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ilateral ties are traditionally perceived as pertaining to politics, trade and counterterrorism, while cultural relationships tend to take a backseat.

How many people know that the traditional Sundanese song, Panon Hideung (Black Eyes), is also a traditional song in Russia? And, how many people know that a shop in Calcutta used to create sweets from palm sugar made in Surabaya?

For those who have forgotten (or who never knew in the first place), there are always people like Russian embassy first secretary Veronica Novoseltseva to remind us.

Decades ago there were probably a group of sailors from Russia who landed in Java and taught the song to locals, Novoseltseva said. “Or, it could be the other way around. I’m not positive because there is no documentation about the song’s history,” she told The Jakarta Post.

Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Center director and embassy of India counselor M.K. Singh said there was no record of how Surabayan palm sugar traveled to India. “It was such a long time ago, no one knows.”

It was these unknown representatives from Russia and India in Indonesia that had a role in forging ties that have long been forgotten.

India, for example, has been active in introducing its culture to Indonesians since 1955 through their Cultural Exchange Program (CEP).

Singh said through the CEP both countries held events that showcased the performing arts, films, videos and architecture.

Singh said one example was the Festival of India (FOI) held last year in major Indonesian cities, including Jakarta and Bandung.

The FOI showcased Indian culture, including traditional dances such as the North Indian khattak dance and East Indian chhau dance together with fashion shows and food festivals.

“We also collaborated with local performers like Didi Nini Thowok to produce the musical Srikandhini,” he said, adding that both Indonesian and Indian dancers took part in the performance.

Singh said Indonesians were very enthusiastic about Indian culture. “At our cultural center, 80 percent
of yoga class students are Indonesian and 50 percent of the traditional dance students are Indonesian,” he said.

The number of Indian restaurants in Jakarta has also been on the rise.

But, India is not the only country striving to present itself positively in Indonesia. Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Alexander Ivanov told the Post that cultural ties between the countries could be traced back to 1961 when Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel in space.

“I often come across people here in Indonesia whose first name is Yuri,” he said. “And, not only that, many Indonesians have an interest in Russian literature and are big fans of writers like Leo Tolstoy and Alexander Pushkin.”

Russia and Indonesia had a strained relationship after the 1965 coup, and started to rebuild ties in the 1990s. Now, Russia is promoting its culture in Indonesia.

Ivanov said his country’s eagerness to introduce its culture was reflected in the continuous support the Russian Embassy gives to Indonesian students wanting to study Russian.

“Every year we have a Russian language and literature competition for Indonesian university students,” he said.

He said the embassy was currently working on a Russian–Indonesian dictionary to help Indonesians understand more about Russian language, culture and history.

“Only through language can people understand another culture,” he added. (map)