AEM strikes deal with UAE’s Dodsal
A new breed of dramatists explore taboo themes AP
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A Report from The Tmes of India. In association with Rossiyskaya Gazeta
Distributed with BANGALORE
How India set up its first mission in Moscow
Powering new alliance abroad
REPORT
Diplomatic history
michael guterman
photoxpress
Russia India
...Marching towards a common future
Mumbai
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New Delhi
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Wednesday, APRIL 27, 2011
Defence Five Indian warships visit Pacific Fleet base
Diplomacy Focus on multipolar world
The recent visit of five Indian warships and the arrival of 152 Indian sailors in Russia for training highlighted growing cooperation between Indian and Russian navies.
President Dmitry Medvedev puts modernisation and security at the heart of APEC summit Russia will host in 2012.
sergei petrov
irina sorokina
Five Indian warships recently paid a friendly visit to Vladivostok, Russia's Pacific Fleet main naval base, putting the spotlight on the growing camaraderie between Indian and Russian navies. The Indian navy unit included missile destroyers INS Ranvir and Ranvijay, indigenous Frigate INS Delhi, a Kirch Corvette and the tanker Jyoti. It was a homecoming of sorts as the three Indian destroyers were built in the Soviet Union, and most of the weapons and equipment were of Russian origin.
Russia needs Asia, and international relations need multipolarity. This was the overarching message of President Dmitry Medvedev when he spoke at the Boao Forum in China in mid-April. His speech at the “Asian Davos”, which brings together the leaders from government, business and academia in the Asia-Pacific region, focused on“inclusive development”of the APR and increasing interdependence in the region. Just like at the Davos forum in Switzerland in January 2011, Medvedev began by commenting on recent developments
Navy bonds get stronger
Modernisation to top APEC agenda
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sergey sokolov_rg
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Indian warships dock in Russia's Pacific Fleet base in Golden Horn Bay, Vladivostok.
continued on PAGE 2
Region $1 bn swish ski resort to re-brand North Ossetia
Battling terror with tourism ARTEM ZAGORODNOV rir
The road from the airport into Vladikavkaz, the regional capital of North Ossetia, passes by a graveyard in the village of Beslan, the monument to over 330 people – most of them children – killed during the tragic 2004 school siege that shocked the world.“A horrible tragedy, several of my relatives are buried here,” says Oleg Karsanov, the 43-year-old
local minister of tourism. The insurgency and violence that often mar the public perception of the region has, however, not dampened the enthusiasm of Karsanov. An MBA from a university in London, he is determined to re-brand the troubled mountainous republic into a magnet for tourists. That dream is now set to get wings with a $15 billion federal programme. Karsanov's pet project is $1 billion ski resort Mamison, a two-hour drive fromVladikavkaz. continued on PAGE 4
Elena Krovvidi rir
Oleg Karsanov, North Ossetia's minister of tourism
in The Economic Times
BUSINESS REPORT
Juggling Ramayana and Russian folk songs It's not easy growing up, juggling two distinct cultures. Welcome to the world of Russian-Indian kids.
ruslan sukhushin
Better known for the Beslan siege, North Ossetia seeks to start afresh with ambitious plans to promote tourism.
Society Inside world of mixed children
American-born Confused Desi (ABCD)! This is an expression urban Indians are familiar with, but not many know about children born of mixed Russian and Indian parentage who experience a similar feeling of being torn between two very different cultures. With the Indian com-
munity growing in Russia, there are an increasing number of Russian-Indian families and children of mixed ethnic and cultural heritage. Being a person of Russian-Indian origin myself (my father is an Indian and my mother a Russian), I have often pondered on questions of identity and grappled with the mingling of cultures. Children brought up in mixed culture homes often involuntarily become a subject for discussion.
