Policy Update
Arushi Jain
Background
India and Iran have a civilisational linkage of over a millennium, stronger than trade or geopolitics, that relies most deeply on Indo–Persian literary and cultural exchange. Persian arrived in India early on through the Ghaznavid and Ghurid empires as early as the 11th century, and under the Delhi Sultanate by the 13th century. It was the court and administrative language during the Delhi Sultanate. Indo–Persian culture reached its apogee during the Mughal period (1526–1857), which uniquely combined Indian themes with Persian expression. It was Amir Khusrau (1253–1325) who largely pioneered a synthesis of Persian poetic and artistic traditions. Equally important was Mughal patronage, which brought in Persian scholars, scribes, and calligraphers from Shiraz and Isfahan, Iran’s great cultural cities.
For Iran, the exchanges were equally robust: Safavid courts looked towards Mughal India as both a rival and partner. Manuscripts of Indian epics translated into Persian circulated in Tehran and Mashhad, and Indian musicians and philosophers toured Persia. The flow of both ideas, language, and aesthetics, therefore, became increasingly and smoothly bidirectional in the case of Iran and India.
Colonial overthrow in the nineteenth century weakened the Persian institutional role in India, but recent decades have made a resurgence possible. In the post-Independence period, the Iranian Cultural House was established in New Delhi in 1956, and efforts to spread the historical presence of the Persian language continued with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and universities such as Aligarh Muslim University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Delhi University.
Source: Press TV
Institutional Foundations of Literary Diplomacy
When India became independent in 1947, cultural diplomacy became an ongoing effort for India to project its plural heritage abroad. With cultural similarities in language as well as a shared literary history, Iran was a natural partner. The establishment of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in 1950 under the guidance of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad captured this intent. Persia was the first language inculcated in its activities.
Such efforts converged around the mid-20th century when both governments understood that Indo-Persian literary traditions were more than history; they were an ongoing process of soft power and building mutual identity. An example of this institutionalisation of the cultural policy was the agreement on cultural exchange in 1956 that allowed Iran to establish its first Iran Cultural House in New Delhi. From this juncture forward, Indo-Persian literature transitioned from being simply a subject of historical inquiry to representing an ongoing tool of cultural diplomacy that exists in bilateral agreements, collaborative universities, and joint cultural commissions.
Functioning of Indo–Persian Exchanges
From India’s Side
- Indian Council for Cultural Relations (1950) – The primary body responsible for cultural diplomacy, the ICCR conducts exhibitions, seminars in Persian, and sends scholars to Iran for study.
- Sahitya Akademi (1954) – India’s National Academy of Letters, started Persian translation projects from Indo–Persian literature in the 1960s, and still supports research and a small number of publications today.
- Universities – Aligarh Muslim University (1875), Jawaharlal Nehru University (1969), and Delhi University all have designated areas of Persian studies, thereby providing a consistent flow of Indo–Persian scholarship.
- National Archives & Libraries – The Khuda Bakhsh Library (established in 1891, Patna) and Rampur Raza Library (1774) hold large collections of Indo–Persian manuscripts. Both libraries receive government support from India..
On Iran’s Side
- Iran Cultural House, New Delhi (1956) – This is the first Iranian cultural mission in India and was established under a cultural exchange agreement. The cultural house teaches Persian to various levels, provides support for translations of Iranian literature, and arranges poetry festivals and showcases.
- Iranian Cultural Relations Organisation (ICRO) – This state agency focuses on Iran’s cultural diplomacy and projects, including Indo–Persian literary activities, particularly.
- Universities – The University of Tehran (1934), Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (1956) and Shiraz University (1946) house Persian departments engaged in scholarly activities in collaboration with affiliated Indian Universities.
- Joint Cultural Committees – Since the 1960s, meetings and dialogues through ministry cooperation have ensured that Indo–Persian literature is part of the ongoing official dialogue at the bilateral level.
This infrastructural framework of councils, libraries, universities, and cultural centres forms the institutional backbone of Indo–Persian exchanges.
Performance of Indo-Persian Exchanges
The institutional system of councils, libraries, and universities has generated consistent outputs over the decades. Since 2010, it has renewed its emphasis on visible and collaborative projects with:
- Memorials and Dialogue Spaces
- In 2010, the India–Iran Cultural Dialogue Series institutionalised annual academic exchanges occurring in every alternation between Delhi and Tehran.
- In January 2024, in Tehran’s Book City Institute, Indo–Iranian scholars convened for a discussion of literary continuities, appraising continuity through higher platforms
- Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP)
- The Cultural Exchange Programmes, bilateral agreements between countries to increase areas of cooperation, were renewed in 2007 with Iran. This formally incorporated Indo–Persian manuscripts, translation projects, and seminars into bilateral cultural policy.
- Translation and Publications
- Indian and Iranian cultural agencies have published translations of Indian epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in Persian and introduced Persian poetry in Indian languages.
- At the 2022 Kolkata Book Fair, Iran exhibited its first-ever stall, promoting its literature and stationery, a Persian translation of the Ramayana, and its restored significance as an expression of cultural reciprocity.
