Bollywood: Lights, camera, action!Raj Kapoor still popular, Aishwarya Rai the new divaP.08

110 and going strongHow Russia set up its first mis-sion in India in 1900

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From Red turf to Greener pasturesCan Russia cut down on oil, clean up its economy? P.02

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BANGALORE ● MuMBAi ● NEw DELhi ● Wednesday, nOVeMBeR 24, 2010

A Report from The Tmes of India. In association with Rossiyskaya Gazeta

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The recent death of a translo-cated tiger in Sariska in Raj-asthan has put the spotlight on the urgent need to globally coordinate efforts to protect this endangered species - the subject of the three-day maid-en global tiger summit held in St. Petersburg on November 21-24. The summit, that saw the par-ticipation from 13 Tiger Range Countries (TRC), including India, set itself the target of doubling the population of the endangered animal from exist-ing 3,200 in the wild by 2022. The summit was aimed at "em-powering them to address the entire spectrum of threats, do-mestic as well as trans-bound-ary, and working towards in-creased sustainability through the integration of conservation objectives into development" and endorsed the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) to address issues posing threat to the predator.It was the last-ditch global ef-fort to save the vanishing spe-cies. There are no more than 3,200 of these predators left in the world, whereas only a cen-tury ago there were 30 times as many, nearly 100,000. By the 1940s three subspecies of tiger had disappeared while a fourth subspecies, indigenous to southern China, has not been found in the wild in 25 years. Tigers now inhabit only 7% of the territory that was historically theirs.Tigers live in only 13 countries. The largest population is in India (1,400). In Russia there are 450-500. Amur tigers were last counted in 2005. Now they are being recounted.

The wild cat gone missing? Russian-born Indra devi

introduced yoga to the Kremlin and Hollywood stars like Gloria swanson.

With barely 3,200 big cats left, the Tiger summit in st. Petersburg endorsed a plan to double them by 2022.

A portrait of the First Lady of Yoga

Yoga was once out of favour in the Soviet Union. People secretly passed around print-ed yoga manuals. When the first yoga book was finally published in 1992, Yoga for You (translated into Russian), few people knew that the au-thor, Indra Devi, was of Rus-sian descent and that her fas-cination with yoga began decades ago in the Tsarist Russia. Indra Devi, who mastered advanced yoga techniques in Mysore in India in the 1930s,

sVeTLana sOROKInaRiR

Asia Pacific region.” The ASEAN’s decision to admit the US and Russia to the 16-nation East Asia Summit is another important develop-ment that will shape the geo-politics of the region. The un-ipolar moment is over; an exuberant multipolarity is rearticulating itself in the changing vocabulary of global power politics. In this intri-cate Asia-Pacific chessboard, Moscow, Beijing, New Delhi and Washington are set to play a delicate balancing game.

A new great game is shaping up in the Asia-Pacific region. The Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral forum is per-haps unique as far as it aims to build trust among the trinity of emerging powers that hold the key to the evolving 21st century world order. The recent trilateral meeting of the foreign min-isters of RIC in the Chinese city of Wuhan backed the UN reforms and stressed the need "to develop an open transparent inclusive and balanced security and coop-eration architecture in the

Journey india was her spiritual home Wildlife india joins 12 other countries in a mission to save the tiger

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celebrated her 100th birth-day in Buenos Aires on May 12, 1999. Over 3,000 guests came to celebrate and wish her good health. Her health, however, worsened in 2002; she could not even go to India where she wanted to spend her last days. ‘The First Lady of Yoga’, as she was popularly called, died on April 25, 2002 in Buenos Aires. Her body was cremated, according to the rites of her spiritual motherland, and her ashes were scattered over Rio de la Plata. Now, yoga has won a new fol-lowing across Russia.

New 'great game' plays out on Asia-pacific chessboard

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www.rbcnews.com Business newsen.rian.ru/business RIA Novosti newswirewww.businessneweurope.eu Business magazine focusing on emerging European markets economy

news in brief

The high-level meeting to prepare for next month's summit between Prime Min-ister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took place in New Delhi last week. "According to an expert evaluation, this year bilateral trade turnover will total $9.2-9.3 billion, and possibly even more," Russian Deputy PM Sergei Ivanov told journalists after a meeting of the joint inter-governmental commission. Ivanov also said Russia and India are highly likely to sign a fifth-generation fighter de-sign contract in December. ria novosti

medvedev visit: india, russia firm up agenda

The federal network opera-tor NIS GLONASS signed a pact to establish a consor-tium with DIMTS (Delhi In-tegrated Multimodal Transit System), India, for partici-pating in tenders to create Intelligent Transport Sys-tems (ITS) in Indian cities that will provide traffic mon-itoring solutions. An MoU was also signed with Kerala State Electronic Develop-ment Corporation Limited (KELTRON) and joint par-ticipation in state govern-ment tenders. ria novosti

gLonass signs agreement for traffic solutions

Prof. Charanjit Singh, direc-tor of the Centre of Russian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, says 170 students are studying Russian at the centre, the highest since 1965. “There are 7-8 appli-cants for each place in the centre,” he said. The num-ber of Russian applicants grew from 40 to 52. The five-year course teaches Russian literature, history and cul-ture. itar-tass

more indian studentsstudy russian

racheL morarjeebusiness new europe

the russian government has launched an ambitious $300 billion plan that will reduce its dependence on oil and could spark a green energy revolution in the country.

unfurling green energy revolutionto make economy competitive

environment Medvedev sets target of making economy 40% more energy efficient by 2020

Every year, Russia wastes enough energy to power the French economy, but new evi-dence suggests that the Krem-lin is determined to change its ways. The Russian government re-cently approved a $300 billion energy efficiency programme that will trim the fat from So-viet-era factories and build-ings, signalling a green energy revolution in the making. “The political winds have changed at the top and there is a grow-ing consensus that climate change is happening, and there is a will to change and build a more efficient econo-my,” said Kevin James of Lon-don-based investment adviser Climate Change Capital. He added that the raging forest fires of the summer have only sharpened the realisation about the need for more vigor-ous steps to combat global warming. Russia is the world’s biggest oil and gas producer and cheap, government-capped

domestic energy prices have sapped the motivation to con-serve energy. That's why Pres-ident Dmitry Medvedev has taken a tough line on the envi-ronment, supported by a re-port from the World Bank, which said that improving en-ergy efficiency will improve the country’s productivity and competitiveness. Declaring the target of making the econ-omy 40% more energy effi-cient by 2020, Medvedev has taken political initiatives to reduce Russia’s dependence

pact in June to work on renew-able power projects, including tidal and geothermal power projects, as well as in retail power sales. Biofuel develop-ment is making progress. In June, presidential economic adviser Arkady Dvorkovich said the government should support small energy-gener-ating projects that use biofuel by giving them tax breaks and subsidised interest rates.Russia’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, too, has turned serious and has drafted a bill in August to pro-mote recycling. Many NGOs have commended these laudable plans, but point out lacklustre delivery. “The government is not green and many policies are anti-envi-ronmental,” says Vladimir Chouprov of Greenpeace.

