Plaque of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ unveiled in premises of Permanent Mission of India to UN in New York

New York, Oct 12: A plaque with the inscription ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ has been installed in the
premises of the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations here, embodying New Delhi’s
commitment to unity and global collaboration.
The plaque was unveiled at a special ceremony on Wednesday by the President of the Indian Council
for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and India’s Permanent Representative to the
UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj.
The gold-hued plaque with the phrase ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ written in Hindi and ‘The World is
One Family’ in English adorns a wall inside the entrance of the premises of India’s Permanent
Mission in the city.
The unveiling of the plaque took place a day after the Permanent Mission of India, along with the
ICCR, organised an international conference on ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ at the United Nations
headquarters.
India’s G20 Presidency for the year 2023 adopted the theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One
Earth – One Family – One Future’ signifying India’s commitment to effectively fostering unity and
collaboration in addressing global challenges.
”In a way, the philosophy behind ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ has created what, in the modern
parlance, we can call as brand India. This is the identity of India; this is the world view of India,”
Sahasrabuddhe said at the unveiling, which was attended by several Indian officials in the UN
system, diplomats as well as ICCR officials, including Director General Kumar Tuhin and Deputy
Director General Abhay Kumar.
Sahasrabuddhe said that to have the plaque displayed in a ‘proper manner’ on the premises of the
Indian permanent mission is "very, very appropriate" and added that it was an "honour" to unveil
the plaque in the presence of the dignitaries.
Asserting that for ICCR, culture is not just about music and dance, he said, ”Democracy is a part of
our culture” and there are several areas in which Indian officials in the UN and ICCR, as well as
others in India, can work together.
”While India has certainly now arrived as ‘Bharat’ globally, the understanding of India, Indian people
and the imprint of India in the United Nations can be further enhanced with the contribution of
people like you,” and those in India, Sahasrabuddhe said later during an interaction with the Indian
officials in the UN.
Kamboj said India ‘walks the talk’ as it both preaches and practices the philosophy of the
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
”This plaque now proudly graces the main entrance of the Permanent Mission of India to the United
Nations, embodying our commitment to unity and global collaboration,” she said in a post on X.
In March 2022, the Embassy of India in Antananarivo, Madagascar, unveiled a plaque of ‘Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam’ on its premises to mark the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on the occasion of 75 years of
India’s Independence.
The plaque was unveiled by the Minister of Communication and Culture of the Government of
Madagascar, Andriantogarivo Rakotondrazafy Lalatiana, and then Ambassador of India to
Madagascar, Abhay Kumar. (PTI)