Sri Lanka, the tree itself was brought to Sri Lanka in 288 BCE
03:52by the Sangha Mitra Teri, the daughter of Indian Emperor Ashoka,
03:55during his mission to spread Buddhism.
04:03I'm going to go back to my colleague, Geeta Mohan, who is in Colombo
04:06and she is tracking the latest with what is going on with Prime Minister Modi's visit.
04:11Geeta, we just are looking at visuals of Prime Minister Modi at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi.
04:17He is seeking blessings from the seers there.
04:19What can you tell us about how this visit is significant
04:22and what this bodes for India-Sri Lanka ties?
04:25And also, I'm going to come back to my colleague Geeta Mohan,
04:28how this visit is significant and what this bodes for India-Sri Lanka ties?
04:31And also, when it comes to the cultural ties that are there between the two countries?
04:35Well, to begin with, the first foreign leader to pay a visit to Sri Lanka
04:40after President Sarnathji took over, in itself shows the importance
04:44this government is attaching to the Indian administration to India.
04:48India has, in the recent past, come and stood by Sri Lanka
04:53in a very, very difficult time, during a very difficult phase
04:56of the Sri Lankan political and economic life.
05:00The people over here, and things are turning, even if you speak to people.
05:05A lot of them in the past had questions regarding India,
05:09India's influence in Sri Lanka, opposition parties influencing people over here.
05:15But now you see a huge positive turn, which was quite natural
05:19because Sri Lankans are akin to liking India a lot.
05:22But now you see that positive turn to quite an extent
05:25because India is the reason why Sri Lanka today is sort of,
05:30or has sort of been pulled out of the economic distress
05:34that not just the government was facing, every citizen in Sri Lanka was facing.
05:40And the fact that agreements between India and Sri Lanka
05:44focus not just on strategic, which is defence, capability, connectivity,
05:49but also for Sri Lanka, looking very much within Sri Lanka,
05:54the debt restructuring that India is going to be a part of,
05:58repayment of loans, rescuing Sri Lanka when it comes to these economic difficulties
06:04where they become major defaulters in the repayment of loans,
06:09and also development and infrastructure projects,
06:13which is very, very close to how a common Sri Lankan is going to live
06:19and how it helps better their lives.
06:23There are housing projects and also the railway project
06:27that is going to be inaugurated in just a while from now in Anuradhapura.
06:31Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing the religious circuit,
06:35the Buddhist connect between India and Sri Lanka.
06:38This is a very important one.
06:40Like you very rightly said, Emperor Ashoka's daughter,
06:44his both children actually, in fact, went to Anuradhapura
06:48with a sampling from Bodh Gaya and planted that very same seed
06:53with the origins of which lie from the main Bodh Gaya tree
06:59where Gautam Buddha attained nirvana.
07:03And now he's going to meditate over there, showing the connection,
07:08and from there, he's then going to go to Rameshwaram in India.
07:15He has already announced the energy carbon-free property,
07:20housing projects for Tamils of Sri Lanka,
07:24and now Rameshwaram.
07:26And how pure is the proximity of Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka
07:33and how India is always, always at the center of the world in terms of Sri Lanka
07:41has been and will continue to be the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
07:45So a lot of projects have been done just for the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
07:51Even we see the tower of Rameshwaram happen.
07:55It has to exist in the Tamils' heart as beacons in Sri Lanka.
08:00That's a major push by India.
08:04Right. So Prime Minister Modi is at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi,
08:08which is one of the most sacred and historically significant religious sites in Sri Lanka
08:13and across the Buddhist world.
08:15Those are visuals of Prime Minister Modi there along with the Sri Lankan president, the Sanayake.
08:20Now Jai Sri Mahabodhi is essentially a sapling from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India,
08:26under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.
08:28And it was brought to Sri Lanka, as Geeta also just pointed out, in 288 BCE by Sangha Mitra Teri,
08:34who was the daughter of the Indian emperor Ashoka during his mission to spread Buddhism.
08:39I'm going to go back to my colleague Geeta Mohan, who continues to be with us on the story.
08:44Geeta, Prime Minister Modi visiting Jai Sri Mahabodhi,
08:48essentially it not just reflects his religious reverence,
08:52but also the deeper ties, the cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka.
08:56What can you tell us about that?
09:00Well, we have been discussing the fact that India and Sri Lanka share not just proximity,
09:06but geographically they're close.
