India and Russia Celebrate Aleksander Pushkin’s 225th Birthday with Teleconference
The All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature hosted a teleconference between Russia and India to commemorate the 225th birth anniversary of Russian poet Aleksander Pushkin. This event, the fourth teleconference by TV BRICS, saw the largest number of participants yet.
Participants and Organizers
Students and teachers from 20 higher education institutions across India, including Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University, took part. The Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature co-organized the event, with support from the Russian House in New Delhi.
Theme and Hosts
The theme was ‘Reading is the best teaching. Reflections on Happiness.’ The teleconference was hosted by Aleksandra Burman, Head of International Projects at TV BRICS, and Tamara Skok, PhD in Philology.
Key Speakers
Mikhail Antsiferov, Attache at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, and Elena Remizova, Director of the Russian House in Mumbai, emphasized the importance of such events for strengthening cultural and educational ties between India and Russia.
Activities and Insights
Participants learned about the concept of happiness from Pushkin’s works, recited his poems, and watched videos of places significant to the poet. Aleksandra Burman highlighted the ongoing ‘Modern Russian’ project, which aims to foster understanding of Russian culture through teleconferences.
Pavel Kuzmin, General Director of the Library for Foreign Literature, stressed the role of literature in bridging cultural gaps. Charanjit Singh, President of the Indian Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, expressed hope that the event would deepen students’ understanding of Pushkin’s work.
Meenu Bhatnagar, Associate Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, praised the interactive lecture for its insights into Pushkin’s expression of happiness in his poems.
Previous Teleconferences
Previous Russia-India teleconferences have focused on international friendship, Russian hospitality, and Pancake celebrations. In 2022, a lecture on ‘Peculiarities and Identity of Russian Regions’ was held at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Doubts Revealed
Aleksander Pushkin -: Aleksander Pushkin was a famous Russian poet, often considered the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature.
Teleconference -: A teleconference is a meeting where people in different places talk to each other using phones or computers.
All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature -: This is a big library in Russia that has books from many different countries and languages.
Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature -: This is a group of teachers who teach Russian language and literature.
225th birth anniversary -: This means it has been 225 years since Aleksander Pushkin was born.
Mikhail Antsiferov -: Mikhail Antsiferov is a person who spoke at the event. He is likely an expert in Russian literature or culture.
Elena Remizova -: Elena Remizova is another person who spoke at the event. She is also likely an expert in Russian literature or culture.
Cultural and educational ties -: These are connections between countries that help people learn about each other’s culture and education systems.