IRINA FILATOVATHE MOSCOW TIMES

with some parts of russia getting more exposure to sun rays than france and spain, the country is bracing for ramping up solar power as an alternative source of energy.

Here comes the sun, and it's going to burn brighter

energy $160 mn-solar power plant to produce upto 120 megawatt by 2011; high costs a deterrent

sun,” said Marat Zaks, chief ex-ecutive of Solar Wind, a Krasn-odar-based solar panel manu-facturer. “But the fact is that there’s a lot of sun in Russia as well. Germany is the world’s No. 1 solar energy consumer. But is Germany a sunny coun-try,” he asked.Solar Wind produces panels mostly for export but hopes to see the domestic market grow. Many Russian private compa-nies are creating joint ventures with Rusnano, the state tech-nology corporation, to address local needs. Solar Wind is col-laborating with Rusnano in a $160 million project in which it

Russia may be linked in peo-ple's minds more with long, dark winters than sun-drenched days, but that has not stopped private compa-nies from tapping into a grow-ing market for solar energy.“There was an opinion that it’s better to use solar energy in countries where there’s a lot of

will make double-sided solar panels, that harnesses solar en-ergy from both sides, for do-mestic use. The plant, which may start working at the end of this year or in the first quarter of 2011, will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 30 megawatts at the start, and will eventually ramp up to 120 megawatts per year. Solar Wind’s domestic sales is much smaller compared with ex-ports, said Zaks, adding that the company exports solar pan-els to more than 22 countries, including Germany, Britain and the US.Industry insiders said solar en-

ergy could become a real alter-native to traditional energy in some regions. “The Krasnodar region and most parts of Sibe-ria have insolation levels [aver-age exposure to the sun’s rays] comparable to south of France and central Italy, where solar energy is booming, while the Zabaikalsky region gets more solar energy than Spain,” said Vasily Malakha of the Electric-ity and Energy Council of the Commonwealth of Indepen-dent States.The Krasnodar region woke up to solar energy after it launched an energy efficiency target pro-gramme in 2006. The roof of the central hospital in Ust-La-binsk, a town northeast of Krasnodar, is being covered by 300 solar panels. The installa-tion will heat water for the hos-pital’s daily needs year-round, said Alexander Kiselyov, depu-ty chief doctor of the hospital.

The forbiddingly high cost of solar power station construc-tion, however, could be a de-terrent. The construction cost of a solar power station rang-es from $10,000 to $17,000 per one kilowatt of installed ca-pacity, said Malakha. A kilo-watt of installed capacity at a nuclear power station costs upto $3,000 while the figure for a hydroelectric power sta-tion is just $1,000.Solar energy use has a future in Russia, but it should be used only in combination with other renewable energy s o u rc e s , s a i d B r i g i tt e Schmidt, a board member of Eurosolar Deutschland, the German division of the Euro-pean Association for Renew-able Energy. Solar energy has not become popular in Rus-sia because of its focus on oil exports, she said from Ger-many.

on oil, from phasing out the use of incandescent light bulbs that use more electricity than energy-efficient bulbs.Although Russia lags far be-hind China, the world’s lead-ing manufacturer of wind tur-bines and solar panels, the government has announced plans to build eight plants that will produce energy-saving lamps. The first Russian solar plant, estimated at $99 mil-lion, will likely light up the North Caucasus resort city of Kislovodsk next year. More

solar and wind plants are in the pipeline. Rostovteploelek-troproyekt, a Russian compa-ny specialising in the design of energy plants and equipment, is planning to develop wind and solar power worth $300 million in the Krasnodar re-gion. The wind project could start as early as next year. Rus-sian energy giant RusHydro has plans to build a wind-power park in St Petersburg.Hydropower is another focus area. Italian energy giant ENEL and RusHydro signed a

russia is getting into the hy-brid car business. at the start of this year, multi-bil-lionaire mikhail prokhorov said he would launch the mass production of inexpen-sive electric cars, with a project that has putin’s per-sonal backing. the first 3 prototypes of the $12,000 car are due to roll off the production line in december.

AFP

03BOOKMARKS RUSSIA INDIA REPORT

IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, RUSSIA THE TIMES OF INDIA WEDNESDAY_NOVEMBER 24_2010

www.russiaconsulmumbai.mid.ru Consulate Gen-eral of the Russian Federation in Mumbaiwww.russian-centre-mumbai.com/en The Cultural Centre of Russia, Mumbai Diplomacy

ALEXANDER M. KADAKINSPECIALLY FOR RIR

Russia's first Consul General in India sowed the seeds of Indo-Russian friendship in 1900, which have now blossomed into a thriving multi-faceted partnership.

110 and going strong: A saga of time-tested friendship

Milestone Russian Consulate General in Mumbai celebrates 110th anniversary; President Medvedev to visit India in Dec

It was a truly auspicious day when in November 1900 Bom-bay (now Mumbai) saw the opening of the first Russian diplomatic mission in India, which was then temporarily lo-cated in the gorgeous historical building of the iconic Taj Mahal hotel. This event crowned more than three decades of efforts by Russia in opening of its official gateway to the largest country of South Asia. It is an apposite time to re-member today the pioneer of Russian diplomacy in India, Otto (William Oskarovich) von Klemm, his selflessness and dedication which made this arduous task a success. At that time India was not yet an in-dependent nation, but it was in those years that the founda-tion of Russian-Indian rela-tionship was laid. As many documents testify, British of-ficials acknowledged highly

the professional background, intellectual sophistication, vast knowledge and erudition of the Russian diplomat, who by that time had already had wide experience of working in Central Asia – Bukhara, Tash-kent, and Ashgabat. However, his skill in forging friendly contacts with representatives of various ranks of Indian so-ciety, made the British alert and even frightened. It is obvi-ous from one of the con� den-tial despatches which read that Otto von Klemm “had a real taste for oriental languag-es and life, it would be difficult to replace him and, in addition

