'Hindi key to future', says Lithuania's Hindi-speaking Foreign Secretary

Lithuanian Foreign Secretary Laimonas Talat Kelpsa is in India and speaks in Hindi. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, the Lithuanian Foreign Secretary said Hindi and Lithuanian have many common and similar-sounding words. In fact, he said his name Laimonas means Laxman. Both languages have approximately 1500 common words, despite miles of difference between Lithuania in North Europe and India in South Asia. Here is the full interview.

Sidhant Sibal: Can u speak in Hindi, something everyone wants to hear in India?
Laimonas Talat Kelpsa: Thora thora Hindi bolta hun, do saal Delhi mai raha, toh Hindi mushkil hai, but tora thora ata hai (I can speak a bit of Hindi. Actually, I have stayed in Delhi for two years, so speaking in Hindi is difficult, but I can manage a bit).

Sidhant Sibal: What is the key reason that you learnt Hindi?
Laimonas Talat Kelpsa: We need to give credit to the fact that Hindi is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. One billion people have Hindi as their official and native language and looking towards the future, we have to accept this fact and learn in advance. The other reason is that Lithuanian and Hindi have a close connection. Both our languages originate in Sanskrit. We have words that sound identical. 

Sidhant Sibal: What are the common words in Hindi and Lithuanian, if you can give an example?
Laimonas Talat Kelpsa: We can draw a comparison. In Hindi, you have Vayu, while in Lithuanian we have 'Vayas'. Deva in Hindi, we say 'Devas'. Agni in Hindi, we say 'ugnis' for fire. Shakha, which means the branch of a bank means the same in Hindi and Lithuanian. In every layer of the society, from the human body to students, religion, and social aspect, you will find the same sounding words.

Sidhant Sibal: So how did the common connection happen? You are in Northern Europe and we in South Asia.
Laimonas Talat Kelpsa: Why it happened is still a mystery, but linguists are always constructing theories and trying to verify them. The research would take up the last two hundred years. It is probable that our forefathers at some point lived in the same territory, and while a part of them migrated south, to India, the other part migrated north, to Lithuania. It is really unique that our languages have managed to remain rather intact and bear connections which are recognisable. French researchers have said that if you want to learn how Indian people speak, how Sanskrit is spoken, you go to a Lithuanian village and see how a peasant speaks. 

Sidhant Sibal: How do you see ties between both the countries?
Laimonas Talat Kelpsa: We believe that India is playing an increasingly important role, now more than ever. Lithuania is a member of the NATO and the EU, and we understand we need to redefine our ties with countries in Asia including India. From this perspective, we have a good starting point, no recognizable differences, there are so many similarities we share. The linguistic similarity is one thing, we have historically connected. The first Lithuanian visited India around 400 years ago and we would be soon celebrating the occasion. Our independence movement 30 years ago was inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, so we believe we have a huge potential.