Russia in my Life

Hello Folks,

How is life?

How was the week?

Well maybe its time to reflect on the week gone by...

Nobody would like to hear about by personal developments but maybe this is an outlet for my emotional outpourings! To speak the truth, this week was quite hectic for me.

To begin with,  last Saturday i watched an Italian Movie at The Italian Embassy Cultural Institute located in Chanakyapuri. I am blogging the review shortly.

This was followed by an excursion of 9 Students ( the Audio Visual department as well as the Print department where i belong) to Suarjkund, Faridabad in Haryana some 35 kms from my institute.

The very next day had an invitation from the President of the Russian Cultural Association, Yelena Madam at the Russian Science and Culture Center at FerozeShah road. I was also given the privilege of being made part of their official New Year Celebrations last year.

I attempted the Essay, the title of which ran as: " Russia in my life. "( am awaiting the results)

Russia is an enchanting land indeed...thanks to its timeless Folklore and Heritage. This strange snow clad nation has the tales of Rapunzel with her legendary long silky hair, the chivalry of Ivan in the renderations involving the Princess, Ludmila.

These run harmoniously with the Philosophical and Politico-analytical works of Leo Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, added to these the nation's own " Hans Christen Anderson " Nikolai Gogol and Alexander Pushkin.

The Nation keeps giving birth to luminaries like Vladimir Elich Lenin and so on.

My understanding of this " Eurasian " country is that it is a cauldron of different races and ethnic communities blossoming in harmony. This Nation has Cossacks, Turks, Tajikhs etc to its vitality.

Speaking of Cossacks, they are known to be a chivalrous race. I had first found their mention in Alfred Tennyson's poem, " Charge of the Light Brigade " while was in the 12th standard.

My Uncle( my mother's elder sister's Husband) was posted at Moscow in the All India Radio. He was an announcer there.

They had been living there some 10-12 years  ago when USSR was in existence. I share a thing common with the Russia of that time.

I have learnt from my mother that we are the direct descendants of the Mystic Sufi Saint, Hazrath Yaqub-E-Charkhi ( Yaqub in English will be Jacob) whose shrine is at Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Central Asia.  

My Mother is the second generation born in India and speaking with her had  also learnt that after every one or two generations there is a Saint in our dynasty.

My aunt used to tell us ( me and my younger brother)  about their stay at Moscow and other places around it. The Sturdiness and hardworking capacity of the Russian citizens she had encountered still are embedded in my memory.

I remember my Mother having mentioned about the craftsmanship of a Vinyl material school bag gifted to my younger brother by my aunt from Moscow.

I would like to give in some details: the flap open part of the bag had a push button which in turn had a shining graphic sticker embedded on it. The purpose of this little embellishment was that if light fell ( say of a vehicle's headlights) on the sticker, it would light up and help the rider or the driver spot the child carrying the bag.

My aunt used to say that toys manufactured in the nation were very sturdy. she also spoke of King Peter the Greats' relics and souvenirs in a museum full of his items.

She also mentioned that how skilfully The nation's leader Lenin's body was preserved inside a glass case with embalming done on the remains. 

Thus study about a nation encompasses many things, its socio-economic-politico conditions and other aspects. The Nation is called " Eurasia " and the folklore,mores and folkways of Central Asia ( its former part) are well integrated in it.