Calcutta) lasted nearly a month. Thanks to efforts of von Klemm, the Duke’s meetings with a cross-section of the Indian peo-ple did much to dispel the false image of Russia implanted by the British administration and in creating an objective picture of my country in the eyes of the Indian people. Von Klemm also launched a unique initiative of public di-plomacy, an important compo-nent of bilateral ties. An expo-sition entitled “Bombay – Fish-ery in India in live forms and figures” was presented at the International Fishing Fair in St. Petersburg in 1902 and was a huge success. None other than von Klemm helped get it as it was he who persuaded brothers Vinayak and Eknath Khate to send their private col-lection to Russia. The Khate brothers were later awarded a gold medal from the govern-ment of the Russian Empire. The consulate was proactive in stimulating interest among the Russian business community towards business opportunities in India. In 1902, with the as-sistance of von Klemm, two steamship lines were put in op-eration, which became key ar-

it would be a hardship to re-move him”. Undoubtedly, von Klemm was a man of mission. Even person-al tragedies like the death of his little son did not affect his per-sonal commitment for the dip-lomatic service. Although the � rst Russian dip-lomatic mission operated in Bombay for quite a short period and after 10 years was shifted to Calcutta, it was instrumental in striking the � rst Russian-In-dian acquaintances and in forg-ing trade and scientific con-tacts. While colonial authorities viewed von Klemm’s activities with great suspicion, the Rus-sian diplomat was esteemed highly by the Bombay elite. It is no secret that Klemm attended rather risky meetings and even forged friendship with iconic freedom � ghters like Bal Gan-gadhar Tilak. The official visit to India of the Russian Emperor’s cousin, Grand Duke Boris Vladi-mirovich Romanov in 1902, during von Klemm’s tenure, was a milestone of sorts. The Grand Duke’s trip across the country (besides Bombay, he visited Baroda, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi, Kartarpur, Benares and

A view of the Taj hotel in the early 20th century, where Russian diplomat Otto von Klemm start-ed Russia's Mumbai consulate. The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower is back to business after the terror strike two years ago. A view of the the Consulate General's new building (right).

teries for Russian-Indian trade. Branches of Russian trade houses were opened in this country. “Leon Mantashev” supplied kerosene to entire Western India in the beginning of the century, delivering it from Baku through Batumi. Accord-ing to official British statistics, out of 91.5 million gallons of kerosene exported to India in 1900-1901 84.5 million gallons came from Russia. Russian tea-traders such as “Gubkin & Kouznetsov Copartnership” also made large purchases of Indian tea. Before World War I Russia was one of the largest buyers of Indian tea, being sec-ond only to Britain. Promoting humanitarian and cultural ex-changes also got a boost. The current work of the Con-sulate General in Mumbai shows a continuity of traditions laid down by von Klemm at the dawn of the 20th century. The activities of the Russian diplo-matic mission in the western part of India are aimed at safe-guarding Russia’s interests in the states of Maharashtra, Gu-jarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa as well as promoting Rus-sian-Indian cooperation in eco-nomic, scienti� c, technological and cultural spheres. This co-operation is acquiring new forms every passing day. The Tata group, for example, is in-volved in establishing the Skolkovo International Center of Innovative Technologies near Moscow. The Mumbai consulate also helps to strengthen links with many research centers and business entities which are in-volved in implementing major Russian-Indian projects, in-cluding the Nuclear Power Cor-poration of India which is en-

gaged in the construction of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant with assistance of Rus-sia’s “Atomstroyexport” compa-ny. Mumbai, India’s thriving metropolis and a byword for optimism and resilience, is a brother-city of St. Petersburg with which it has excellent links in trade, economic, cultural and other spheres. As India observes the second anniversary of the deadly ter-rorist carnage and remembers those who died on Nov 26, 2008 in Mumbai, Russia fully sup-ports India in this relentless fight against terrorism. Inci-dentally, the Taj hotel is the very historic building where von Klemm, the � rst Russian diplo-mat in India, embarked on his voyage of deepening India-Russia friendship. And this voyage continues. As the twenty-� rst century un-folds, the two great nations are infusing new energy and vital-ity into their time-tested rela-tionship, based on the princi-ples of constructive cooperation and innovative strategic part-nership. Russia is determined to strengthen and develop bi-lateral relations with India in the years to come and rejoices at the growth of international authority and in� uence of our staunch ally, the rise of this global power-in-the making. The forthcoming visit of the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, to India next De-cember will surely open new vistas of mutually bene� cial in-teraction in the � eld of innova-tions and help promote effec-tive solution to the tasks of accelerated economic and so-cial development of the two countries.Vivat Mumbai!

Alexander Kadakin,Russia's ambassador to India

1900 2010

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in@rbth.ru www.indrus.in/letters

Website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in India

www.rusembassy. in

bookmarks04 Russia india RepoRtin association with rossiyskaya gazeta, russia tHe times of india wednesday_november 24_2010

www.tigerforum2010.ru Tiger forum 2010 websitewww.globaltigerinitiative.org Global Tiger Initiative Program.www.wwf.org WWF websiteecology

Russia’s Amur tiger is the world’s largest tiger and the only subspecies capable of liv-ing in the snows. Indeed, it can only live in the southern taiga, which is steadily shrinking. Further north, the snow is too deep. According to Gennady Kolonin, an expert on special-ly p ro t e c t e d a re a s a t Rosprirodnadzor, 500 tigers that now inhabit Russia are the maximum that the re-maining taiga can support. A female tiger can usually make do with 20 sq. kilometers of dense forest. A male tiger needs substantially more — up to 100 sq. kilometers. Ordi-narily the home range of one male tiger includes the home ranges of two or three females and their cubs. “Without home ranges of their own, young tigers are forced to roam about and are always running into grounds already occupied by adults,” say mem-bers of Russia’s special tiger inspection team. Last year, they observed a group of four young tigers over time. Only one of them was able to find it-self a hunting ground. The oth-ers died. Today, tigers have crossed over to the left bank of

the Amur River in a bid to find new home ranges. They ap-pear regularly in the Amur Re-gion and wander along the Baikal-Amur railway line. Research by the Amur Tiger Project has shown that in 75-85% of cases Amur tigers per-ish at the hands of humans. Poachers in the Russian Far East kill 20-30 tigers every year. Tiger pelts are in great de-mand as are their carcasses. The Chinese use body parts of this rare animal for medicines that supposedly increase po-tency. Illegal logging is another major problem. In the mountains of Eastern Manchuria and the Sikhote-Alin range, the virgin forests are shrinking while the grounds suitable for habitation and hunting are becoming more and more isolated, forc-ing tigers to divide up into groups of 8-14 individuals and live separately. If in 2004-05 the situation in Russia was still considered fa-vorable, then last year the tiger population here, as elsewhere in the world, was again found to have decreased. Environmentalists now need to accomplish several tasks at once. First, they must provide tigers with food. To do this, they