- Manuscript Preservation and Digitisation
- India’s National Mission for Manuscripts (2003), catalogued thousands of Indo-Persian texts.
- A great achievement was achieved in November 2024, when the National Museum of India, in coordination with Iran’s Noor International Microfilm Centre collaborated to support the digitisation, cataloguing and restoration of Indo-Persian manuscripts of mutual provenance.
- Student and Scholar Exchanges
- ICCR and ICRO continue to be active sponsors of short-term Persian language-training programs, short-term PhD fellowships, and visiting professorship schemes. The exchange numbers are still modest, but the total has increased consistently over the past decade.
- Festivals, Citizen Diplomacy and Book Fairs
- The Iran Cultural House regularly co-sponsors mushairas (poetry gatherings) in different Indian cities. Infact, the Iranian booth in the 2025 New Delhi World Book Fair curated over 500 titles across the Persian, Urdu, Hindi and English, as well as multiple Iran Cultural Day programme engagements which brought Indo–Persian literature for mass audiences.
- Collectively, the above example not only attests to continuity but also modernisation of contemporary Indo–Persian literary exchanges, reflecting a shift from heritage preservation to contemporary cultural engagement.
Impact of Indo-Persian Exchanges
The last decade of activities has culminated in impacts that go beyond literature to culminate in diplomacy and public awareness:
- Heritage Protection as Diplomacy
The 2024 manuscript digitisation partnership exemplifies more than preservation: it is a statement of cultural trust in an age of geopolitical turmoil. By allocating resources to co-archiving, both nations are preserving their civilisational past while positioning themselves as stewards of world heritage.
- Reviving Public Awareness
Participation at book fairs (2022, 2025) has brought Indo–Persian literary heritage to popular engagements, no longer restricted to academic forums. This newfound familiarity generates inclusion and ensures Indo–Persian traditions remain relevant to the youth population.
- Academic Bridges and the Circulation of Knowledge
The 2024 Tehran literary dialogues build background collaborations that enhance the cultural links of the two countries. These engagements establish a strong hold in the host country to ensure Indo–Persian studies evolve along with the other global languages.
- People-to-People Linkages
Shared cultures such as poetry gatherings, translation projects, and teaching exchanges build local knowledge, which encourages people to be familiar with one another. Something as important as a Persian translation of the Ramayana that is circulating in Iran or a Ghalib poetry festival in Delhi is much more than art – it is the beginnings of mutual empathy and recognition.
Cultural exchanges promote a rationale of soft power which can persist even as political relations between India and Iran are questioned due to sanctions, fluctuating oil trade, or outside pressures. With digitisation of manuscripts, India- Iran are promoting the correct use of AI culturally and globally.
Emerging Issues
Though there are some signs of encouraging progress, Indo-Persian exchanges also face some serious challenges. In India, younger generations show less interest in Persian studies, university enrolments continue to drop steadily, and this raises questions about continuity. At the same time, thousands of manuscripts are languishing in libraries and private collections, in many cases still not digitised, and are deteriorating beyond use by scholars or the public. Involvement is often limited to academic organisations, and the considerable wealth of Indo-Persian literature rarely reaches wider audiences or general interest in either country. Geopolitics is a shadow looming over Indo-Persian exchanges, as sanctions and pressures on Iran limit funding, travel, and institutional partnerships, slowing down collaborations. Altogether, these factors point to how fragile but essential it is to maintain Indo-Persian literary ties in the present moment.
Way Forward
To reposition Indo–Persian literary exchanges as a tool of bilateral cultural policy in the 21st century, India and Iran can collaborate on:
- Joint Digitisation of Manuscripts: Undertake a bilateral collaboration of Indo–Persian digital archive of cultural manuscripts to digitally preserve and share global cultural heritage.
- Revival of Translation Projects: Develop a joint fund for translating contemporary Indian and Iranian literature and authorship. This should not only be historical but contemporary cultural heritage and literature in order to produce seminal works across countries.
- Create Institutional Partnerships: Create MoUs at the university level for the establishment of Indo–Persian studies that allows for structured exchanges of students and faculty members.
- Annual Indo–Persian Literary Festival: annual festivals should take place in emerging and important cities, such as between Delhi and Tehran and Lucknow, Shiraz and Hyderabad.
- Mainstreaming: Promote participatory engagement in Indo–Persian heritage through films, media and social media, this achieves the potency of Indo–Persian heritage beyond the academic realm.
- Policy: Make Indo–Persian literary projects a part of broader policy initiative frameworks such as as a part of India’s “Connect Central Asia Policy” or Iranian cultural diplomacy initiatives for sustainability.
References
About The Contributor
Arushi Jain is a Research Intern at the Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI) and is in the final year of her Master’s degree in International Studies from Symbiosis School of International Studies, Pune. Her interest lies in analysing domestic and foreign policies of countries globally.
Acknowledgement
The author sincerely thanks the whole IMPRI team for their valuable support.
Disclaimer
All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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