Archive: Reports

Report: International Seminar in MSRU

October 31 - November 2, 2017

Московский государственный областной университет, являющийся вузом-партнёром Университета имени Джавахарлала Неру, в рамках реализации Федеральной целевой программы «Русский язык» провёл три международных семинара по этноориентированным методикам преподавания русского языка: 31 октября – по проблемам преподавания русского языка носителям вьетнамского и носителям тай-кадайских языков, 1 ноября – по проблемам преподавания русского языка носителям тюркских языков, 2 ноября – по проблемам преподавания русского языка носителям иранских языков.

Основным итогом трёх вышеупомянутых семинаров стало создание трёх электронных дидактических платформ по этноориентированным методикам обучения русскому языку.

Центр русского языка Университета имени Джавахарлала Неру с интересом следил за этими семинарами, и обращается к МГОУ с предложением о создании совместной электронной дидактической платформы по преподаванию русского языка носителям хиндиИ, которую можно было бы назвать «Русский – намасте!». Это событие будет актуальным и для российских студентов, т.к. МГОУ с 2018 г. начинает набор российских студентов на изучение хинди. Общими усилиями коллективов филологов МГОУ и Университета имени Джавахарлала Неру поставленные цели вполне достижимы!

Report: International Seminar in MSRU

Moscow Region State University, University-partner of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (under MoU), within the Federal dedicated program "Russian language", has organised three International seminars on ethno oriented  methods of Russian teaching: October 31 – on the problems of Russian language teaching to the native speakers of Vietnamese and the speakers of Thai-kadai languages, 1 Nov – on the problems of Russian teaching to the speakers of Turkic languages, November 2 – on the problems of Russian teaching to the speakers of Iranian languages.

The main outcome of the three aforementioned seminars was the creation of three electronic didactic platforms on ethno-oriented methods of the Russian language teaching.

The Centre of Russian Studies, JNU keenly followed the seminars, and decided to discuss the proposal to create a joint electronic didactic platform for the Russian language teaching to Hindi language speakers, which could be called "Russian – Namaste!". This event will be important for the Russian students also, because the MRSU is going to start the course of Hindi Language to Russian students in year 2018. The joint efforts of the MRSU and the Jawaharlal Nehru University scholars’ teams will make the target achievable!

Days of Russia in India

October 12, 2017

The Centre of Russian Studies organised a cultural festival “Days of Russia in India” on October 12, 2017 to mark 70 years of Diplomatic ties between India and Russia.

The event focused on providing a platform to undergraduate as well as postgraduate students to highlight their abilities in various fields. They got an opportunity to test their knowledge of the subjects studied –grammar, translation, literature and culture.

During this cultural festival the Olympiad, competitions on Essay Writing in Russian, Painting Competition on topic related to 70 years of Indo-Russian Diplomatic Relations and the Poetry Recitation Competition in Russian were organised. The creative competition on Translation of the text from Russian into English/Hindi was also organised. As there was a huge response from the students, the competitions were held in Two Rounds. The First Round was an elimination round and the second was the Final Round. Students highlighted their excellent knowledge and skills in various competitions.

The Short Documentary on “My Centre of Russian Studies”

The organising committee included a new type of competition i.e. Short Documentary Film (duration 5-10 minutes) in Russian language made by the students on topic “My Centre of Russian Studies”. The video clips were made independently by the students without any teacher’s or professional’s help. The students recorded various locations of the Centre as well as of the Campus through their mobile phone camera and made interesting films on the CRS. The clips may be seen on YouTube at the following links:

Film 1:  https://goo.gl/jDFDL9 made by Avi Panwar, Karan Verma, Ananya Anant

Film 2:  https://goo.gl/81ZG9M made by Vikas Kumar Singh, Gargi Ghosh, Shashikant Kumar, Vishal Patel

Olympiad

The Olympiad on Russian Language, Literature and Culture was an Inter-University Competition and organised at three levels. Teams of three students each from six institutions such as University of Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Institute of Russian Language-RCSC, IGNOU, Amity University-Noida, Amity University-Gurgaon and Jawaharlal Nehru University participated in the Olympiad at various levels. The following were the divisions and areas of the levels:

Levels of Olympiad

Olympiad- Quiz Competition – Level I	Students from B.A. I year, Certificate/Diploma / Intensive Advanced Diploma Course participated The questions were from Russian Grammar (Nominative, Prepositional, Accusative case), Alphabet, nouns, numerals, adjectives, basic sentences, basic geography (name of city, river, mountains, etc), Name of famous personalities.
Olympiad- Quiz Competition – Level II	Students from B.A. II/III year, Advanced Diploma, M.A I year participated The questions were from Russian Grammar (All cases), numerals, sentence structure, Cultural Heritage, History, etc.
Olympiad- Quiz Competition – Level III	Students/scholars in M.A II, M.Phil/PhD participated The questions were from Russian Grammar (Morphology, Lexicology, Syntax) Research Methodology, Literature 19th and 20th century, Cultural Heritage, History, etc.