must provide additional num-bers of ungulates so that the ti-gers have enough prey. The lack of sufficient food is forcing ti-gers to forage in populated areas, to steal dogs and attack domestic livestock. The “prob-lem” tigers that engage in such activities have to be caught. They are tracked and, depend-ing on the state of their health and their ability to procure their own food independently, are either returned to the taiga or put to sleep. Secondly, protected habitats for tigers are needed. In Russia in 2007-08, three national parks and a federal nature re-serve (Leopardovy) were creat-ed; 770,000 sq. hectares were turned into protected areas for tigers. Now in operation is the Kedorvaya Pal’ Nature Re-serve, also the Sikhote-Alinsky Reserve, the largest specially protected area inside the Amur tiger’s range. Thus more than 20% of the Amur tiger’s habi-tat is under special protection. The World Wildlife Fund would like to see the area of these zones increased to 25%. If such a decision is taken, environ-mentalists say that it will re-quire creating protected areas in the Ussuriisky and Lazovsky Nature Reserves, as well as in the Zov Tigra, Udegeisykaya Legenda and Anyuisky Na-tional Parks; in addition, Rus-sia will need to set up three more nature reserves, three more nature parks and four ecological corridors. This would make all the existing specially protected areas in Primoriye a single complex, and substantially increase the potential area for tiger habita-tion. Today tigers often perish on roads while trying to move from one protected zone to an-other. Thirdly, environmentalists concerned with the fate of the Amur tiger should create a spe-cial state rehabilitation center. The center would treat animals that have suffered at the hands of hunters or poachers and then release them into the wild. At present, there is only one NGO (Utes) involved in these efforts and it is dependent on donations. Since its inception, this non-government center has nursed 14 tigers back to health. Most recently Utes managed to save three tiger cubs, who they named Vladi-

the wild cat gone missing?

mir, Tatiana and Lazurina. The cubs were cared for over a pe-riod of 100 days. They were taught to hunt and then taken back to the taiga. Today money to preserve the Amur tiger population is allo-cated by international organi-sations like the World Bank. Charity foundations are also involved. For instance, the World Wildlife Fund has cre-ated the Adopt a Tiger project

to raise more funds to protect tigers in Russia. With a contri-bution of 25,000 rubles ($8,000 plus), a donor may adopt one tiger. The WWF has so far found 122 such “parents”. Of course, donors do not receive an actual tiger in exchange for their support. The money they donate goes to protect the Amur tiger’s entire range in the southern taiga of the Rus-sian Far East.

3 meters in length, tail included, amur tigers continue to

grow their whole life. They can weigh upto 300 kg in old age. Tigers are wily hunters. Unlike the Bengal tiger, the Amur tiger is unusually silent.

50 km an hour is a speed a tiger can run. Dur-

ing the mating games of Man-churian wapitis, the Amur tiger does a masterful job of imitat-ing the voice of the bellowing deer in order to lure it.

50 adult ungulates a year at least is the diet of a

single tiger. Despite their enor-mous appetites, tigers do not significantly affect the popula-tions of the animals they eat. As opposed to, say, wolves.

Research shows that in 75-85% of cases, Amur tigers are killed. Poachers in Russia's Far East kill 20-30 tigers every year. The Chinese use body parts for potency medicines.

continued from Page 1

wildlife

russia's Pm vladimir Putin holds a tiger's head as scientists put on a collar with a satellite tracker in the ussuri reserve

tiger cubs are very vulnerable to predators and poachers

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05bookmarks Russia india RepoRt

in association with rossiyskaya gazeta, russia tHe times of india wednesday_november 24_2010 ecology

www.traffic.org TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitor-ing network www.ifaw.org IFAW, the International Fund for Ani-mal Welfare

anna nemtsovasReCIAlly FoR RIR

thirsting for an eco-friendly lifestyle, thousands of russians are turning to far-off lands to create their own utopia. but the romance has not ended happily for some.

Fed up with unreal city, they create green utopia

Living Pollution, stress driving Russians to eco-communes

Yevgenia Pystina is a doctor who was once a scientist at the Novosibirsk Medical In-stitute, the prestigious re-search facility in Siberia’s largest city. Three years ago, her husband, a concert pia-nist, told her about some green movement activists living off the grid on communal land about 75 miles north of Novo-sibirsk, along the banks of the Ob River. “I laughed at his fairytale but he said, ‘let me take you there, so you see with your own eyes’,” she recalled. “That is how we arrived here and stayed.”Pystina, her husband, and her two daughters now live among 51 other families in the Land of Plenty commune whose members range from one-year-old toddler to nonage-narians. New communities of home-steaders have sprung up across the most remote parts of Rus-sia in the past decade, includ-ing Siberia, attracting thou-sands of Russians in search of a simple, self-sufficient and eco-friendly lifestyle, free from state control and big city corruption.The so-called “eco-communes” built around green living, have grown dramatically in the last decade, and the back to the land movement is drawing professionals weary of the pol-lution and lurid consumer-ism. Pystina, it seems, has found her pastoral paradise. A tall, slim woman, Pystina now sings through her busy day, stacking cabbage heads on her verandah, pouring her honey in cans for the winter, and painting eggs with her daugh-ters, Angelina and Polina. “Since the day I moved to the Land of Plenty commune, my new interests in art, singing, science and agriculture wake me up every morning,” she says in the tone of a convert. Not everyone is, however, charmed by these romantic longings. The Russian Ortho-dox Church has criticised the communes as sects selling false Gods. And some suspi-cious local authorities in rural areas have challenged at-

the Land of Plenty ecological commune offers an escape from city life.

tempts by various communes to establish ownership of the land they have homesteaded.Eco-enthusiasts at the Land of Plenty commune have vehe-mently rebutted the charge, saying they are not a threat, and every house is open to guests who want to visit and sample the commune’s honey, pumpkin pies, and goat milk. They also make it a point to accentuate their differences with some of the religious communes that have also emerged in Russia at the same time.

Organic farming forms the basis of the vegetarian diet followed by the commune members. Families also be-lieve in home schooling their children with members with particular expertise teaching that subject area. Pystina, for instance, teaches chemistry.Each household contributes something to the common good at the Land of Plenty. The family of Valery Popov, a for-mer physicist, helps newcom-ers build their log cabins. The Nadezhdins, a family of den-tists, serve as the commune’s bakers. Klavdiya Ivanova, a former music teacher, is fa-mous for her hand-made, tra-ditional clothes.Her husband, a former army officer, helps the commune re-cycle. “All my life, I’ve been a part of the system: at school, as a university student, then

as a faithful officer but the system fell apart before my eyes, destroyed by liars, by thieves, by outrageously cor-rupt managers,” said Dmitry Ivanov. “We are here to create a new social model: free, pro-fessional and self-confident individuals. And it is focused on decreasing our negative impact on the environment,” he says.The tribe of eco-enthusiasts like Ivanov is growing. Dozens of eco-settlements have emerged in the last two years in the Altai Mountains, Kare-lia and on the Volga. Some have even spilled overseas. The Shambhala- Shasta Eco-Set-tlement in Ashland, Oregon, traces its roots to Russia, at-tracting nature lovers. The wilderness utopias have, however, left some disenchant-ed. “I could not breathe in the city; the state system choked me,” recalls Kumani, Olga Ku-mani, a former crime reporter in Novosibirsk, who quit it all in 2002 to chase a green uto-pia. Finally, Kumani, a mother of three, joined the Charbai commune in Altai. “The com-mune leaders just wanted to control our money and exploit us for work around the com-mune,” said Kumani. Kumani and her children now live among a community of 22 art-ists who make clay pots and flutes in a village in the Re-public of Altai. But she finds even the artists’ community bristling with hidden rivalries. “We are still searching for alternative op-tions, for new solutions,” said Kumani, who is now contem-plating a move to the most desolate parts of Siberia to find her isle of tranquillity.