like the earthquake in Japan and protests in the Middle East.The unstable situation in Africa and the Japanese disaster reminded the world of the need to consolidate its efforts, Medvedev underlined. Inclusive development, the President stressed, entailed the “need for democratic international relations and the creation of a genuinely fair political and economic world order”.The reform of the global financial system is a major step towards that end, he said. Russia, like its BRICS partners, Medvedev said, supports a“multipolar world structure that encourages spreading global development potential and the dynamic emergence of new centres of economic and political influence”. continued on PAGE 3
OPINION
BRICS of a new century There comes a time in world history when the old order does not hold any more, and a new one is in the process of being born. The recent summit of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) at the Chinese resort of Sanya has brought one closer to such a moment when emerging powers renewed their pledge to rebuild a world order to reflect the realities of the 21st century. PAGE 6: Opinion
continued on PAGE 7
May 11
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Power Manufacturing unit in India to cost $150 mn; production starts in 2013
AEM deal with UAE's Dodsal
concern Rosatom, is set to become the first Russian company to export the production of power equipment abroad. Joint projects by Russian and foreign companies in the field of power machinery construction have recently become a widespread practice. But in most cases, they involve the creation of factories in Russia where the technology of the foreign partner is used. AEM has a project of this kind with TVEA, a Chinese producer of power-supply equipment. The aim of their AEM-Dodsal venture is to deliver equipments to India.Vladimir Kashchenko, AEM’s chief executive officer considers that“the holding’s scientific-industrial base allows it to compete in leading power-equipment markets such as India”.Last year, Kashchenko announced plans to enter the Indian market, but then it was a question of buying equipment-manufacturing assets. Later, he explained that he had on mind the localisation of nuclear-power-equipment manufacturing,and added that India“is very interesting for the
Vladimir Dzaguto kommersant
Russia’s Atomenergomash (AEM), a heavy equipment engineering company that specialises in nuclear and conventional energy, has struck a deal with Dubai-based infrastructure development firm Dodsal to set up a manufacturing unit in India with an initial investment of $150 million. On April 13, AEM confirmed that it would be ready by 2013 to create in India a manufacturing unit to produce nuclear power equipment for nuclear power stations, thermal energy and the oil-and-gas industry. The agreement comes after the acquisition of Chennai-based AE&E IDEA (India) Private Limited by the Dodsal Group last month. With this tie-up, AEM, a division of the state atomic energy
in brief cinema A 3-D joint Indo-russian film to be released in 2012 In 2012, for the first time in many years, Russia and India plan to start making a joint film, the film’s script writer Alexander Strizhenov told RIA Novosti. The film, to be shot in India and Russia, will feature actors from both countries, and will be full of dance, stunts and performances by the Zapashny brothers, who are famous Russian animal tamers.
The film is the brainchild of Alexander Strizhenov, whose father, Oleg Strizhenov, appeared in 1957 in the first Soviet-Indian film “A Journey Beyond Three Seas”. “We hope to start shooting in 2012, so the film might go on release before the end of the year,” Alexander Strizhenov said. He hopes that the 3D film will hit Russian and Indian screens soon. RIA Novosti
investment Moscow invites Indian business, pharma in focus
vostock-photo
In a first of sorts, Russia’s Atomenergomash (AEM) strikes a deal with UAE's Dodsal Group to create a manufacturing unit in India in 2013 at a cost of $150 million.
www.sevmash.ru/eng JSCo «PO «Sevmash», the largest ship-building complex in Russia www.rosatom.ru The State Atomic Energy Corporation
A view of the interior of a nuclear power reactor constructed for Indian nuclear power plant.
development of coal generation”.The localisation of production in India may allow the joint AEM-Dodsal venture to be considered a local manufacturer and to lay claim to part of the orders for building Russian-designed nuclear power plants. Rosatom is currently completing construction of the first two reactors at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant
in Tamil Nadu, and has agreed to build two more. The overall portfolio of Indian orders for Rosatom-built reactors may add upto as many as 18. According to the contract, at Kudankulam, Russian enterprises will receive upto 50% of the total volume of work, while 30% will go to local companies.