Apart from the above competitions there were some performances of group songs in Russian prepared by students of the Centre. About 80 students and their 20 teachers from above mentioned six institutions participated in this cultural progamme. The winners of various competitions were facilitated with Gold, Silver and bronze medals and certificates by the Chairperson Prof. Meeta Narain and the guest from Embassy of Russian Federation in India Ms. Nana Mgladze. The Days of Russia in India was a big success and academic and cultural exposure for the students of the CRS, which encouraged them to participate in such events in future as well. The programme concluded by the Russian Food festival at CRS organised by organised by the Embassy of Russian Federation in India and Centre of Russian Studies at SLL&CS. The Russian pancakes-bliny with honey, apple-pies, Russian salads and vegetable with Indian tea were the highlights of the menu at the festival. This food festival was also a big success.  

Centre of Russian Studies

School of Language, Literature & Culture Studies

Organized

Professional Development Course

Committee Room, SLL&CS-I, JNU

19-20 September 2017

The Professional Development Course was organized by People’s Friendship University in collaboration with Centre of Russian Studies and International Collaboration Office, JNU on 19-20 September, 2017 in Committee Room, SLL&CS-I to mark 70 years of Indo-Russian diplomatic relations. The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia also known as RUDN University, is one of the famous educational and research institutions located in Moscow. This university was found in 1960. Today RUDN University is one of the leading state higher educational institutions of Russia. It is the only university in the world, which unites students from 145-150 countries every year. The University has a multi-profile structure of faculties and majors, typical for classical universities of the world.

The opening ceremony of the course was graced by dignitaries Mr. Sergei Karmalito, Senior Counsellor and Ms. Nana Mgladze, Counsellor from the Embassy of Russian Federation, Prof. Vladimir Meskin and  Prof. Natalya Novikova from People’s Friendship University, Prof. Girish Nath Jha, Director, International Collaboration Office, JNU, Prof. Meeta Narain, Chairperson, CRS.  

There were about 80 participants in the course from Amity University – Gurgaon, Amity University-Noida, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University-Agra, The English and Foreign Language-Lucknow, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya-Sonepat, Chaudhary Charan Singh University-Meerut, University of Delhi and other institutions from Delhi-NCR and nearby states.

The aim of the course was to enhance teaching skills among teachers working in India. In this course lectures, master classes and presentations were given by Prof. Vladimir Meskin and Prof. Natalya Novikova from People’s Friendship University. It enabled the teachers as well as young scholars to get popular and modern teaching methods being used in Russia for teaching Russian language and literature.

The following was the structure of the course:

• Lecture-Discussion “Intensive course in Russian Language: aspects can be taught in minimum duration”

• Master Class “Russian language through literature”

• Pedagogical Skills “Popular methods in modern Russian literature”

• Master Class “Learning through text”

• Presentation “Historical comments in teaching Russian language”

• Discussion on the above topic

The closing ceremony on 20^th September witnessed various testimonies of the participants and the faculty members. The participants expressed their gratitude to both the specialists from Moscow. It was acknowledge that such kind of professional development programmes are very important and should be organized often so that we may discuss on updated teaching methodologies as well as teaching material.  

Report by:

Dr. Sonu Saini

The Centre of Russian Studies

Organizes

Prof. C N Chakravarti Memorial Lecture

On September 5, the teachers day, the Centre of Russian Studies organized the first memorial lecture dedicated to Prof. C N Chakravarti, who was the Founder Director of the Institute of Russian Language, whose contribution in the form of books, papers, research is a treasure for the Russian field.

Having started his career by teaching Russian at the Department of Modern European Languages at Delhi University, he rose to the position of heading the Department after which he became instrumental in setting up the Institute of Russian Studies (IRS) in 1965. As the Founder Director of the Institute of Russian Studies he played an important role in promoting Russian Language. He held several prominent positions at the Jawaharlal Nehru University when the Institute of Russian Studies became a part of JNU in 1969 and was renamed as the Centre of Russian Studies as a part of School of Languages. He was the Chairperson, CRS; the 4^th Dean of School of Languages from 1975 to 1978; the Dean of Students Welfare from 1983 to 1985 and the hostel warden too.

As a pioneer of Russian Language, he contributed towards the writing and teaching methodologies of the language. Not only was he a conscientious, meticulous and an ardent promoter of the language, but was a simple, genuine and a loving person who guided several generations of students and teachers. He was the first recipient of the PUSHKIN MEDAL in 1979, given for promotion of Russian Language, which made his name equally renowned in the erstwhile USSR, where his books and his personality became an inspiration for both Indian and Foreign students.

