This article covers the academic and educational links between India and Bulgaria, with a focus on Indology and the Hindi language, and the International Day of Yoga in Bulgaria. It is based on the MEA brief of April 2020.
Indology at Sofia University
According to the MEA brief of April 2020, Sofia University has an Indology Department as part of its Centre for Eastern Languages and Cultures. The department has been conducting courses at graduation and post-graduation levels since 1983. One of its lecture halls is named Rabindranath Tagore Hall.
There is a visiting chair for a Professor of Hindi from India at the Indology Department of Sofia University. Similarly, there is a chair for a Professor of Bulgarian language at the Delhi and Jamia Milia Islamia Universities in India. The document establishing the Hindi Chair was among those signed during the President of India's State Visit of September 2018.
Scholarships and training
Every year, students from the Indology Department of Sofia University are sent to the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in Agra to learn Hindi, on a one-year scholarship given by the Government of India.
The Indian Embassy holds an annual ITEC Day reception with ITEC alumni from Bulgaria and Macedonia. Participants of the PCFD courses of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and scholars who have attended the Hindi course at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan are also invited. As of the brief, the last ITEC Day event was held at the Embassy Residence on 11 October 2019.
Hindi events
To promote the Hindi language, Vishwa Hindi Diwas is celebrated in Sofia every year in cooperation with local cultural organisations and the Indology Department of Sofia University. A cultural event to mark Vishwa Hindi Diwas was held in Sofia on 10 January 2019, and Hindi Diwas was celebrated at the Embassy on 13 September 2019.
Academic and alumni events
- A national conference titled "India in Bulgarian Scholarships" was held at the Bulgarian Academy of Social Sciences on 15-16 June 2017, in collaboration with the Friends of India Club.
- A photo exhibition, "Apna Apna Bharat", was organised at Sofia University on 25 September 2017 by alumni of the university's Indology Department.
International Day of Yoga in Bulgaria
The Embassy has organised International Day of Yoga (IDY) events in Bulgaria since the first IDY. The brief gives the following details of the celebrations:
- First IDY, 21 June 2015: events in 9 Bulgarian cities, namely Sofia, Plovdiv, Svilengrad, Burgas, Varna, Ruse, Veliko Turnovo, Gabrovo and Pernik, in cooperation with yoga centres and Indophile organisations.
- 2nd IDY: celebrated in Bulgaria on 21 June 2016.
- 3rd IDY: organised on 24 June 2017 across 27 cities.
- 4th IDY: celebrated across 36 cities on 24 June 2018. The Vice President of Bulgaria, Ms. Iliana Iotova, was Chief Guest at the celebrations in Sofia.
- 5th IDY: celebrated in 43 cities, which the brief calls a record.
The 5th IDY celebrations began with a yoga flash session at the Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia. The main event in Sofia was held at the National Palace of Culture on 16 June 2019, with Dr. Nigyar Dzhafer, Vice President of the National Assembly, and Mr. Ognyan Gerdzhikov, former President of the National Assembly and Prime Minister, as Chief Guests.
Guests at the 2019 event in Sofia included Mr. Nikolay Sirakov, Member of Parliament; Ms. Aleksandra Jekova, Olympic Champion; Ms. Dessislava Bakarjieva, actress; and Mrs. Dyana Dafova, singer. Swami Jyotirmaya of the Art of Living led a special guided yoga session attended by MPs, Ambassadors and senior government officials.
According to the brief, all the IDY events in Bulgaria were attended by more than 15,000 persons and were covered in the print and electronic media.
Yoga and Ayurveda organisations
The brief states that several institutions and organisations in Bulgaria connected with India are involved in promoting Indian culture, music and dance, Ayurveda and yoga. The Embassy worked with yoga centres and Indophile organisations to hold the IDY events listed above.