This year marks the 150th birth anniversary of the renowned Russian artist and philosopher, Nicholas K Roerich (1874–1947). On Friday, Professor Meeta Narain of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who was conferred with the Pushkin Medal, the highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the Russian government released her new book titled “Roerich’s World in Poetry” dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian artist, thinker, scientist, writer, poet and philosopher.
The event was held at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture, New Delhi and included the presence of former former Director-General of Border Security Force and Delhi’s Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, former judge of the Supreme Court Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Director Russian House Dr. Elena Remizova and others.
The book acquaints the readers with his multifaceted life and works, which are accompanied by his beautiful illustrations. 25 different poems have been translated from Russian into English and Hindi, with the aim to understand and experience the beauty of his poetry and to feel the extraordinary richness of his sublime thoughts. Roerich and his family were in Finland when the 1917 Revolution occurred in Russia.
Disheartened with the political developments in the country and the Bolsheviks’ coming to power, he decided not to return to his motherland. In 1919, he met poet Rabindranath Tagore and developed a lifelong friendship. Once he reached here, he fell I love with India and his writings on Himalayas, Lord Krishna and the culture of India reflects his deep understanding and love for the Indian culture and art.
