On the eve of Russia Day, the consulate general of the Russian Federation hosted a reception that presented sights and sounds from the length and breadth of the nation — from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka — on a giant screen at Taj Bengal’s banquet hall.
The images and video footage took guests on a journey from the flower-strewn foothills of Altai and the rugged Urals to the boundless forests of Siberia and the balmy Black Sea landscapes of Krasnodar Krai.
And when consul general Maxim Kozlov took the stage, he spoke of “the historically strong, diverse and exceptionally stable friendship” between Russia and India. “Ours is a relationship built on mutual respect and shared benefits, one that serves the legitimate interests of both nations. Together our efforts are vital in shaping a more democratic world order,” he said, in the run-up to the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Indo-Russian diplomatic relations next year. He also pointed out how 96 per cent of the trade conducted between the countries takes place in national currencies.
Ekaterina Tyurina, vice consul and head of protocol, in front of an exhibition of photographs tracing Indo-Russian friendship down the years
The consul general, who speaks fluent Bengali, had started with Subho sondhya. He ended with the “prophetic words” of Professor Nicholas Roerich, Russia’s most famous thinker, scholar, philosopher, painter and “great friend of India”, who made this country his home, settling in Naggar in the Kullu Valley, from 1928 until he died in 1947. “India’s heart is reaching for the infinite Russia. The great Indian magnet is attracting Russian hearts. How joyful it is to see vitality in Indo-Russian ties. There exists beauty in the Indian-Russian magnet. The heart sends a message to the heart,” said Kozlov, quoting the man who is revered in India as Maharshi Roerich.
The guests were treated to a cultural programme, featuring six students of the Institute of Russian Language, Gorky Sadan. They presented Russian patriotic songs and a Tagore poem from Shesher Kobita, Kaler jatrar dhwani sunite ki pao, translated in Russian.
Natalia Gerasimova welcomed guests in an elaborate Vologodsky collar. The 17th-century Russian textile art, originating from the city of Vologda, is celebrated worldwide for its handmade collars, which are characterised by dense woven braids, contrasting delicate openwork grids, and intricate floral and star motifs
Ivan Grubin, a singer of Indo-Russian parentage, fused the song Jimmy Jimmy from the Mithun Chakraborty film Disco Dancer with a self-composed Russian song. “Everyone in Russia knows Jimmy Jimmy,” his mother Ketrin Mallick said with a smile.
The chatter at dinner was over Chak Chak. The traditional Russian and Central Asian dessert, made from pieces of unleavened dough that are deep-fried and then bound together with a sweet, sticky honey syrup, drew comparisons among guests with the Bengali Goja. “Ours is flakier,” was the general verdict.