To honour this personality, the Centre of Russian Studies organized the memorial lecture as a tribute to the Father of Russian Language in India. The memorial lecture was conferred by Sh. Jayanta Roy Choudhury, Sr. Editor Telegraph in the presence of Rector-II, Prof. S C Gargoti, Dean SLL&CS Prof. Dengle, Ms. Sushmita Chakravarti D/o Prof. C N Chakravarti, Dr. Ganguly and Dr. Bhargav, senior colleagues of CRS, the august audience, colleagues, staff and students of CRS.

The programme started by the welcome speech by Dr. Meenu Bhatnagar, Assistant Professor, CRS who spoke of the values and place Prof. C. N. Chakravarti has in the russian field and welcomed the dignitaries present for the lecture. This was followed by the introduction to the memorial lecture by Prof. Meeta Narain, Chairperson, CRS who appraised the audience of the need to organize the memorial lecture to commemorate the memory of a legend, a stalwart, a pioneer whose contribution has been unparalleled in his field and his life a milestone for others to follow. She also emphasised that the CRS pays rich tribute and homage in the form of today’s memorial lecture which is the first in its series and will be from now forth an annual feature of the CRS. The address by Prof. Satish Chandra Garkoti, Rector – II, JNU also emphasised the importance of the lecture and congratulated the Centre for their efforts in this matter. Prof. Rajendra Dengle, the Dean, SLL&CS, JNU spoke of his association with Prof. C.N. Chakravarti and paid tribute to him. The Centre also released the special issue of their annual journal ‘CRITIC’ dedicated to Prof. C. N. Chakravarti.

The memorial lecture  presented by Mr. Jayanta Roy Chowdhury, Senior Editor, The Telegraph, who was introduced by Dr. Arunim Bandyopadhyay, Associate Professor was on the topic “Contours of Indo Russian Economic Relations” in the 21^st Century, which was a very pertinent topic in today’s scenario. Much of the India’s economic growth today is a reflection of the establishment of the economic ties between India and Russia from way back to the 70s. And in this, undoubtedly Russian Language has played an important role. It has been instrumental in the country’s growth – in the field of defence, oil and natural gas, foreign affairs, tourism and academics. The Russian language has played a multi-dimensional role in strengthening the ties between India and erstwhile Soviet Union to the Russian Federation today. He discussed the India-Russia Economic Relations in the 21^st Century and more specifically a dream project involving a Trade Corridor that the two nations along with other partner countries have envisaged for the future which could well revolutionise the state of play of political and economic relations in Asia. The lecture was very well received and was followed by the section on the remembrances by close associates of Prof. Chakravarti, Dr. Santosh Ganguly, Former Consul General, St. Petersburg, Russia and Dr. Bhargav Mitra, Director, Cabinet Secretariat who fondly recollected the contributions of this legend.

The programme was very well attended by Senior dignitaries from the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the faculty and students of JNU, the family members and associates of Prof. Chakravarti and by two former Vice-chancellors of JNU – Prof. Asis Dutta and Prof. Sopory, who paid their tribute to this eminent figure.

The programme ended with the thanks giving by Ms. Sushmita Chakravarti, daughter of Prof. C. N. Chakravarti who expressed her gratitude to the Centre of Russian Studies for organizing the event and said this was the best way to pay tribute to her father and was sure that we are all being blessed by the pioneer of Russian Language – Prof. C. N. Chakravarti.

The Centre of Russian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University is organized a special event dedicated to the 90^th Anniversary of Chingiz Aitmatov’s birth on November 16, 2018 to pay rich tribute to this renowned Kyrgyz writer.

Chingiz Torekulovich Aitmatov (1928-2008) was a renowned Soviet and Kyrgyz novelist and story writer. His notable works include Farewell, Gulsary! The White Ship, Jamilia, The First Teacher etc. He wrote both in Russian as well as Kyrgyz languages. He even translated some of his own works into Russian. His works have been translated into 170 languages of the world. He is not only the most famous Krygyz writer but also the most prominent personality in the world from Krygyzstan. He has been conferred upon numerous awards for his works.

The 90^th Anniversary of Chingiz Aitmatov’s birth this year is being celebrated the world over. Conferences, Seminars, Exhibitions, cultural programmes dedicated to his life and works are being organised not only in Krygyzstan, Russia, CIS countries but also in various other countries. Streets in many countries have been named in his honor.

Chingiz Aitmatov’s name is well known in India too. His literary works are widely read.  Several of his works form an integral part of the Literature and Practical Russian courses in the Centre of Russian Studies, JNU and in other institutes also. Hence, the Centre organized a special event to remember this great writer and pay tribute to him on his 90^th year of anniversary celebration.