Moscow is inviting Indian entrepreneurs to come and explore the Moscow market, said Sergei Cheryomin, the head of the Moscow foreign economic and international relations department. “We are particularly interested in pharmaceutical and IT companies and major infrastructure companies that build roads, tunnels and bridges.
India, like Moscow, is experiencing a construction boom,” said Cheryomin. “India, one of the fastest-growing BRIC countries, with a GDP growth of almost 7% in spite of the crisis, could be a good example of rapid growth for us.” Moscow has invited Indian businessmen to supply pharmaceuticals at moderate prices under direct contracts. RIR
energy Don't worry, Kudankulam is safe: Rosatom chief
Gorshkov crew to train in St. Petersburg The visit of the Navy unit,under the flag of Rear Admiral Bish, Eastern Naval Command, lasted from April 18 till Apr 22. The sense of strong bonding was more than evident as the Indian naval sailors visited the Pacific Fleet command and the memorial sites in the city. "We are all sailors and the sea does not divide us, but pulls together. Together with the Russian sailors, we protect international shipping in the Gulf of Aden. Two more Indian ships are now guarding the trade
press service archive
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Aircraft carrier Vikramaditya to undergo sea trials.
routes from pirates off the coast of India,” said a representative of the Indian navy. April saw another important milestone in Navy ties: the first group of 152 sailors – the future crew of Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov) aircraft carrier - arrived in St. Petersburg for training. The sailors will undergo four months of classroom training at St Petersburg’s naval schools and spend almost the same amount of time in training exercises. The group includes rank-andfile seamen as well as officers from the Indian Navy’s techni-
cal services.The crew, which is to comprise 1,400 people, is expected to arrive at the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise Production Association (Sevmash) in 2012. More Indian sailors are to be sent to Russia in the coming months to undergo training for service on the aircraft carrier. TheVikramaditya aircraft carrier will undergo sea trials in December 2011, said Alexander Kholodov, the spokesman for Sevmashpredpriyatie (Sevmash, Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region).
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The Kudankulam NPP (which Russia is building in India) meets all the safety requirements and there will be no change in the construction schedule, says Sergey Kiriyenko, the head of Rosatom. “Even if, in the wake of Fukushima, you try to imagine what else should be added to the nuclear plant design to enable it to withstand every conceivable combination – earthquakes, tsunami, power
and water supply cuts, and so on -- Kudankulam already has them all,” said Kiriyenko, who took part in the meeting between President Dmitry Medvedev and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "It is the only power plant outside the Russian Federation to have a system of passive heat control ruling out a repeat of the Japanese scenario: heat is removed by airflows,” he added. RIA Novosti
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eng.kremlin.ru President of Russia official website eng.globalaffairs.ru Russia in global affares on-line magazine www.mid.ru Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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History Nehru insisted Indian embassy in Moscow should be set up before a formal declaration of India's independence
Saga of India-Russia diplomatic relations ARUN MOHANTY
The saga of the Indo-Russian diplomatic relations goes back to the end of Second World War when India’s freedom struggle was in its final stage. The victory over German fascism, to which the Soviet Union contributed a lot, brought tremendous changes in the international arena, making Moscow a key stakeholder in global affairs. This also spurred the transfer of power from the British Raj to the leadership of independent India. India, therefore, always considered its ties with the Soviet Union special. After being released from a jail on June 15, 1945, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, was interacting with media persons in Delhi’s grand Imperial hotel. He looked around and asked if any Soviet correspondent was there in the press conference. When Oleg Arestov, the then TASS correspondent to India, was introduced to him, Nehru requested him to sit next to him on the same sofa. “I am glad that a Soviet journalist is present in India during these historic days,” said Nehru, a gesture that underscored the significance he was attaching to the USSR in his foreign policy thinking. In fact, one of the first steps that Nehru took after joining the interim government that ruled
GETTY IMAGES/FOTOBANK
SPECIALLY FOR RIR
Jawaharlal Nehru and V. K. Krishna Menon. 1955.