‘eco-communes’ have sprung in remotest parts of Russia in the last decade

dwindling tiger population alarming: expert

ment and stayed in the range of 70-80. Yet, the balance was very precarious due to the continuous loss of habitat to timber harvesting, wildfires and overall development activ-ities. This led to declining un-gulate populations and smaller litter sizes. Moreover, poaching was back on the rise. Starting from the 2004-2005 season, the downward trend has been clearly getting out of con-trol. The population inhabiting the monitoring sites dropped from 32-31 to 27 in 2007, los-ing some mature animals along the way. In 2008-2009, the number of tigers collapsed

catastrophically to 11. However dreary that may sound, the ti-ger population in the region has dwindled by a factor of 2.5. A survey in 2004-2005 said the headcount was esti-mated at 72-78 animals. This winter we will find out wheth-er this is still so. For now, it is not quite clear what has been happening to Siberian tigers. The cases of strange tiger be-haviour and death reported in the press are disturbing. To make things worse, these ani-mals are not immune to dis-ease." - Yury Dunishenko, Far East Animal Breeding and Fur Farming Research Institute.

"Usually the number of large predators declines or increas-es gradually but steadily. It is critical, therefore, to detect the trend and take action. In the Russian Far East, we have been running a tiger head-count monitoring program for as long as 13 years. A general headcount survey is conduct-ed every decade. Until recent-ly, we had no serious concerns about Siberian tigers, as the population in Khabarovsk in-creased from 20 in the 1970s to nearly a hundred by the early 1990s. After a minor set-back, the headcount came to equilibrium with the environ-

dmitry LevnerRIR

anatoly belov has tirelessly fought poachers along the russia-china border to save the amur tiger. the wwF honoured the man with its highest honour this month.

A wildlife biologist by training, Anatoly Belov, the head of two nature preserves in Russia’s vast Primorsky Region, was awarded the 2010 WWF Duke of Edinburgh Conservation medal at a special ceremony in Windsor Castle on Nov. 1. In the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese calendar, it was a fitting tribute to the man who has relentlessly and fearlessly protected Amur tigers in the Russian Far East, one of the main breeding grounds for the magnificent wild cat. In awarding the medal to Belov, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, cited the rang-er’s “tireless work, crucial in the effort to save the species from extinction.” Unlike other countries, which have wit-nessed a sharp decrease in their tiger populations, the number of tigers in the Rus-sian Far East has grown under from around 50 tigers in 1960 to around 500 today. However, despite the relentless efforts of devoted gamekeepers, who comb boundless forests searching for poachers, snares and illegal traffickers, a sur-vey last year by the U.S.-based Wildlife Conservation Society showed tigers in Russia were dwindling, likely due to in-creased poaching. The fight against traffickers and poachers in the Russian Far East is a serious one, re-

saviour of Amur tiger gets WWF top honour

quiring coordinated team-work. During a press confer-ence in Moscow after his return from the UK, Belov said that he did not feel comfort-able accepting the award alone. “I am not alone. There is a team of people working with me: my fellow inspectors, bor-der guards, policemen. We are working together,” Belov said. Many members of Belov’s team are army veterans, whose experience in military cam-paigns in Chechnya and Af-ghanistan prepared them for the new challenge. Recent re-forms aimed at combining all environmental agencies into one have increased the bu-reaucratic duties of rangers; additionally, many poachers enjoy the support of local offi-cials, who profit from illegal hunting. Lack of money is also a constant problem. Funding from local and federal author-ities must be supplemented by NGOs such as WWF, which provide equipment, uniforms

and other necessities to forest rangers. Despite these trials, the rang-ers are making headway in the fight against poaching. Last year, 240 people were arrested for illegal activities in the two nature preserves for which Belov is responsible along the Russia-China border. Belov admits that receiving the WWF award is a big hon-our for him, but he knows there will be no respite in this battle to save endangered big cats. At 48, Belov has spent most of his life in the nature preserves of the Far East and does not feel comfortable wearing suits and participat-ing in official ceremonies. After 22 years in the forest, the 650 square miles of unique landscape that he protects is where he belongs; the fight against traffickers and poach-ers will not wait. “If we man-age to save this territory for our children it will be a price-less heritage,” says Belov.

anatoly belov, a long-time russian anti-poaching ranger working on the frontlines of protecting tigers

WWF

AnnA nemTsovA

bookmarks06 Russia india RepoRtin association with rossiyskaya gazeta, russia tHe times of india wednesday_november 24_2010

www.cdi.org/russia/johnson Johnson’s Russia List www.russiaprofile.org Analysis of business, eco-nomic, political and cultural trends en.fondsk.ru Strategic Culture Foundation magazineopinion

TrilaTeral way To new asia

russia re-emerging in The easT, PoisedTo Play balancer againsT china, us

srikanth kondapalli

SpeCiALLy FoR RiR

A week after US Pres-ident Barack Obama announced support for India's bid for a

permanent seat in the UN Se-curity Council, the foreign ministers of Russia-India-Chi-na (RIC) trilateral grouping met in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Nov 14-15. The UN reforms were among pressing global issues dis-cussed by India's S.M. Krish-na, China's Yang Jiechi and Russia's Sergei Lavrov. But a breakthrough eluded New Delhi as the meet ended with a joint communique that backed the UN reforms, but did not go beyond “appreci-ating the role played by India in international affairs.” Russia has been a strong back-er of India's candidature for a permanent seat in the UNSC, but China refused to end its ambivalence – bringing to the fore competing ambitions and agendas among the two veto-wielding members of the Se-curity Council and an aspirant for the prized seat on the glob-al high table. This dissonance on critical is-sues may give fodder to some sceptics to write off the RIC as just another talk shop. But such a grim prognosis is wide-

