10.06.2025

Executive Committee of the International Roerich Memorial Trust Meeting in Shimla 

A meeting of the International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT) Executive Committee was held on 4 June 2025 at the Himachal Pradesh Government Secretariat, presided over by Prabodh Saxena, Chief Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Government-cum-Chairman of the Executive Committee of the IRMT.

The meeting was attended by: Rakesh Kanwar, I.A.S., Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh (LAC)-cum-Secretary General, IRMT; Rima Kashyap, Director (LAC), Government of Himachal Pradesh-cum-Member Secretary, Executive Committee, IRMT; Shakti Chandel, I.A.S. (Retd.), Life Trustee, IRMT; Torul S. Raveesh, I.A.S., Deputy Commissioner Kullu-cum-Director IRMT; Yulia Aryaeva, Counsellor (Culture), Embassy of Russia in India; Alexander Stetsenko, Vice-President of the International Centre of the Roerichs (ICR, Moscow); Suresh Kumar, Indian Curator of the IRMT; Larisa Surgina, Russian Curator of the IRMT, as well as other representatives of the state administration and the Trust's management.

At the meeting's commencement, IRMT Director Torul S. Raveesh presented a report on the Roerich Trust's activities, in accordance with the resolutions adopted in previous IRMT Executive Committee and Board of Trustees meetings. She also familiarised the participants with the present state of affairs of the Trust and announced important issues on the agenda of the meeting, on which the Chairman of the Executive Committee, Prabodh Saxena, invited comments from the participants.

During the meeting, the key issues surrounding the preservation and development of the Roerich Estate in Naggar were discussed, and potential areas of work were identified. Particular attention was given to plans to transform the estate into an internationally renowned cultural and scientific museum complex. In this regard, the Executive Committee of the IRMT considered the issues related to the creation of working groups for the preparation of technical assignments for infrastructure construction projects, in accordance with the Concept Plan for the development of the IRMT, at the suggestion of A. Stetsenko, Vice-President of the International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow). The plan was prepared by the ICR in collaboration with a team of architects from the Moscow Architectural Institute led by E. V. Polyantsev.

The meeting of the Executive Committee was conducted in a manner that was both constructive and amicable.