Russia: A land of the Rishis
A tale of broadened historical & spiritual ties between India & Russia through literature.
Russian introduction in India is believably rooted in shared history and mythology. The famous Russian name Svetlana is considered similar to Sweta in Hindi. Even the name Russia, people believe, has been derived from Rishis (sages). Writings in Russia are riddled with references to Buddhism.
Indian spirituality has continued to charm young Russians. Osho, the controversial yet profound scholar-guru, is widely read in Russia. Similarly, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has attracted a huge following among Russians. His video lectures, illuminating Vedic knowledge, have been very popular, especially among higher strata of Russian society.
Indian writers and filmmakers have fascinated Russians for decades. A robust translation system established by both the governments has made it possible to know the literature, politics and life of each country to find mutual readers.
Most of Russian literature was translated during the Soviet Union period and Russian writers like Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gorky, etc became household names in India. Besides, Marxism was the most popular export from Russia to India.
Indian students were given scholarships to study in Russia and they carried Indian tales with them and returned with Russian stamps on their approach to writing. It enriched both Russians and Indians.
The Indian influence on Russian writings, about which we already mentioned, has been immense. You know that peacocks are not found in Russia and they are largely Indian birds, enjoying the status of national bird. Peacocks have found a place in Russian writings only because of Indian influence. A large number of children's books describe peacocks, with their colourful illustrations.
Ideas of Rabindranath Tagore have left their indelible mark on Russia, and so have a number of other writers and poets. Even Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto has been translated into Russian and his short and sharp stories have been very popular.
Indian films, you know, have occasionally featured Russian actors and are screened regularly in Moscow film festivals. Raj Kapoor, the Bollywood showman, was very popular and delegations from Bollywood used to make promotional visits to Russia.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the interactions between Indians and Russians have come down, but it has begun to spike once again. It is noticed that so many Russian writers were invited to the New Delhi Book Fair and they had gone in equal numbers to the Kolkata Book Fair some days back.
India and Russia are rising global powers. Both have a strong cultural capital to share with the world and India has particularly emphasised on ‘justice inclined world order’. As the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi correctly said “it is not the time for war”, India has bravely refused to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Literature and culture play pivotal roles in fomenting peace and it treats you like a guest in a land of letters and knowledge. When we came to India, we came to know about so many new writers and so many new openings of scholarly horizons.
Deep Dive
‘Volga to Ganges’: A number of Russian writers and poets have paid tributes to Vedic philosophy in their writings, and similarly Indian authors like Rahul Sankrityayan imagined India on the Bolshevik model.
India in Eurasia: India has close cultural, social and political linkages with the whole Eurasian region, most especially with Russia, impacting the imaginations of its writers.
Development: Not only inspiring writers in India, Moscow has its long-lasting stamp on India’s development, notes ex-diplomat Achala Moulik in her book.
