Ambassador of India to Ireland, Akhilesh Mishra, accompanied by his wife, Reeti Mishra, had a special honour of calling on His Excellency Dr. Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, on November 4, 2025. The meeting was an exceptional gesture to Ambassador Mishra, who has been inspired by President Higgins’ multi-faceted scholarship and his poetry, and has also written a monograph on ‘Echoes of Vedic Philosophy in the Poetry of President Michael D. Higgins’.
Ambassador Mishra profusely thanked President Higgins for granting the call just a few days before the completion of his historic second-term as the President of Ireland. He also expressed gratitude for the kindness and affection towards India, displayed by Dr. Higgins and the First Lady, Sabina Higgins. President Higgins had issued a strong official statement against ‘despicable attacks on the members of the Indian community’; and expressed, ‘the deep sense of gratitude we all in Ireland owe to the Indian community here’.
Ambassador Mishra appreciated his far-sighted and wise political leadership of Ireland during a complex and challenging period, and also his thought-leadership in inspiring intellectuals worldwide through his visionary ideas. Many of his ideas have strong relevance for India as well. He recalled President Higgins’ emphasis on food security through revival of traditional crop diversity, and mentioned Prime Minister Modi’s initiative to promote millet and other coarse grains in India and abroad through the declaration of International Year of Millets 2023.
Similarly, he recalled President Higgins’ historic role, as the first Minister of Culture of Ireland, in promoting the Irish culture and the Irish language, thanks to which Irish now proudly enjoys the status of an official language of the European Union. Ireland’s success story in this field has significance in the context of the National Education Policy of India to promote Indian languages.
President Higgins spoke about the importance of philosophy and the spirit of solidarity and inclusion. He would continue to work in the area of food security and focus on reading and writing. He conveyed his heartfelt blessings to Ambassador Mishra and Reeti Mishra, and through them, to the people of India.