“India Reads Chingiz Aitmatov” – an event organised by the Centre of Russian Studies, SLL&CS was a showcase of the richness of Chingiz Aitmatov’s literary legacy. The programme started by the welcome address by Dr. Meenu Bhatnagar, who welcomed the dignitaries from the Embassy of the Russian Federation, from Russian Centre of Science and Culture, the dean, SLL&CS, the former teachers of CRS and the staff and students. This was followed by the address of the Chairperson, Prof. Meeta Narain, who appraised the audience of the works of Chingiz Aitmatov and how the centre students projected his works through their mouth. Prof. Rajendra Dengle, the Dean, SLL&CS spoke of his works translated in German and congratulated the Centre for taking this initiative to showcase the writer and poet. Mr Aleksei Illiuviev, 2nd Secretary Russian Embassy and Ms. Tatyana Perova, Director, Institute of Russian Language, Russian Centre for Science & Culture also appreciated the efforts of the Centre in organizing this event. Messages were read from the sister of Chingiz Aitmatov – Ms. Roza T. Aitmatova and Prof. Kanybek Imanaliev, Member of Parliament sent from Kyrgyztan. The programme also had a book release of Translation of Chingiz Aitmatov’s stories into Hindi done by Dr. Kiran Singh Verma, Associate Professor of CRS. Prof. Nasar shakeel Roomi made a presentation on the depiction of the cultural content in the works of Chingiz Aitmatov.

Since the programme focussed on the presentation by the students, it included presentations made by students of CRS on the different works of Chingiz Aitmatov. They read extracts from  his stories – the white ship farewell gulsari, Jamilia amongst others. The vote of thanks was presented by Dr. Manuradha Chaudhary, who made a special mention of the Organizing Committee of the event – Prof. Meeta Narain, Prof. Ranjana Banerjee, Dr. Kiran Singh Verma, Dr. Meenu Bhatnagar, Ms. Manuradha Chaudhary.

A programme of this nature was well received by all and was an interesting exposure to highlight the importance of the writers being studied by the students of the Centre. The centre continues to organized such events for the benefit of all. Screening of films based on his works also form an integral part of such events.

Report prepared by

Prof. Meeta Narain

(Chairperson, CRS)

On January 24, 2017, at 2:30 PM, Center of Russian Studies, SLL & CS in collaboration with The Central Library and Readwell Publishers who also sponsored a High-Tea had organized the book release for “Easy Way to Russian» authored by Ajoy Kumar Karnati, Assistant Professor, CRS, SLL&CS and Janani Vaidhyanathan, a guest faculty in the same centre.

Welcoming address was by Prof. Meeta Narain, Chairperson, CRS, SLL&CS, JNU, who had been pivotal in organizing the Book Release function. Talking about the need of the hour for books in Russian, she said this book has been added to its in-house series of CRS indigenous collection.    

The Guest of Honour, Prof. Satish Chandra Garkoti, Rector-II, JNU, launched the book, who said through his encouraging words that an attempt to write one’s first book was in itself a commendable task. He wished the authors in taking up many more in the future. The book was introduced by Prof. Charanjit Singh, CRS, SLL&CS, JNU, who had extensively appraised the content of the book. Prof. Rekha V. Rajan, Dean, SLL&CS had also added her views and given some useful inputs to the authors.  

The book serves as a ready reckoner for many learning Russian initially or who wish to quickly go through the grammar rules whenever they want to refer. As a tourist and businessman one might benefit to get quick look at words that could be used for their needs. The cost effective book can be packed in a corner of one’s hand baggage with its small size and less weight.  A glimpse of the Russian Language through this book to motivate one to go ahead to learn the language further to enroll for Russian in the university was the main aim behind this book. Russian as Foreign language learning in India till now pertains only to major cities or towns. The low cost of the book calls aloud to the youth in India, who can buy this book easily and can also think of a different career option by choosing Russian.      

The authors Mr. Ajoy Kumar Karnati and Ms. Janani Vaidhyanathan who had been always had their interest in teaching Russian as a foreign language in India, had also shared their writing experience of their book on this occasion.  Beyond the difficult task of matter and method that was involved in writing this book, the authors narrated the unique exercise of fitting the exhaustive matter that within a small size of a page that was set beforehand by the publisher.  Mrs. Sabina Chowdhary, representing the publishers, talked about the need of books to learn foreign languages in India.  Dr. Sonu Saini has concluded the programme with his vote of thanks.   

The Centre of Russian Studies

Organizes

Prof. C N Chakravarti Memorial Lecture

On September 5, the teachers day, the Centre of Russian Studies organized the first memorial lecture dedicated to Prof. C N Chakravarti, who was the Founder Director of the Institute of Russian Language, whose contribution in the form of books, papers, research is a treasure for the Russian field.