Russia’s entry into the East Asian Summit process is a major de-velopment in the re-

cent period, with the poten-tial to re-establish itself firmly in the region, along with or in parallel to the US, Japan or China. Although Russia had been an active participant in the multilateral arrangements in Asian and east Asian re-gions – such as in the Shang-hai Cooperation Organisation, Six Party Talks on the denu-clearization of the Korean Peninsula, etc, its entry into the 6th East Asian Summit meeting in Indonesia in 2011, along with the US, marks a major turning point.

ly off the mark. If anything, it only underlines the growing importance of consultations between the trinity of emerg-ing powers that hold the key to the evolving 21st century world order. Significantly, the 10th trilat-eral meeting in Wuhan was held weeks after the ASEAN endorsed the admission of the US and Russia in the East Asia Summit and the meeting between the leaders of India and China in Hanoi amid sharp differences over issues such as the Chinese stapled visas for Indian citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. The trilateral ended with the three countries reiterating their call for creating a multi-polar world order while mak-ing it clear in the same breath that it did "not target any third country” – a euphemism for the US. The joint commu-nique “stressed the need to de-velop an open transparent in-clusive and balanced security and cooperation architecture in the Asia Pacific region based upon universally agreed principles of international law and giving due consideration to the legitimate interests of all states.” Intense quibbling preceded this formulation. Russia and China were in fa-vour of the joint communique speaking of a security archi-tecture for the region based on

Russia was represented at the foundation of the 16-member East Asian Summit inaugural meeting at Kuala Lumpur in 2005 by the then President Putin – but as a special guest. Russia had expressed its de-sire to join the grouping. In-deed, speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting at Sydney in 2007, Putin said that Russia would like to host the summit meet-ing at Vladivostok in 2012. However, the issue of mem-bership was frozen till the 5th meeting at Hanoi last month, when Russian President Med-vedev attended. It is apparent that the pressure of Vietnam, which is facing territorial pressure from Beijing on the South China Sea islands, for inclusion of Russia and the US as full-fledged members of the

the “non-bloc” principle, an all-too-evident reference to the US' politics in the region. India, however, managed to get the other two to accept a more neutral phraseology. India, Russia and China shared concern about the de-teriorating security situation in Afghanistan, but decided to keep their trilateral coopera-tion on the issue “within cur-rent mechanisms” for now. The three resolved to intensify

summit has gained ground. Balancing a rising China is a major consideration in the re-gion.With rising GDP, but affected by the global financial melt-down and devastating sum-mer drought this year, Russia is poised to engage with east Asia in a more concerted man-ner in the years to come, part-ly as major energy and arms exporter to the region. With several countries in the region, viz., China, Japan, South

Balancing a rising China is a major consideration. The region needs a balancer in Moscow.

all articles appearing on page 6 do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the editors of rossiyskaya gazeta and russia india report.

to link up innovation centres in the three big economies, the nucleus of global economic growth, is one such idea that intertwines a shared ambition for national renaissance in the three countries and their col-lective will to have a bigger say on key global issues. Russia’s Lavrov touched on the heart of the trilateral when he said it is part of international network diplomacy and deals with the problems of real people. One of the proposals being consid-ered is to link Banglaore with the new Russian innovation centre at Skolkovo. Three may be a crowd, but in this case the trio has no option but to manage their differenc-es and competing postures as the three countries have a far bigger stake than anyone else does in each other’s progress and in nurturing peaceful, harmonious relations with each other. While the idea of G2 is a chimera and the UN Security Council reforms still a distant prospect, the RIC is a microcosm of an emergent Asian century that underlines the need for constant trust-building conversation among three key pillars of a multi-po-lar world.

counter-terror coperation, but Beijing is understood to have stalled an Indian proposal to include a reference to jointly working to eliminate “safe ha-vens” for terrorists, a refer-ence to Pakistan and its role in Afghanistan. Such differences of approach and views are but natural among the three emerging powers, and it is precisely for this reason the trilateral was mooted over a decade ago by

then Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov to offset Washington's unipolar hege-mony and to reduce trust defi-cit among key stakeholders in an emerging Asian century. The trilateral also promotes deepening of cooperation in diverse areas including agri-culture, health, climate change, disaster mitigation and global economic issues that can transform the lives of ordinary people. The proposal

Manish Chand, a New Delhi-based writer on internation-al issues, is Senior Editor with IANS.

Srikanth Kondapalli is pro-fessor, School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and others emerging as major con-sumers of energy, Russia is poised to expand its contacts. Also, countries such as India, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam have shown growing interest in the Rus-sian arms bazaar. On all the issues at the heart of the 10-member ASEAN, the backbone of the East Asia Summit, viz., global financial crisis, food security, compre-hensive economic partner-ships, terrorism, pandemics, disaster relief, climate change, energy security and interna-tional maritime and other challenges, Russia had evinced an abiding interest. At the Hanoi meeting, Medvedev had invited the ASEAN for the third meeting with Russia. Be-sides, a Comprehensive Pro-

gramme of Action to Promote Cooperation between the two is being implemented for the years 2005-2015. An ASEAN-Centre at Moscow Institute of International Relations had been established in June for professional inputs. Although miniscule in terms of trade figures, Russian eco-nomic interests with the re-gion are poised to expand as the last year’s August meeting between Russia and ASEAN economic ministers indicated. Russia’s competitive advan-tages in energy exploration, mining, defence, space and nuclear industrial prowess, etc are expected to be unveiled in the region. With the Eastern Gas Programme, Russia in-tends to expand energy sup-plies to China, Japan and South Korea. Russia, which is expecting to increase arms sales globally to more than $10 billion a year, is also eyeing this region, with submarines sales to India, China, Indonesia and Vietnam, fighter aircraft to India, China, Vietnam and Malaysia, space

cooperation with India, China and South Korea and nuclear power plants and technologies to India, China and Vietnam. These multi-billion dollar deals would position Russia in the region firmly. Russia is also planning to set up a service centre for up-gradation of weapon systems in the region.Russia was a major player in the region from 1950s till the Soviet decline in 1990s. This was reflected symbolically in the withdrawal from the Cam Ranh Bay. As Russia turned inward, the region came under Beijing’s influence. Today, with the re-emergence of Russia and the US, the region is poised to see healthy balanc-ing between Moscow, Beijing and Washington – with sever-al advantages to the ASEAN countries. As Group 2 (US and China) cooperation is expand-ing, the region needs a balanc-er in Moscow.

manish chand

SpeCiALLy FoR RiR

dRAwing By dMiTRy divin

07bookmarks Russia india RepoRt

in association with rossiyskaya gazeta, russia tHe times of india wednesday_november 24_2010 culture

www.fundacion-indra-devi.org/english Indra Devi foundationwww.russianyogafederation.com Russian yoga fed-eration website

