‘By reason, Russia can’t be got’!

Deccan Herald, India
Sept 4 2005

Old memorials of the Revolution are giving way to new capitalistic
ventures. Lenin is still respected but Russians are asking for more
and more, learns deepak k upreti.

‘Russia can’t be understood by the mind alone’, these words by the
19the-century poet Fyodor Tiutcheve, printed in a Russian tourism
ministry’s brochure, invites you to get a real feel of Russia by
visiting it rather than take a distant look.

As the Aeroflot is flying above Russia in the darkness of night I ask
the airhostess about the names of the cities down there. Svetlana,
the affable ‘Babushka’ (elderly lady) goes to the pilot’s cabin and
tells me ‘we have crossed the Volga river and it is Samara and now we
are approaching Penza’. Moscow city is still few hours away.

Svetlana has two sons, one would be joining army and another planning
to be a translator. Svetlana is the name of Stalin’s daughter? “Yes,
but I don’t like it. It is very cold. I like warm names like
Katarina, Leena, Aknisha…,” she ventures to tell me.

And as one lands in Moscow and drives down the city, one can not but
feel strong nostalgia of the bygone Communist era intermingling with
the post-Gorbachev liberalized Russia where life is about racing in
swanky cars on roads sporting billboards of multinational companies.
The large foreign presence in Mercedes Benz (German), McDonald, Citi
Bank (USA), Sharp (Japanese), Renault (French) and L G, Samsung
(South Korea) is very much noticeable. As one slowly moves along the
heavy traffic congestion around the ‘Mkad’ (Moscow ring) what meets
the eye is a MTV as atop a high pillar. Posters, ads and signs are in
Russian language.

The home manufactured Russian car ‘Lada’ marks an ubiquitous presence
even as many vehicles that have broken down on the road bear the Lada
tag – this, perhaps, could be a coincidence. The fast moving cars in
the Moscow roads – 1.5 million produced each year – symbolize, in a
way, private possession and an indicator of individual drive for
‘more and more’.

‘Debushkas’ (young girls ), clad in low-waist, hip hugging jeans can
be seen sipping beer and smoking like chimneys in cars, buses, boats
or on the road sides too. What about good old Vodka ? The question is
posed to Ruben O. Prazyan, the senior specialist in Novosti, the
Russian News & Information Agency, who is guiding us through the maze
of unfamiliar surroundings. “Well, youth do not drink Vodka and
prefer beer but next year drinking will be banned on streets”, Ruben
points to the spill-over impact of the street side beer guzzling
habit in the post-glasnost-perestroika (openness and reconstruction)
period of last two and half decades. In the hotel room Russian
television is exploding with stories from world over. Berezovski, a
Russian businessman started the first TV channel, ORT of the country
which is now a government channel. He used the channel for his
business purposes and is now on the run. N-TV channel belonged to
another business man Gusinskiy but is now independent with the
original owner apparently in Isreal avoiding police arrest. But, of
course, there is more to Russian media than these early aberrations.

Churches have proliferated in Moscow in the post-Communist period
with many restored in the heart of city. “This Cathedral, the Christ
Saviour, was destroyed by Bolsheviks but now restored by the
Establishment,” says Ms Ludmila Gagzhavaeva, our first guide.

Churches and beggars

An estimated 10,000 churches were said to be destroyed by Bolshevik
communists. Amidst imposing churches and palatial buildings meant for
housing people, one can still sight a few beggars. These beggars
mostly come from CIS (Common Wealth of Independent States), once part
of erstwhile Soviet Union. “This is a city where people migrate for
job and food,” explains Gagzhavaeva.

We are reaching the Centre of the City and the past comes to mind at
the sight of Lubyanka Square where a grim yellow building is
introduced to us as KGB headquarters now renamed as Phaseburg. Then
comes Hotel Russia built by Soviet Premier Khruschev in 1962 that was
used by Communist party members. In the “new Russia” it will make way
for a five star hotel!

To show America!

Along the way, one sights the well carved and imposing building of
the Russian Ministry of foreign Affairs, constructed by Joseph
Stalin, the Communist dictator, “to show America the Russian power.”

The nerve centre of Russian power – Kremlin – has a sprawling space
which is rich in its tumultuous history. The Red Square here is
normally used for military parade but now concerts are also organized
in this open space.

At a stone’s throw is a tomb of one of the most famous name in the
world and Russian history- Vladimir Illich Lenin, the founder of
erstwhile Soviet Union. Lenin’s balmed body is still resting here
even after over 80 years of his death. There is a serpentine cue of
foreigners waiting patiently to get a glimpse of the greatest of the
Soviet icons. Short flights of steps lead you down to the dark
interiors of the tomb which houses Lenin. There is compete silence.
Militia guard the tomb.

It is a strange feeling “seeing” Lenin. “A debate is going on whether
he should be buried now. Almost half the Russian populace want it but
the other half, the old timers refuse to shift him,” says Ruben, an
Armenian by origin. The Communist party in Russia still has around 20
per cent representation in Parliament.

There is no statue of Stalin except on his tomb.

Has the current establishment gone against the literature or writings
of Communist era Gorky etc? “Establishment did not go against them. I
like them as always. The younger generation here is not aware of them
like in India youth may not be much in tune with Rabindranath
Tagore,” comments Sergey Muzalevsky, a translator. But, yes, one
finds Museum of Revolution has been closed for about three years now
though there is no reason given for its shutting down.

Larrisa Shustova, a witty tourist guide, links the pre-revolutionary
Russia to the current period. “Here is Catherine the First who was a
very simple-poor-Polish girl. She climbed many steps to be in bed
with many and went several rungs up the ladder to finally sleep with
Peter the Great! This is new Russia, where every body goes to the
Church even the Mafia who kill people go to the Church and seek
forgiveness!”

Lenin is Ok!

We are on the Muskavi river in a steamer and I am tempted to ask
Leena and Yana, two young English speaking Russians what they think
of Lenin

“I respect Lenin but now I wear pink glasses under a blue sky and
want world peace,” Leena smiles and breaks into a peel of laughter.

We have dinner at a restaurant where the band is playing the Hindi
film song Duniyan hain dil walon ki.Amidst strong smell of Russian
beer and a thick smoke of kent cigarette I wonder what it would be
like during Russian winters amid snowfall. And Tutchev whispers in my
ear “by reason, Russia can’t be got”, come again….