13.12.2024
Children and Youth Festival “Roerichs’ Realm” at the International Roerich Memorial Trust in Naggar
The proceedings commenced with the inauguration of an exhibition of drawings by Indian and Russian children at the Helena Roerich Art Academy for Children curated by the ICR’s volunteers Tamara Merges and Vasily Tkachev. The exhibition showcased the works of participants and winners of numerous children's drawing contests held within the framework of the Festival in various educational institutions in Russia and India. The inauguration of the children's exhibition was attended by Mrs Mahima Rana, Chief Engineer of the District, a devoted mother and a highly regarded figure within the local cultural community and Russian and Indian Curators of the IRMT, Larisa Surgina and Suresh Kumar. The works of children and young people of varying age groups (ranging from 5 to 17 years) were dedicated to an understanding of the Roerich family's life and legacy. These included portraits of the Master of the Mountains himself, as well as replications of the artist's style and pictorial representations of the bonds of friendship and mutual understanding between Russian and Indian cultures, as well as the ideas of the Roerich Pact.
Subsequent to the inauguration of Maria Ivanova's exhibition, the children and teaching staff of the Academy, together with other attendees and participants, proceeded to the sculptural portraits of Nicholas and Helena Roerich, where they placed garlands in honour of the occasion - 5th October is a Memorial Day of Helena Roerich and 9th October marks 150th anniversary of Nicholas Roerich.
Let's get back to our Festival. The competition was over and the participants handed in their drawings and paintings to the organisers - now the jury had to make a difficult choice and select the winners.
On 5 October, the annual Russian-Indian October Festival of Culture began at the Roerichs' Himalayan estate, dedicated this year to the Roerich family anniversaries: Nicholas Roerich's 150th birth anniversary, Helena Roerich's 145th birth anniversary and Svetoslav Roerich's 120th birth anniversary. Traditionally, the day began with the sound of children's voices. Children from the different parts of the Kullu valley invited to the Estate to take part in the festival of children and youth creativity under the theme "Roerichs' Realm", initiated by the International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow) and its volunteers, and organised in cooperation with the International Roerichs' Memorial Trust.
After the laying of garlands, the most eagerly awaited aspect of the children's festivities began. On the stage of the Green Theatre, the Sarasvati Vandana rang out and the children's drawing competition was solemnly and dignifiedly declared open, while Russian Сurator Larisa Surgina, Indian Сurator Suresh Kumar and Academy teacher Anshul Kumar greeted the children. The competition was traditionally attended by students of the Academy and schools from different parts of the Kullu valley. The competition was supported by the teachers of the Academy: Sapna Thakur (painting), Mamta Thakur (dance), Anup Thakur (tabla) and ICR volunteers from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Headmasters, teachers and parents, who accompanied their children to the competition, cheered their students on with all their hearts and gave them moral support.
On the same day, the IRMT Gallery hosted the opening of another exhibition by a Russian cosmist artist Maria Ivanova. Entitled 'The Call of the Himalayas', the exhibition showcased a selection of the artist's oeuvre, which explores themes of spirituality, nature and the cosmos. The artist's work reflects her introspective process, her exploration of the interconnectedness of humanity and the natural world, the concept of the microcosm and the macrocosm, and her understanding of humanity's place within the vast expanse of the cosmos. In her paintings, the Himalayan peaks, planets and entire star systems are presented to the viewer in a manner that suggests their tangible presence. Through the use of picturesque imagery, the artist endeavours to convey the message of beauty and harmony. The artist employs the technique of oil and acrylic painting.
After the opening of the exhibition, the guests were shown rare archival video footage of the Roerich family's life in Naggar.
The Festival of Creativity for Children and Youth, which took place on 5 October at the Roerich Estate, was the first in a series of cultural events and activities at the IRMT dedicated to the Roerich family's jubilee year and to strengthening the friendship between peoples that the great Russian artist and his family left us.
The Roerich Estate has been hosting the children's drawing competition for a considerable number of years. Since 2017, these competitions have been part of the international children's and youth festival 'Russia-India: From Heart to Heart', organised by ICR volunteers in cooperation with the IRMT. Over the years, the competition has attracted the participation of hundreds of students from educational establishments in the Kullu Valley. It is a much-loved event among schoolchildren of all ages. In the current year, the competition has become a component of the International Roerich Cultural Festival under a new name: "Roerichs' Realm". Consequently, in addition to the customary children's drawing competition, a number of new nominations were introduced in the field of literature. The children's creative compositions were dedicated to the theme of the festival. During the year, children from Russia, India, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China and other countries took part in various competitions of the festival. Young writers and artists from the Kulu Valley also became participants of the Roerichs' Realm Festival.
But the creative marathon was not over for the festival participants - the Russian guests held fascinating masterclasses and exciting children's games in which everyone could take part and, at the end, receive an original souvenir and a sweet prize.