'mataji' opened kremlin's eyes to yoga, taught hollywood starsIn the early 20th century, 15-year-old Eugenie Peterson came across a book that would change her life: Fourteen Les-sons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism. As she browsed through the book, she felt her heart beating faster: “Yoga! India! I must go there!” Many years, however, passed before her dream finally came true.

turning PointEugenie’s tryst with India began in 1926 when she learnt about a conclave of Annie Be-sant’s Theosophical Society in Holland, to be attended by Jiddu Krishnamurti, a re-nowned yoga master, poet and philosopher. “For some inex-plicable reason, I decided that I must go to this congress in Holland,” she recalled later. It proved to be a transforming moment when she went to Ommen, the estate of a noble Dutch theosophist. Over 4,000 participants pitched tents in the local park and cooked veg-etarian food. Initially, it struck her as some kind of Oriental exoticism, but one evening, she heard Krishnamurti sing-ing holy hymns in Sanskrit. “I

had this feeling that I was hearing a long forgotten call, familiar but distant. This was a turning point for me, the week I spent in the camp changed my life,” Eugenie would recall later. And then one thing led to another. On November 17, 1927 Eugenie set out on her first trip to India and she got so enamoured with the country's culture and customs that she returned to Berlin and bid adieus to her fi-ance, saying: “My home is in India.”

arabian knight starSoon, Eugenie sold the few jewels and furs she had and left for India for good. She studied Indian classical dance. Once when she was dancing an Indian temple dance at the meeting of the Theosophical Society in Adyar, she attracted the attention of Jawaharlal Nehru. She was introduced to him, and they developed what she called “a loving friend-ship”. Adyar is also where pop-ular film director Bhagwati Prasad Mishra offered her a role in his new film Sher-e-Ar-ab (Arabian Knight), with Prithviraj Kapoor, the founder of India’s film dynasty, in the leading male role. The film’s

told her she was ready to move on to the next stage of training. "He sat on the floor and began to show me special secret exer-cises to control my breathing,” Indra Devi recalled.In 1938, she became the first foreign woman to be a dedi-cated yogi. When Krishna-macharya learned that her husband was to be transferred to China, he called her again: “You are now leaving us, you will teach yoga. You can do it, and you will do it.” On a ship to China, she realised that she no longer wanted to dance or wear jewellery and expensive clothes. It was then that she put on a light sari, which be-came her trademark attire.In 1939, she opened a school in Shanghai at the house of Ma-dame Chiang Kai-shek, wife of the legendary Chinese na-

premier in January 1930 made Eugenie an overnight global sensation. Mishra suggested she choose a pseudonym and gave her a list to choose from; she pointed randomly at Indra Devi. Soon after, Eugenie met Jan Strakaty, commercial at-taché to the Czechoslovak Consulate in Mumbai, and got married to him.

yoga lessonsIn a strange quirk of fate, she developed a complicated heart problem which even European doctors could not cure. A friend advised her to go to Mysore to meet the legendary guru Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. She decided to take a course in yoga to recover and adopt a healthy lifestyle, but the guru told her curtly that yoga was for Indian men only. Indeed, only young kshatriyas studied at the Mysore Yogashala in 1937. Krishnamacharya, how-ever, relented after the Maha-raja of Mysore put in a word for Indra. Indra was admitted to the yoga school, but she had to comply with strict discipline and observe a strict diet. Over the next few months, she com-pletely recovered from her strange disease. Appreciating her zeal, Krishnamacharya

russian-born indra devi, known to followers as the 'First Lady of yoga', died at 102 on april 25, 2002, in argentina, her home for 17 years. the photo was taken in buenos aires.

indra devi teaching yoga. moscow. 1991.

tionalist leader and a new yoga enthusiast. There were many Americans and Rus-sians among her pupils. More and more people began to call her ‘Mataji’, (mother). Indra Devi started giving lectures on yoga, including free lessons in orphanages.

teaching hollywoodAfter her husband died, Indra left for the US in 1947 and opened a yoga studio in Hol-lywood next year. To popular-ise yoga, she turned to influen-tial celebrities. “Most people like to copy their idols. Many decided to study yoga only be-cause Gloria Swanson, Yehudi Menuhin, Pandit Nehru, and Ben Gurion were known to pursue yoga,” she wrote in one of her books. Mataji gradually developed a style of yoga adapted for the West, includ-ing yoga asana. In the mid-1950s, after her second mar-riage, she was granted the American citizenship and put her Indra Devi pseudonym in her new passport.

home truths in ussrIn 1960, Indra Devi’s name grabbed headlines all over the world. “Brave female yogi puts the Kremlin upside down.” Such was the reaction to her visit to the Soviet Union. Mataji had decided to visit Russia, where she had emi-grated from 40 years ago, after she read a small article about yoga in a Soviet magazine. In Moscow, Indra Devi visited the Indian embassy, where she met an old acquaintance from India. “How wonderful that you came!” he exclaimed. “They think here that yoga is some

kind of Oriental religion! We have to tell the truth to them.” A few days later, she received a personal invitation from Indi-an ambassador Krishna Menon to a formal reception, where he introduced her to the top Com-munist party leaders. She ex-plained to them the ideas of an-cient Indian teaching. The then Foreign Minister Andrei Gro-myko proposed a toast: “To Indra Devi, who opened our eyes to yoga.” But this warm reception did not then ignite much enthusiasm for yoga, and she ended up leaving the Sovi-et Union disillusioned.For the next three decades, she stayed in Mexico and Argen-tina, interspersed with travel to India and other parts of the world. She returned in 1990 to Soviet Union, which was in the throes of disintegration, to celebrate her 91st birthday. By this time, yoga had grown in popularity. In 1989, the first all-union yoga conference called “Yoga: Improving Your Health and Empowering One-self”, was held. She caught the public eye when appearing on a popular TV programme in a sari while sitting on a sofa in a lotus pose. The next day she was mobbed by autograph hunters who spotted her on the streets of Moscow.At the end of her life, having toured the whole of the world, Mataji used to say that three countries were particularly dear to her: Russia, where she was born, India, her spiritual motherland, and Argentina, which she called “an amicable country”. (based on nataliya klevalina’s

article from vokrug sveta magazine, vokrugsveta.ru)

now, 1 in 3 russians practice yogaThree Indians paved the way for the development of yoga in Russia in 1989: Guru Iyen-gar (who who visited Rus-sia twice), Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (founder of Sahaja Yoga) and Guru Bhajan (Kundalini Yoga and White Tantric Yo-ga). Having “fallen” for yoga at the age of 16, when he was 24 (in 1971), construction en-gineer Viktor Boyko from Sev-astopol translated a book by Guru Iyengar into Russian and began to practice it. In 1989, the USSR held its first national conference on yoga, leading to the setting up of the USSR Yo-ga Association. Inga Yakhney, an expert at the Fitness Pro-

fessionals Association (FPA), says that today one in three Russians following a healthy lifestyle does yoga. Now, yo-ga has won a following among the Russian elite: Russian Pres-ident Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview that he practices yoga regularly. Former First Lady Naina Yeltsin proclaimed it should be “practiced in ev-ery Russian home”. Over 90 yoga studios in 70 Russian cit-ies offer yoga classes. Khatuna Kobiashvili, publisher of Yoga Journal, says there are around 200–300,000 people practic-ing various types of yoga. The yoga market is worth tens of millions of dollars per year.