Having started his career by teaching Russian at the Department of Modern European Languages at Delhi University, he rose to the position of heading the Department after which he became instrumental in setting up the Institute of Russian Studies (IRS) in 1965. As the Founder Director of the Institute of Russian Studies he played an important role in promoting Russian Language. He held several prominent positions at the Jawaharlal Nehru University when the Institute of Russian Studies became a part of JNU in 1969 and was renamed as the Centre of Russian Studies as a part of School of Languages. He was the Chairperson, CRS; the 4^th Dean of School of Languages from 1975 to 1978; the Dean of Students Welfare from 1983 to 1985 and the hostel warden too.

As a pioneer of Russian Language, he contributed towards the writing and teaching methodologies of the language. Not only was he a conscientious, meticulous and an ardent promoter of the language, but was a simple, genuine and a loving person who guided several generations of students and teachers. He was the first recipient of the PUSHKIN MEDAL in 1979, given for promotion of Russian Language, which made his name equally renowned in the erstwhile USSR, where his books and his personality became an inspiration for both Indian and Foreign students.

To honour this personality, the Centre of Russian Studies organized the memorial lecture as a tribute to the Father of Russian Language in India. The memorial lecture was conferred by Sh. Jayanta Roy Choudhury, Sr. Editor Telegraph in the presence of Rector-II, Prof. S C Gargoti, Dean SLL&CS Prof. Dengle, Ms. Sushmita Chakravarti D/o Prof. C N Chakravarti, Dr. Ganguly and Dr. Bhargav, senior colleagues of CRS, the august audience, colleagues, staff and students of CRS.

The programme started by the welcome speech by Dr. Meenu Bhatnagar, Assistant Professor, CRS who spoke of the values and place Prof. C. N. Chakravarti has in the russian field and welcomed the dignitaries present for the lecture. This was followed by the introduction to the memorial lecture by Prof. Meeta Narain, Chairperson, CRS who appraised the audience of the need to organize the memorial lecture to commemorate the memory of a legend, a stalwart, a pioneer whose contribution has been unparalleled in his field and his life a milestone for others to follow. She also emphasised that the CRS pays rich tribute and homage in the form of today’s memorial lecture which is the first in its series and will be from now forth an annual feature of the CRS. The address by Prof. Satish Chandra Garkoti, Rector – II, JNU also emphasised the importance of the lecture and congratulated the Centre for their efforts in this matter. Prof. Rajendra Dengle, the Dean, SLL&CS, JNU spoke of his association with Prof. C.N. Chakravarti and paid tribute to him. The Centre also released the special issue of their annual journal ‘CRITIC’ dedicated to Prof. C. N. Chakravarti.

The memorial lecture  presented by Mr. Jayanta Roy Chowdhury, Senior Editor, The Telegraph, who was introduced by Dr. Arunim Bandyopadhyay, Associate Professor was on the topic “Contours of Indo Russian Economic Relations” in the 21^st Century, which was a very pertinent topic in today’s scenario. Much of the India’s economic growth today is a reflection of the establishment of the economic ties between India and Russia from way back to the 70s. And in this, undoubtedly Russian Language has played an important role. It has been instrumental in the country’s growth – in the field of defence, oil and natural gas, foreign affairs, tourism and academics. The Russian language has played a multi-dimensional role in strengthening the ties between India and erstwhile Soviet Union to the Russian Federation today. He discussed the India-Russia Economic Relations in the 21^st Century and more specifically a dream project involving a Trade Corridor that the two nations along with other partner countries have envisaged for the future which could well revolutionise the state of play of political and economic relations in Asia. The lecture was very well received and was followed by the section on the remembrances by close associates of Prof. Chakravarti, Dr. Santosh Ganguly, Former Consul General, St. Petersburg, Russia and Dr. Bhargav Mitra, Director, Cabinet Secretariat who fondly recollected the contributions of this legend.

The programme was very well attended by Senior dignitaries from the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the faculty and students of JNU, the family members and associates of Prof. Chakravarti and by two former Vice-chancellors of JNU – Prof. Asis Dutta and Prof. Sopory, who paid their tribute to this eminent figure.

The programme ended with the thanks giving by Ms. Sushmita Chakravarti, daughter of Prof. C. N. Chakravarti who expressed her gratitude to the Centre of Russian Studies for organizing the event and said this was the best way to pay tribute to her father and was sure that we are all being blessed by the pioneer of Russian Language – Prof. C. N. Chakravarti.

