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Indian
melodies in the Arctic
Over
500 km north of St Petersburg, reaching out to the Arctic Circle,
lies the Karelia region with its quaint capital, Petrozavodsk. In
winter it resembles neighbouring Lapland, frozen, bitterly cold.
But in summer, when the midnight sun keeps the entire region illuminated,
it becomes one of the world’s most environmentally benign regions.
Its numerous lakes are lined with fir trees and the cool waters
are home to the most exquisite fish.
In
this habitation would you expect anything Indian? The almost contiguous
lands across Finland are universally known as the home of Santa
Claus or Father Christmas; reindeer roam the woods. But on the Russian
side, in Karelia, a group of Russian women under the guidance of
Vera Efgrafova has dedicated itself to Indian dance and music. The
group calls itself Mayuri. So exquisite is the dance of these self-taught
enthusiasts of Indian culture that not only must the ICCR take note
of them but Prime Minister Vajpayee, during his visit to Russia
in November, must also find some time for this ensemble of over
100 Russian women. I have seen great enthusiasm for Sanskrit studies
in the Baltic republics, but this is quite breathtaking.
Well,
Indian culture is winding its way to some of the more remote parts
of Russia in quite a different way. Indian business houses, with
an economic stake in far-flung regions, have been persuaded to help
promote Indian cultural centres in places where their business is
located. For instance, Rajesh Gandhi has set up a joint venture
in the diamond industry in Sakha, over seven hours flying time from
Moscow. To generate warmth between the local people and the Indian
component in the venture, a cultural centre has been opened. One
idea being considered is that the dance troop from Karelia be invited
to this remote area as a model in cultural synthesis. Likewise opening
of cultural centres has fallen to the lot of such business houses
as Ranbaxy in Kazan, Cadilla in Vladivostok, the Sun Group in Ektairburg,
and so on.
In
spite of Russia’s economic woes, major US and European business
houses have taken up large, elegant spaces in the most prominent
shopping areas of Moscow as a sort of strategic investment for the
future. Participating in cultural centres, with the help of local
universities, is an excellent idea for more and more Indian business
houses to create a presence in this extraordinarily resource rich
country.
And
there is no better time to initiate moves than now when diverse
pieces are being put together in pr-eparation for Vajpayee’s
visit in November. When Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer arrives here
next week, she will be in possession of a much more sensitive agenda,
also in preparation for the prime minister’s visit. But surely
she can find time to explore how Mayuri can be incorporated in Vajpayee’s
programme.
Iyer’s
essential meeting will be with the foreign office to carry forward
the work of the Joint Working Group on Afghanistan. The Russian
side will have a great deal to dilate on after the recent meeting
of the Shanghai Five — Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrghizstan
and Tajikistan. In fact the group included Uzbekistan as a new member.
Uzbekistan is fighting one of the region’s strongest Muslim
rebel groups. Recently, it jailed 73 people for up to 18 years for
aiding extremists. Formed in Shanghai in 1996, the Shanghai Five
initially focussed on border tension, mostly with China. But last
week the meeting focussed more on extremism and separatism in the
region.
The
Russians are in a double bind. On the one hand they face fierce
separatism in Chechnya — on the other, human rights groups
have taken a dim view of the scale of Russian retaliation.
Reports
from Shanghai suggest considerable anxiety on the part of the Chinese
at the spread of Islamic separatism in its northwestern region of
Xinjiang, where radicals from the Uighur ethnic minority have carried
out bomb attacks and killed Chinese officials.
Iyer
will not only learn what transpired at Shanghai but will also be
able to share with her Russian interlocutors the discussions she
recently had in Washington. There may not be a formally delineated
triangle, but on terrorism, particularly in Afghanistan, New Delhi,
Moscow and Washington are in concert. In fact UN resolution 1333
extending sanctions against the Taliban was clearly a result of
this three-way coordination.
All
of this diplomacy will clearly inform the important Indo-Pak summit
too. Bilateral relations do not proceed in an airtight, exclusive
compartment. Surely General Pervez Musharraf will have been briefed
by his ambassadors in Washington, Moscow, Beijing and the Central
Asian republics on the global concern on terrorism as expressed
in Shanghai.
The
Vajpayee-Putin meet in November will climax a series of important
diplomatic events: for example, the Indo-Pak summit and the series
of meetings to be scheduled in New York during the UN General Assembly,
which could certainly involve a Vajpayee-Bush summit as well.
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