09:08The two countries have been close historically, culturally, religiously.
09:13A part of Sri Lanka and some also here have not been in Sri Lanka out of choice.
09:22But generations and generations down, they are Sri Lankans of Tamil origin,
09:28and they should be accorded the same kind of rights that any citizen of Sri Lanka has.
09:35Tamils over here can be divided into two.
09:38One are those who are from or generations down have been a part of Sri Lanka.
09:46And other, those who have been on the other side so much,
09:51have not moved Sri Lanka towards this, not as far.
09:58And that's the connection between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, right?
10:06But culturally...
10:10Right, there seems to be an issue with Geeta's connection there.
10:13But Prime Minister Modi is at the Jai Shri Mahabodhi,
10:16which is a sapling from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya in India,
10:20under which Gautam Buddha had attained enlightenment,
10:23which is why the area is so significant.
10:25The tree is a living symbol of the deep cultural and spiritual ties
10:29between India and Sri Lanka, rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.
10:32Now, Prime Minister Modi's visit to the site, it reflects his religious revelance,
10:36but also reinforces the deep ties that India and Sri Lanka have had,
10:41old civilizational ties, links between the two nations.
10:43The Jai Shri Mahabodhi is considered the oldest living human-planted tree in the world,
10:47with a known planting date, which is why the region is so significant.
10:51Its continuous care for over 2,300 years shows the reverence Sri Lankans have
10:56for Buddhism and their historical continuity.
10:58The tree is located in Anuradhapura, which is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka
11:04and a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
11:06and it draws thousands of pilgrims and tourists every year,
11:09both from Sri Lanka and abroad, especially from Buddhist-majority nations.
11:18So, Prime Minister Modi is at the Jai Shri Mahabodhi,
11:20which is one of the most sacred and historically significant religious sites in Sri Lanka
11:25and across the Buddhist world.
11:26It is a sapling. Jai Shri Mahabodhi is essentially a sapling from the original Bodhi tree
11:31in Bodh Gaya in India, under which Gautam Buddha had attained enlightenment.
11:36The tree is a living symbol of the deep cultural and spiritual ties
11:39between India and Sri Lanka, rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.
11:42I'm going to go back to my colleague Geeta Mohan, who continues to be with us on the broadcast.
11:46Geeta, what has the Sri Lankan public's perception been like
11:51to Prime Minister Modi's visit to these places of religious significance,
11:54not just to Sri Lankans, but also to India?
11:59Well, most of them very positive.
12:01We've only spoken to a few because it was a bad day for us the moment we arrived over here.
12:08But I will be speaking to quite a few of them today.
12:12Most of the Sri Lankans we spoke to are quite upbeat and positive about this visit,
12:17or have been, because of the role that India played in a very critical moment in their lives,
12:23which touched them personally.
12:25Not being able to get the food supplies, shortage of fuel,
12:30all that slowly impacted life as they knew it tremendously,
12:37since the bankruptcy was declared and the absolute economic fall of Sri Lanka.
12:44And since then, they have seen the role India has played,
12:47how life came back to at least some semblance of normalcy because of India.
12:52And that certainly reflects in how they view the Prime Minister's visit,
12:57how they view India, and the realization and acknowledgement that
13:01no matter which country you engage with a bit, India is always going to stand by you.
13:06For India, it is a very strategic discipline.
13:10It is not just about going and helping a neighbor, which India does anyway,
13:14but it's also the fact that strategically Sri Lanka is very important for us.
13:19Not so long ago, there were Chinese submarines docking here in the ports of Sri Lanka.
13:26And that's certainly something which will continue.
13:29Do not expect Sri Lanka to give up on China completely.
13:34This and I have been engaging very strongly, part of the BRI project as well.
13:39So that certainly is not going to go away.
13:42And remember, there is one concept that India today promotes largely,
13:48and that has to do with strategic autonomy.
13:51But while India says that it is not going to side with one country or the other,
13:55it's going to look at its own interests.
13:57Sri Lanka is looking at her own interests when it comes to strategic autonomy,
14:02giving it the space to engage with Beijing,
14:05but also allowing the importance that it attaches to New Delhi.
14:09With the first visits that we've seen,
14:11Opps and I came to New Delhi and of Modi to Colombo.
14:15Thanks Gita for bringing in that perspective on that story.
14:18Prime Minister Modi is visiting Anuradhapura currently
14:20and he will be inaugurating certain projects.