Prof. Meeta Narain

(Chairperson)

CRS/SLL&CS/JNU

Centre of Russian Studies Wins Quiz Contest

DRUZHRA-DOSTI

organized by

Department of Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies

The Centre of Russian Studies participated and secured second prize in the quiz contest DRUZHBA-DOSTI on 12^th Feb 2018. The contest was organized by  Department of Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies, University of Delhi in collaboration with the Embassy of Russian Federation in India on the establishment of 70 years of Indo-Russian Diplomatic Relations. The event was attended by Former Ambassador H.E. Krishnan Raghunath, who served as Foreign Secretary  as well as ambassador to East Germany, Philippines and High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. John Varghese principal of St. Stephen’s College, Dr. Neelakshi Suryanarayan,  Head of the   Department of Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies and  Ms. Nana Mgeladze from The Embassy of Russian Federation.

CRS team was represented by Amit Jakhmola, Harsh Kant, Gaurav Kumar and Mukul Khattri. Students of the Centre of Russian Studies excelled in the contest as well as other competitions like Russian Olympiad organized by the Russian Centre for Science and Culture on 9^th February 2018.

The quiz contest DRUZHBA-DOSTI was focused on Indo-Russian diplomatic relations and had question from its different aspects, like history of relations between Soviet Union and India, India and Russia, establishment of Diplomatic relations, former ambassadors and diplomats of India and Russia, culture of India and Russia. There was a special section dedicated to Former Ambassador Padma Bhushan H.E. Late Alexander M Kadakin. More than 10 teams including teams from Russian Embassy, Russian House, Amity University, IGNOU, St. Stephen’s College, Jamia Milia Islamia, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya etc. had participated in the contest. The quiz competition was followed by cultural programs.

This was yet another achievement for the Centre of Russian Studies and the Centre is proud of its students.

Report by Harsh Kant

Research Scholar, CRS/SLL&CS/JNU

"Interdisciplinary exchange on Russian culture": an  SAA and CRS collaboration

A Report

An event on the rich cultural heritage of Russia and India titled “Interdisciplinary exchange on aspects of Russian Culture: an SAA and CRS Collaboration” was held on February 10, 2017 in the SAA auditorium.

The event was organized jointly by the Centre of Russian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies and The School of Arts and Aesthetics. There were presentations and papers on cinema, folklore and popular culture of Russia and India.

The event was attended by large group of students of the graduate courses. The presentations were sectioned into three categories – Cinema, Folklore and Popular Culture of India and Russia.

Scholars participated actively to explore the different aspects of Russian cinema – be it the representation of the communist/post Soviet society, depiction of women soldiers or traditional folk heroes. There were papers on the comparative study of beliefs and superstitions as well as folk tales and on Russian cuisine. An interesting presentation traced leftist ideologies within the popular visual culture of Bengal. The speakers were introduced by Dr. Suryanandini Narain, SAA.  The presentations were as follows:

1. Dr. Sonu Saini: Comparing the Folktale 'The fox and the crane' through Russian and Indian Animation
2.  Dr. Manuradha Chaudhary: Similarities and Differences in North Indian and Russian superstitions or beliefs
3. Konstantin: Cinema of Sergey Loban and Yuriy Bykov as the representation of  ideological and imaginary "culdesac" of  post-soviet/communist Russian society in the XXI century
4. Sunita Acharya: Russian Cinema and Women Soldiers: An analysis of the contemporary film "Battalion”
5. Krishanu Nath: From an Artist’s Diary to the Red Dome of the Minar:  Tracing Leftist Ideologies within the Popular Visual Culture of Bengal
6. Mona Agnihotri:  Nasruddin in Cinema: Journey from a Folk Hero to a Film Hero!
7. Dr. Anju Mehta: A Russian Meal

The guests and audience members were welcomed by Dr. Richa Sawant, CRS.

The event was inaugurated by the Dean SLL&CS, Prof. Rekha Rajan, present at the occasion were Dean SAA, Prof. Bishnupriya Dutt and Chairperson CRS, Prof. Meeta Narain. Addressing the gathering Prof. Rekha Rajan said that such an event was the first of its kind. She emphasized the commonalities between the two schools and said that it should be explored further. She especially encouraged research scholars to continue their studies in interdisciplinary areas.

Speaking at the event Prof. Bishnupriya Dutt reminded the audience of how Russian theatre has, over the decades, brought together the cultures of Russia and India. This is also reflected in the ties between CRS and SAA, which go back a long time, she added.

Chairperson CRS Prof. Meeta Narain said that such an event provides a platform for exchange of ideas, especially for research scholars. It encourages in-house potential and gives them an opportunity to express ideas, which at times, is not possible in large conferences.

After the presentations there was a cultural programme organized by members of the cultural committee. The students performed folk dances of Russia and sang popular songs from Russian films. Post graduate students from the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University, who were in JNU on an exchange programme also participated in the event and read poems and sang songs in Hindi.

