“Roerichs’ Realm” Children and Youth Festival at the International Roerichs Memorial Trust (India, Kullu, Naggar)
The jubilee year of the Roerichs is reaching its conclusion. In the Himalayan Estate of Nicholas Roerich and his family, this year was marked by a series of events, one of which was the International Festival of Children and Youth Creativity, entitled 'Roerichs' Realm'. The Festival was organised by the International Centre of the Roerichs with the support of volunteers from different countries. During the course of the year, schoolchildren and students from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China and, of course, India participated in the Festival’s events, including young artists and writers from Kullu Valley and Helena Roerich Academy of Arts for Children.
The inaugural phase of the children's and youth 'Roerichs' Realm' Festival, was conducted at the IRMT in the early days of May. It formed part of the spring Russian-Indian Festival, 'Roerichs: Heralds of Culture', as previously detailed in articles published on the IRMT and ICR websites. The second stage of the Festival was held in October and marked the commencement of the jubilee Festival, which was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Nicholas Roerich, the 145th anniversary of Helena Roerich and the 120th anniversary of Svetoslav Roerich.
The festive day on 5 October commenced with the inauguration of the exhibition of drawings by Indian and Russian children, meticulously prepared by a group of ICR volunteers under the guidance of Tamara Merges and Vasily Tkachev in the halls of the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts for children. The exhibition showcased the works of the participants and winners of numerous children's drawing contests held within the Festival in various educational institutions across Russia and India. The opening of the children's exhibition was conducted by Mrs Mahima Rana, the Chief District Engineer, a devoted mother and a highly esteemed representative of the local cultural community, in addition to the Russian and Indian Curators of the IRMT, Larisa Surgina and Suresh Kumar. The works of children from a variety of age groups (ranging from 5 to 17 years old) were dedicated to exploring the Roerich family's work. This included portraits of the Master of Mountains himself, as well as representations of the artist's style and a pictorial representation of the idea of friendship and mutual understanding between Russian and Indian cultures, as well as the concepts of the Roerich Pact. Following the inauguration of the exhibition, attendees were presented with a rare archival video documenting the Roerich family's life in Naggar.
As a gesture of profound respect for Nicholas and Helena Roerich, adults and children placed floral garlands on the bronze busts of the esteemed couple, situated at the entrance of the estate and beneath the century-old deodar tree.
Subsequently, the most eagerly awaited event of the Festival took place. From the stage of the Green Theatre, a prayer to Goddess Saraswati was performed by teachers and pupils of the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts. The Russian and Indian curators of the IRMT then extended a welcome to the participants. Anshul Kumar, the principal host of the Festival and music teacher at the Academy, proceeded to announce the commencement of the children's drawing competition in a solemn manner. In accordance with tradition, students from the Academy and schools from various locations within the Kullu Valley took part in the competition. In addition, Sapna Thakur (painting), Mamta Thakur (dancing), Anup Thakur (tabla) – all teachers at the Academy – together with ICR volunteers from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, provided invaluable assistance in organising the competition. The school heads, teachers and parents who accompanied their children to the competition offered their wholehearted support and encouragement to their students.
The Roerich Estate has hosted children's drawing contests for a considerable number of years. Such events are held in high regard by schoolchildren of all ages. Since 2017, these contests have constituted an integral part of the International children's and youth Festival 'Russia-India: From Heart to Heart''. The event was organised by ICR volunteers in collaboration with the IRMT. For seven years, hundreds of students from educational establishments in the Kullu Valley and the Helena Roerich Art Academy have participated in these events. In the current year, the contest has become a component of the international festival, designated as 'Roerich's Realm', which is oriented towards the expansion of children's and youth knowledge regarding the Roerich family and their peacemaking ideas, Russian and Indian cultures. In addition to the aforementioned drawing competition, a variety of other literary and artistic disciplines were also represented, including essay, poetry, and article writing.
We shall now return to our event. Once the designated period for the competition had elapsed, the participants submitted their creative works to the organisers. The jury was then tasked with the challenging responsibility of selecting the winning entries and announcing the results.
And for the participants of the Festival the creative marathon did not end here - the Russian guests held fascinating master-classes and rousing games for children, in which everyone could take part and at the end receive an original souvenir and a sweet prize.
The winners of the Indian phase of the "Roerichs' Realm" Festival were announced on 9 October, which commemorates the birthday of the renowned Russian artist, scientist, and philosopher. The most noteworthy essays from the literary competition were read aloud from the stage. Young artists from the Kullu Valley presented their drawings on the stage of the Green Theatre. All participants were presented with certificates of participation in the Festival, while the winners were awarded diplomas, commemorative gifts, and Russian souvenirs. The awards were presented by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India, His Excellency Denis Alipov, and the Vice-President of the International Centre of the Roerichs, Natalia Cherkashina.
...The solemn events of the jubilee year in IRMT have sounded off, the Festival of children's and youth creativity “Roerichs’ Realm” has ended. But the warm feelings of friendship and mutual understanding between people, regardless of their age or nationality, remained in our hearts; the feeling of joy and inspiration from contact with the world of the Beautiful, with the world of Culture remained. ‘Peace through Culture’ is the path bequeathed to us by the Russian Maharishi Nicholas Roerich, a great friend of India.
