I remembered the song 'Sar pe lal topi russi bhi dil hai hindustani' from Raj Kapoor's film 'Awara'

Moscow, New Delhi: Addressing Indians in Moscow before returning to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to famous actors Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty and said that they also played an important role in deepening the friendship between India and Russia.

Speaking further about India-Russia relations, he said, 'I love Russia too. On hearing the word Russia, a voice awakens in the heart of every Indian, 'This country is always our companion in happiness and sorrow.' No matter how much the temperature goes into minus here (in Moscow) in winter, India-Russia friendship always remains in plus.

These relationships are built on mutual trust and mutual respect. There was a time when the song 'Sar pe lal topi Russi fir bhi dil hai Hindustani' from Raj Kapoor's immortal film 'Awara' was sung in every household. In that era, both actors like Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty played an important role in showing the friendship between India and Russia.

In this meeting with the NRIs, Prime Minister Modi was seen in his true form. In a speech at that time, he praised President Putin, saying that he has made an extraordinary contribution to close cooperation for more than two decades. I have come to Russia for the sixth time in the last 10 years. The fact that we have met each other 17 times in these 10 years reflects mutual respect and trust.

I am grateful to him for his help in bringing back Indian students from the war. At the end of the speech, the Prime Minister underlined India's progress and said that the world is seeing that India is changing.