Dr. Richa Sawant, CRS

Dr. Suryanandini Narain, SAA

Conveners

Centre of Russian Studies

School of Language, Literature & Culture Studies

Celebrates Days of Russia in India

12 October 2017

The Centre of Russian Studies organised a cultural festival “Days of Russia in India” on October 12, 2017 to mark 70 years of Diplomatic ties between India and Russia.

The event focused on providing a platform to undergraduate as well as postgraduate students to highlight their abilities in various fields. They got an opportunity to test their knowledge of the subjects studied –grammar, translation, literature and culture.

During this cultural festival the Olympiad, competitions on Essay Writing in Russian, Painting Competition on topic related to 70 years of Indo-Russian Diplomatic Relations and the Poetry Recitation Competition in Russian were organised. The creative competition on Translation of the text from Russian into English/Hindi was also organised. As there was a huge response from the students, the competitions were held in Two Rounds. The First Round was an elimination round and the second was the Final Round. Students highlighted their excellent knowledge and skills in various competitions.

The Short Documentary on “My Centre of Russian Studies”

The organising committee included a new type of competition i.e. Short Documentary Film (duration 5-10 minutes) in Russian language made by the students on topic “My Centre of Russian Studies”. The video clips were made independently by the students without any teacher’s or professional’s help. The students recorded various locations of the Centre as well as of the Campus through their mobile phone camera and made interesting films on the CRS. The clips may be seen on YouTube at the following links:

Film 1:  https://goo.gl/jDFDL9 made by Avi Panwar, Karan Verma, Ananya Anant

Film 2:  https://goo.gl/81ZG9M made by Vikas Kumar Singh, Gargi Ghosh, Shashikant Kumar, Vishal Patel

Olympiad

The Olympiad on Russian Language, Literature and Culture was an Inter-University Competition and organised at three levels. Teams of three students each from six institutions such as University of Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Institute of Russian Language-RCSC, IGNOU, Amity University-Noida, Amity University-Gurgaon and Jawaharlal Nehru University participated in the Olympiad at various levels. The following were the divisions and areas of the levels:

Levels of Olympiad

Olympiad- Quiz Competition – Level I	Students from B.A. I year, Certificate/Diploma / Intensive Advanced Diploma Course participated The questions were from Russian Grammar (Nominative, Prepositional, Accusative case), Alphabet, nouns, numerals, adjectives, basic sentences, basic geography (name of city, river, mountains, etc), Name of famous personalities.
Olympiad- Quiz Competition – Level II	Students from B.A. II/III year, Advanced Diploma, M.A I year participated The questions were from Russian Grammar (All cases), numerals, sentence structure, Cultural Heritage, History, etc.
Olympiad- Quiz Competition – Level III	Students/scholars in M.A II, M.Phil/PhD participated The questions were from Russian Grammar (Morphology, Lexicology, Syntax) Research Methodology, Literature 19th and 20th century, Cultural Heritage, History, etc.

Apart from the above competitions there were some performances of group songs in Russian prepared by students of the Centre. About 80 students and their 20 teachers from above mentioned six institutions participated in this cultural progamme. The winners of various competitions were facilitated with Gold, Silver and bronze medals and certificates by the Chairperson Prof. Meeta Narain and the guest from Embassy of Russian Federation in India Ms. Nana Mgladze. The Days of Russia in India was a big success and academic and cultural exposure for the students of the CRS, which encouraged them to participate in such events in future as well. The programme concluded by the Russian Food festival at CRS organised by organised by the Embassy of Russian Federation in India and Centre of Russian Studies at SLL&CS. The Russian pancakes-bliny with honey, apple-pies, Russian salads and vegetable with Indian tea were the highlights of the menu at the festival. This food festival was also a big success.  

Report by:

Dr. Sonu Saini

REPORT

National Seminar cum Workshop

“Emerging Trends in Translation Studies”

Organized by Centre of Russian Studies, SLL&CS

6^th – 7^th September, 2017

The year 2017 marks the completion of 70 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Russia, and it also marks the 52^nd years of establishment of CRS. To celebrate this important landmark in `the India-Russia relationship, the Centre of Russian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University organized a National Seminar cum Workshop on Translation studies “Emerging Trends in Translation Studies” and will be organizing an International Conference “The Russian Studies: Changing Dimensions in Literature & Culture, Language & Translation”  in November along with other cultural events during the semester.

