29.04-02.04.2026

“The Heart Sends a Message to the Heart” (N.Roerich). Spring Festival at the IRMT

The Roerich Indo-Russian Spring Festival at the Roerich Memorial Estate was a vibrant and memorable event. This year, it was dedicated to the friendship between Russia and India and to the Roerich family’s contribution to strengthening cooperation between these two great nations.

The festival was organized by the International Roerich Memorial Trust in collaboration with the International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow), with the support of the Kullu District Administration (HP, India), the Russian Embassy in India (Delhi), the BRICS Alliance of Cultural Ambassadors (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Union of Women of Russia (St. Petersburg), and the Russian Club “Atlas” (New Delhi).

The IRMT exhibition halls hosted vibrant and engaging exhibitions by artist Dr. Om Mahendru (Sundar Nagar, Mandi) and a group of artists from the La Art Convention (Delhi), led by director Devika Verma.

During the festive program on the stage of the IRMT Green Theater, musical ensembles from the Rabindranath Tagore School and the A.M. Kadakin School at the Russian Embassy, as well as students and teachers from the Helena Roerich  Academy of Arts, presented the audience with wonderful musical performances.

The morning of May 2, the third day of the Festival, was marked by the international environmental and patriotic campaign “Garden of Remembrance,” initiated by the Russian Club “Atlas” with the support of the Russian Embassy and the A.M. Kadakin School, in cooperation with the IRMT. As part of the event, young Himalayan cedar trees, camellia seedlings, hydrangeas, and other ornamental plants were planted on the grounds of the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts. Students from the Tagore School and students from Indian universities participated in the planting. The event is aimed at preserving the memory of all the heroes and participants of the Great Patriotic War, of all those who brought the Great Victory closer. Among them were Nicholas Roerich and his entire family.

This was followed by an International Round Table titled “Heart sends a message to heart” (Nicholas Roerich). The speakers discussed the Roerich family’s legacy and its significance, the Roerich family’s contribution to strengthening friendship between the Russian and Indian peoples, and the deep spiritual bond between Russia and India. The event was attended by Russian and Indian schoolchildren, students, and teachers, as well as scholars, researchers, artists, and other participants.

At the conclusion of the Festival, Suresh Kumar, the Indian Curator of the IRMT, and Larisa Surgina, the Russian Curator of the IRMT (directed from ICR, Moscow), thanked all the Festival participants and expressed their gratitude to its distinguished guests: Yulia Aryaeva, Counselor at the Russian Embassy in India; Irina Arkhipova, Cultural Ambassador of the Union of Women of Russia, President of the BRICS Cultural Ambassadors Alliance; Natalia Cherkashina, Vice President of the International Center of the Roerichs, Director Non-governmental Museum named after Nicholas Roerich (Moscow); Ekaterina Semenushkova, Head of the Russian Club “Atlas,” Delhi.

The atmosphere of joy and friendship, creativity and unity that reigned at the Festival lit up the sky over Naggar and filled hearts with a sense of closeness, hope, and warmth.

The Festival opened on April 29 with a children’s painting competition featuring students of the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts and schoolchildren from the Kullu Valley, with the participation of Russian guests—students from School No. 653 named after Rabindranath Tagore (St. Petersburg). This competition was held as part of the regional stage of the International Festival “The Roerichs' Realm” organized by the ICR (Moscow). 

The main celebrations took place on May 1. The day began with a traditional Indian shanti-puja, followed by a flag-raising ceremony for the national flags of Russia and India and the Banner of Peace, and the laying of floral garlands at the bronze busts of Nicholas and Helena Roerich. 

An exhibition of works by young Russian artists—participants and winners of the Roerichs’ Realm Festival—opened at the Academy of Arts for Children. The exhibition presented works by students from the Rabindranath Tagore School (St. Petersburg), the A.M. Kadakin School at the Russian Embassy in India, as well as children participating in the “Semitsvetik” family club from Moscow.