By Arka Dyuti Palit AIFF Media Team KOCHI: That India and Iran have a long standing connection is a well-documented fact. Iran U-17 Head Coach Abbas Chamanyan too acknowledged that relation by stating that ‘there are many similarities between Iran and India’. The Persian influence on India has been integrated into or absorbed into the cultures of the Indian Subcontinent right from the time of the Delhi Sultanate. Even earlier certain aspects of the language and culture were brought to the subcontinent by various rulers from Central Asian regions. Chamanyan expressed his gratitude towards the warm reception he and his team have received during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, “I have good emotions regarding India. There are many similarities between Iran and India. The people over here are very kind people and the hospitality we have received has been brilliant.” The absorption and assimilation of Persian culture into the Indian social fabric has been gradual, right from literature to architecture. Persian was in fact the official language of the Delhi Sultanate, Bahamani Sultanate, the Mughal Empire, and their successor states, as well as the cultured language of poetry and literature. Several loan words have been absorbed into the vernaculars of the north and north-west of the South Asia including Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu-Hindi, Kashmiri and Pashto. Amir Khusrao, often considered the father of Urdu literature was a component of Indo-Persian literature. The legacy of Indo-Persian culture can often be seen in the architecture of the Mughal period be it the Taj Mahal or Red Fort in India or the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore. Even Hindustani classical musical has notable influences from the Persian > “Our culture is almost same. We share a long heritage and tradition. We had a good experience in India last year (AFC U-16 Championships) and this year too it has been a bright spot for me and my players. We will take back good memories and experiences back to Iran”, he added. Having played all its Group Stage encounters in Goa, the coach also hoped for similar support from the fans in Kochi, “Goa has supported and encouraged us a lot. I hope the people of Kochi too come out to support us.