continued From Page 1

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RIa novostI

BOOKMARKS08 RUSSIA INDIA REPORTIN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, RUSSIA THE TIMES OF INDIA WEDNESDAY_NOVEMBER 24_2010

russianfashionweek.com Fashion news from Russiaeng.mosfilm.ru Mosfilm website www.geocities.com/rusatg/dir.htm Russian movies database Feature

YASMIN TAJRIR

Raj Kapoor has given way to Aishwarya Rai as Russians reignite their love affair with Bollywood and more Indian film-makers discover the beauty and glory of Russia.

Let's go dancing, Bollywood style

Movies Films like No Smoking, Lucky shot in Russia

Raj Kapoor, the incurable ro-mantic who enjoyed wild adu-lation in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, must be smiling. The old � ame is burning again, as Russia rekindles the de-cades-old affair with Bolly-wood and Indian � lm produc-ers, seduced by the pristine snow and picturesque locales, to shoot their films in the country. While Raj Kapoor taking on a Russian actress Kseniya Ry-abinkina in his movie ‘Mera

Naam Joker’ way back in 1970 is the stuff of folklore, Russia has now � red the imagination of Indian � lm producers. Re-cent movies like 'No Smok-ing', 'Parwana', 'Lucky: No Time for Love' and the yet to be released 'Agent Vinod' have been shot in this picturesque country, which has a lot to offer in terms of beautiful lo-cations and exquisite archi-tecture. “I had gone to Russia to shoot for my movie Parwana with the cast (Ajay Devgan, Amee-sha Patel and Gulshan Gro-ver). I shot two songs and the climax of the movie there. I will always remember Russian people as very nice and hospi-table," recalls director Deepak Bahry. "The theatres in Russia are

very huge and beautiful. The architecture there is unique. There is a theatre where 100,000 people can sit and watch a show, and that’s amaz-ing,” he exclaims. Way back in the 60s and 70s, hordes of people would line up for tickets to see Indian � lms. Raj Kapoor, who went to Mos-cow around the same time, left the Soviet people besotted. According to eyewitnesses, Kapoor’s shiny ZIS (the grand-style Soviet automobile meant to ferry the actor back to his hotel), which was parked out-side the Udarnik movie the-atre, never left the curb. The crowd simply picked the car up (with Kapoor in it) and car-ried it off!In the 80s, songs from Indian movies were hugely popular in

Raj Kapoor with the students of the Moscow College of Circus and Variety Arts. Moscow. 1967

the Soviet Union. The fashion for disco dancing, however, made young Russians view In-dian cinema differently after the movie 'Disco Dancer' (1982) was released. Mithun Chakraborty, the � lm’s star, re-placed Raj Kapoor in the eyes of the new generation. The dance halls at Soviet summer resorts in the 80s resounded with the sounds of ‘I Am a Disco Dancer’. “The people of Russia are crazy about Bolly-wood. Raj Kapoor and his en-tire family are highly popular amongst Russian people and so is Mithun Chakraborty,” says Bahry. Aishwarya Rai (‘Rai’ in Russian means ‘para-dise’) is the new poster girl for Bollywood in Russia and is easily the most loved of the new generation of Indian ac-tors in that country. Ace choreographer Sandip Soparrkar visited Russia quite sometime back, but still rel-ishes beautiful memories. “I had gone to Moscow for around 10 days on a dance as-signment. People were just opening up to newer things, accepting other languages and other people,” he says. "When you have to do ballet training, there is nothing better than Russia in the whole world. I was very happy to have reached there at a time when they were very keen on exper-imenting and accepting other people coming in, especially Asians who were keen on un-derstanding their dance form and culture. I had a lovely time,” he recalls. Russia’s love for Indian � lms has now spilled over into a passion for Indian dance. ‘Mera Naam Joker’ of Raj Ka-poor had portrayed the Rus-sian ballet and circus at that time, says Soparrkar. “Rus-sian people are highly talent-ed and Bollywood has been exploring the talent in Russia from the very beginning. Now, I see a lot of Russian dancers coming to Bollywood to be-come dancers too. In the � eld of dance, I now see both coun-tries promoting each other.” Clearly, it takes two to tango, and it seems like Russians will never get tired of Bolly-wood song-and-dance spec-taculars.

SAKSHI SINGH RIR

The attraction is mutual. Russian designers are finding inspiration in Vedas and Bollywood, and their Indian peers are thrilled by Russian paintings and Faberge eggs.

Styled for success:Fashion designers share expertise

Couture Russian women adore the sari

Sari, henna, bindi and bangles in Russia? Well, Russian women just love them. Not surprisingly, Russians and In-dian designers are increasing-ly influencing each other’s fashion sensibilities. “When I was in Russia recently, I no-ticed that Russians are ex-tremely fashion conscious. I also came across Russian girls who knew about the Indian mehndi and sari and were completely enamoured by it,” says Kapil Tolani, a marketing professional.Agrees Igor Chapurin, Mos-cow’s famous designer: “The in� uence of Indian fashion in Russia is evident.” A collection of haute couture 2010 by Chapurin called "Indian Prin-cess" inspired by Indian tradi-tion, was recently showcased in the Russian capital. The at-traction is mutual. Indian de-signer Nachiket Barve, too, worked on a collection where

he used Russian motifs. “This show had some Russian in� u-ences where I was enthused by Russian paintings, the Faber-gé eggs, among other things. Since Russia is such an old and rich cultural civilisation, there is so much inspiration you can draw, although I have never been there,” rhapsodises Barve. Says Chapurin: “Massive bracelets and earrings with large stones have found a prominent place at Russian beauty stores. Indian motifs can be traced even in the de-sign of shoes. I have never been to India, but I was always im-pressed with its culture - from the Vedas to Bollywood. In-dia’s vitality and depth, diver-sity and uniqueness have al-ways inspired me to create a new collection.”Russians are also getting to learn more about Indian fash-ion. "I find the fashion con-trasts in Russia quite interest-ing. On one hand, it’s the in� uence of czars (the velvet, heavy brocade) and on the other, Russia being a commu-nist country, has a presence of highly utilitarian fashion; per-sonally, this contrast excites me a lot," says Barve.

Igor Chapurin's Haute Couture collection "Indian Princess"

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