Lithuanian and Ukrainian Ambassadors paid tribute to renowned Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan by reciting one of his iconic poems, Madhushala.
In a video posted by the Embassy of Ukraine on its official X account, Lithuania's Ambassador to India Diana Mickeviciene and Ukraine's Ambassador to India Olena Ilchuk recited the 'Madhushala'.
The admiration of the two diplomats for Bachchan is, however, not new as they recited his other poetic work, Agneepath on the occasion of Hindi Diwas on September 14.
Diana is an avid Hindi learner who picked up the language 30 years ago when she studied in India in 1994 and 1998. However, she had forgotten most of it when she stopped practising.
She decided to resume her learning by herself before her posting to India in 2022 and did a short beginners' course at a university, according to an Indian Express report.
On Bachchan, Diana said, "I find Harivansh Rai Bachchan to be a wonderful poet whose powerful poems resonate beyond Indian borders. His verses sound incredibly appealing even without knowing the meaning of some words."
Back then she said she discovered 'Madhushala' and was understanding with the help of her Hindi teacher, as per the report.
The legendary poet, Harivansh Rai Bachchan was born on November 27, 1907, at Babupatti in the United Provinces during the British Raj.
He was born into a Shrivastava family but used the word 'Bachchan', meaning child, instead as his pen name. He taught at the English department at Allahabad University for several years.
He received Padma Bhushan in 1976 for his distinguished work in the field of Hindi literature. He breathed his last on January 18, 2003, at the age of 95. He died due to respiratory ailments at his actor son Amitabh Bachchan’s residence, Prateeksha.