Underlining the ancient cultural and emotional bonds with India, Germany today called for a "determined push" to bilateral relations to take them to a new level in the globalised landscape.
"India and Germany have been strategic partners for over a decade and Germany is number one trading partner of India in Europe. We need to open our eyes to new global realities with a determined push to Indo-German relations," German ambassador to India Michael Steiner said.
He was speaking at function here to mark the centenary of the teaching of German language in India.
Elaborating on similarities between Sanskrit and German to trace the ancient cultural ties between the two countries, Steiner said promotion of German among Indian students was an integral part of his country's ongoing programme to strengthen the emotional bonds.
"Germans were euphoric when Kalidasa's play Shakuntala was first translated into German in 1791," he noted, drawing applause from the audience that comprised German and Indian scholars and academicians.
Stating about 100 colleges in India taught German, the ambassador said he hoped to achieve a target of one million Indian students of German language with the help of educational institutions in India as also the Max Mueller Bhavan, which conducts German language classes in the country.
Steiner said there were over 7,000 Indian students studying in Germany, adding his country, with its ageing population, would be happy to invite bright Indian youths to avail of opportunities in various fields.
A spectacular performance of Bharatnatyam, staged by a young German female artiste, set the tone of the centenary celebrations, attended among others by vice-chancellor of Pune University Vasudev Gade.
