Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s3.t8: India-China Friendship Society
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s3.t8
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India-China Friendship Society
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The India-China Friendship Society was founded in the year 1956 by Pandit Sundarlal. He was the Vice President of the United Provinces Congress (1931-36) and also served as the President of the All India Peace Council (1959-63). The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally congratulated him on the establishment of the Society. The main mission of the Society was to promote cultural, economic and historical ties between the two countries. The Society held its first National Congress (全国代表大会) in 1956 and here Sundarlal was elected as its first President.
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In the 30 years, when B. B. Mondal of the West Bengal Cooperation Department served as the President of the India-China Friendship Society, many delegations from the Society paid friendly visits to China on the invitation of the Chinese government and the Chinese People’s Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). The Indian side also invited several Chinese delegations to visit India. On October, 2012, a six member delegation of ICFA headed by Dr G H Fernandes, President of the Maharashtra branch of ICFA, visited China. The visit was aimed to further strengthen friendly cooperative ties between India and China. Later the same year the Vice President of CPAFFC, Feng Zuoku, visited the Maharashtra branch of the ICFA.
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Mao Zedong meets Vijaylaxmi Pandit, the head of a cultural delegation from India, and the Indian Ambassador to China
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India China Friendship Society also published a book entitled ‘The Origins of India-China Friendship’ (印中友好起源) in order to enable more Indian people to understand China better. The Society has branches all over the country; the Maharashtra branch of the Society has over 10,000 members and the Karnataka branch of the Society has over 5,000 members. The Society holds various activities to commemorate major landmarks of India-China historical and cultural ties. On July 31, 2004, the Karnataka branch of the India China Friendship Society held a Commemoration Meeting in Bangalore to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence (Panchsheel). It was attended by more than 200 dignitaries including the Consul General of China in Mumbai Yuan Nansheng, local senior government officials, the Indian Union Minister of State for Planning M V Rajasekharan and the Director of UNESCO, New Delhi.
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The Karnataka branch of the Society also held a celebration to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The event was attended by the Chinese Consul-General Wang Donghua and other dignitaries. In order to observe the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the West Bengal branch of the India China Friendship Society held a meeting on October 9, 2009 at the University of Calcutta.
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(*Sabaree Mitra*)