India-Nepal share literary bond over centuries: Indian envoy

India and Nepal share a literary bond for over centuries, India's envoy here has said as he lauded the contributions of Nepalese writers in cementing cultural ties between the two nations.
"From Tagore to Laxmi Prasad Devkota, from Dinkar to Siddhicharan Shrestha, we have shared our literature over centuries and we will continue doing so," Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae said during a function here to mark the World Poetry Day yesterday.
Rai mentioned poet Bhanubhakta Acharya, regarded as Nepal's first poet, and said he deepened the literary bonds by translating Ramayana into Nepali during the mid-19th century.
The function was organised by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu and the B P Koirala India-Nepal Foundation.

Minister for Tourism and Culture Bhim Prasad Acharya said: "As a close neighbour, Nepal and India are inseparable and we have been learning so much from each other over centuries."
"I applaud the effort made by Indian Embassy and B P Koirala India-Nepal Foundation in bringing various programmes to promote the cultural exchanges between Nepal and India.