The Inaugural Sessions on the 6^th September, 2017 was attended by the esteemed dignitaries, Professor S. C. Garkoti, Rector II, Prof. R. Dengle, Dean, SLL&CS, Dr. Rozovsky, Director, RCSC, Prof. U. N. Singh, Head, ACLIS, Amity University, the delegates from all over India, senior colleagues and teachers, Prof. Abhai Maurya, Prof. H. C. Pandey, Prof. K. S. Dhingra, Prof. R. N. Menon and students and staff members of Centre of Russian Studies. The welcome address was delivered by Dr. Meenu Bhatnagar, Assistant Professor, CRS which was followed by the Introduction to the Seminar by the Centre Chairperson, Prof. Meeta Narain, who appraised the audience of the aim behind organization of this National event. This was followed by address by the Rector II, Dean – SLL&CS and the Director, RCSC. The key note addressed was presented by Prof. U. N. Singh -  the linguist, translator, lexicographer & creative writer, who is at present Chair – professor & Head, Amity Center for Linguistics Studies, Amity University. Dr. Kiran Singh Verma delivered the vote of thanks.

Centre of Russian Studies, as a premier centre for learning and teaching Russian in India, has been actively taking initiatives towards expansions and restructuring of courses on language & translation studies to suit the needs of the hour. The National Seminar was an out come to project the initiatives taken by the Centre to expand this field. It encouraged discourse on translation studies providing a space for our students as well as scholars from different parts of the country to deliberate on pertinent issues related to theory and practice of translation in India at present times. It brought into focus the importance of translation Studies as an independent discipline - its processes, problems and challenges related to different field of translation – social, political, literary, scientific and cultural amongst other fields. New trends and approaches in translation, evaluation of translation, role of translation as well as issues of translatability and untranslatability and many others.

The 2-day National Seminar cum Workshop on “Emerging Trends in Translation Studies” provided a platform for exchange of expertise and presented a direction towards the enhancement of the translation field. The seminar cum workshop was attended by Experts from all over India working on translation – theory and practice as well as literary translation into Indian and Foreign Languages.

The Plenary Sessions – 1 & 2 were devoted to discussions on Discourse in Translation Studies and Techniques of Translation, which highlighted issues related to commercial translation, Regenerative role of Translation, Indirect Translation and Techniques of Translation. The post lunch sessions were divided into Literature in Translation, Challenges of Translation in India and Foreign Languages, Translation as Intercultural Communication and Problems of Role of Translation. The concluding session was a Round Table discussion on Emerging Trends on Translation Studies attended by Prof. Babu Thaliath of CGS and Prof. Abhijit Karkun of CFFS along with participants and faculty of CRS.

The National Seminar cum Workshop was a big success as it played a significant role in integrating the communities through translation and its diversified roles. In the back drop of 70 years of Indo-Russian relation, it served as a unique opportunity to review the role of translation in bringing the Russian and Indian Societies closer. It also highlighted the importance of the Centre of Russian Studies and the unique role the Centre has played in its more than 50 years of existence to promote Russian Studies universally.

Prof. Meeta Narain

Director of the Events

CRS participation in the Days of Russian Language, Literature and Culture

15th February 2017

The Russian Science and Culture Centre, New Delhi celebrated the Days of Russian Language, Literature and Culture on 15th February 2017 by organizing events like Quiz, essay writing, painting, Russian poetry recitation, translation, singing, Russian dance for the students of Russian Language. The B.A students of the Centre of Russian Studies, SLL&CS participated in these events and competed with students from Delhi University, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut, Dr. B.R Ambedkar University, Agra, Amity University, Noida, B.P.S., Sonepat, Institute of Russian Language at the Russian Science and Culture Centre.

Despite tough competition, students of CRS performed extremely well in all the events and won many prizes. Students of CRS won the First position in English Quiz, Second position in Russian Quiz, Third position in Russian Poem recitation, Third Position in Painting, First position in Russian Dance, Second position in Translation, Second position and a Consolation prize in Singing.

Report by Dr. Meenu Bhatnagar

Asstt. Prof. CRS/SLL&CS/JNU

CRS Research Scholars’ Seminar

(Russian Language , Translation, Literature and Culture Studies)

1^st and 2^nd March 2017

The Centre of Russian Studies organized a Research Scholars’ Seminar on Russian Language & Translation, Literature and Culture Studies on 1^st and 2^nd March 2017. This Seminar was mainly for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. scholars of the Centre. This is the first time such a Seminar was held in the Centre where a platform was provided to our scholars to make a presentation on their ongoing research work and highlight the progress of their research.

The Seminar was well attended. In all 22 M.Phil. and Ph.D. scholars of the Centre, whose research topics were approved, participated in this 2-day Seminar.  Day one was dedicated to the presentations on language and translation, whereas on day two presentations were made on culture and literature. Presentations were followed by a round table discussion to evaluate the issues and challenges of carrying out research. All CRS faculty members took part in this discussion and gave suggestions on how to improve the research output and quality of work.

Prof. Rekha V. Rajan, Dean, SLL&CS, Ms. Nana Mikhailovna Mgeladze, Councellor, Embassy of the Russian Federation, Prof R. Kumar, Prof. H.C Pande, Prof. Varyam Singh, former faculty members of the Centre graced the occasion and encouraged the scholars.