05-20.10.2019
Russia – India: the Joy of Creative Cooperation
In the annual Russian-Indian festival of culture held in October 2019 in the Himalayan Roerichs’ Estate in Naggar which was dedicated to the anniversary events of the Roerich family an active part belonged to the friends and assistants of the International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow) from different cities of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Twice a year, in spring and autumn, the volunteers of the ICR under the guidance of T.M. Merges come to the International Roerich Memorial Trust to help the Russian and Indian colleagues in organizing and carrying out festive events. They take part in planting of greenery, in cleaning the estate, in renovation works, in preparing of exhibitions, as well as organizing educational and recreation programs for the students of the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts and making stage performances.
On initiative of the ICR volunteers and with the support of the Russian IRMT curator Larisa V. Surgina, who works in the Trust on deputation from the ICR, and the Indian curator Ramesh Chandra the International Children and Youth festival “Russia-India: from Heart to Heart” started in the Roerichs’ Estate in 2017 which was initiated due to children painting competitions traditionally held in the Roerich Trust for the kids of Kullu valley during the spring and autumn festivals of culture. By now more than 1000 Indian kids and around 2000 Russian kids took part in the festival. Due to the community help and with the support of cultural and educational establishments those exhibitions of children’s drawings visited more than ten Russian cities.
The idea of the puppet show “The Little Hut” belongs to L.A. Tertychnaya from Vladivostok. She created a few elements of the scenery, made some characters from the performance out of fabric, cute Russian animals. The fairy-tale was preceded by the poem by O.V.Slepova from Penza Region inspired by the Roerich painting “Our Ancestors” which reproduction was used as a decoration for the performance. Hindi translation was made by Gautam Kashyap, a teacher and translator from Patna, India. Along with the Russian guests the Academy teachers also took part in the performance with great enthusiasm. The kids’ happy faces spoke for themselves: unexpectedly they saw their beloved teachers as actors! The event was completed with a cheerful Russian game accompanied by button-accordion playing, performed by V.N. Tkachev (Moscow). Even the Russian button-accordion (bayan) was brought by the volunteers from Moscow!
On October 5, Helena Roerich memory day, the ICR volunteers prepared the drawing exhibition of Indian and Russian young participants of the festival “The Bridge of Culture and Friendship between Russia and India” in the classrooms of the Academy of Arts for children in the International Roerich Memorial Trust. On the same day on the ground in front of the Green Theatre of the IRMT a creative contest “Nicholas Roerich – Master of the Mountains” was held, which was organized through the active participation of the Academy teachers. When the kids stopped drawing, the Russian guests arranged an interesting recreation program.
On October 20 another creative encounter of the Russian guests with the teachers and students of the Academy of Arts for children of the International Roerich Memorial Trust took place. At first the volunteers became the members of the jury of the Indian dance contest for the senior Academy students, and after it was finished they performed waltz as their gift to the Indian friends.
The evening was completed with rewarding the students and teachers of Academy with colourful memory cards with greetings in Hindi from the students of St. Petersburg school named after R. Tagore, which was followed by traditional round dance of friendship on Russian song “May There Always Be Sunshine”.
As Anshul Kumar, the Academy music teacher remarked, “This season was unforgettable for everyone. We cordially thank all the Russian participants for spending so much their precious time, giving knowledge, joy and many other good things to the teachers, students and all the guests, strengthening our friendship and mutual understanding.”
It has become a good tradition that on every volunteers visit to IRMT the teachers and students of the Academy conduct interesting events meant to broaden the kids’ knowledge on life and activities of the Roerich family members, to develop their creative abilities on the basis of acquaintance with the traditional and modern culture of Russia. This time for the kids and teachers of the Academy the volunteers prepared an unusual creative gift, a puppet theatre on the Russian folk fairy-tale “The Little Hut” held in the Academy on October 13. Before the theatrical performance T.M. Merges told the kids about how in his early childhood Nicholas Roerich developed love for the theatre. Visiting theatres brought him a lot of happiness, and at home on the toy stage they played fairy-tales with the help of cut pictures. Later, as a student of K.I. Mai gymnasium, Nicholas played parts in plays which were staged in the gymnasium, and then as a famous artist, he created sketches for the scenery of the theatrical performances.
Then master-classes for the Academy students were given. The member of the volunteer group, an artist Elena Yakovleva from Moscow, taught the students the technique of drawing flowers with coloured crayons on sand-paper. R.Y. Latkina and N.G. Yenina from Krasnodar captivated kids with braiding the bracelets from coloured ribbons using an ancient Russian technology of braiding from birch bark. And teacher S.V. Ivannikova from Moscow created with the Indian kids well-knows to them red hearts, the symbol of the festival “Russia – India: from Heart to Heart”.