The USSR was one of first few countries to extend diplomatic recognition to independent India. over India before the attainment of complete independence was to search for ways to establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, recalls veteran Indian diplomat K.P.S Menon, who played a significant role in obtaining the Soviet diplomatic recognition of India. Nehru sent his trusted lieutenantV.K. Krishna Menon to Paris to meet Soviet foreign ministerVyachislav Molotov where the latter was participating in the peace
conference following the end of World War II. Menon handed over Nehru’s letter to him that expressed India's desire to establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. The letter said:“We sincerely desire to develop friendly relations with the Soviet Union and exchange diplomatic and other representatives with your country.We hope that cooperation between India and Russia will be mutually beneficial and serve the interests of peace and progress in the whole world.” Both sides decided to have further talks in this regard. The Soviet government sent a reply to Nehru in the beginning of October 1946, expressing readiness to promote friendly
relations with India. K.P.S. Menon, who was then part of the Indian delegation to the UN General Assembly at New York, was instructed to hold further talks with Molotov, who was present there for an exchange of diplomatic missions between the two countries. In November 1946 Nehru declared in the Constituent Assembly of India that Molotov had confirmed his government’s desire to exchange diplomatic missions with India. The British government, scared of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Indian interim government and the USSR, left no stone unturned to derail the process as much as possible. Documents in archives suggest that
Medvedev for open APEC security CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The second secret to successful inclusive development lies at the national level.“Economies based on knowledge, investments and the use of advanced scientific achievements and modern technologies pave the way towards the main goal, i.e. a dramatic improvement of our citizens’quality of life,”Medvedev stressed. Today, Russia is grappling with these challenges through modernisation and innovation, investment, the development of
infrastructure and modern institutions and the nation’s“intellect”. Medvedev proposed cooperation for modernisation as the key topic for the 2012 APEC summit to be held in Vladivostok, Russia. “We are open to the broadest partnership in modernisation and we are planning to make it the key topic of the Russian presidency of APEC next year. We propose to make the theme of cooperation for modernisation the priority in its activities,” he said.
Inclusive development has a distinct regional aspect that is observed in the Asia-Pacific Region to which Russia belongs. Its future, the modernisation of Siberia and the Far East, are inseparable with the APR and Russia is interested in its rapid development. Medvedev exhorted the region’s leaders to join together to create a common transport and logistics system and an energy security system and expand interaction in emergency warning and response. “APEC, the most authoritative
and representative regional structure, may play a part in creating favourable conditions for the development of comfortable cities, free movement of goods, capital, human resources and services, in exchange for advanced experience and technologies for stimulating innovation and thus putting into practice the inclusive development principle,” Medvedev elaborated. APR countries’ steady social and economic development is impossible without creating an open, transparent and equal
of the very first few countries to extend diplomatic recognition to independent India. Nehru insisted that the Indian embassy in Moscow should be set up even before a formal declaration of India’s independence and succeeded in getting the British Viceroy’s consent for this. It is not surprising that Nehru chose none other than India’s veteran diplomat and his sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit as independent India’s first ambassador to the Soviet Union.Talking to diplomats assigned with the job of setting up the Indian embassy in Moscow, Nehru said, "you are going to a friendly country from which we were cordoned off by colonial rulers.We have to make up for the lost time and strengthen our ties with the Soviet Union as we are neighbours and we have many things in common." Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, who arrived in Moscow on August 9, 1947, a week before the declaration of India's independence, was accorded a red carpet welcome. The Indian embassy in Moscow was the interim government’s first diplomatic mission abroad.Though India had embassies in the US and China before this, they were considered as continuation of missions established on behalf of the British-Indian government. But the Moscow embassy became truly the first ever-diplomatic mission of independent India.The establishment of diplomatic relations heralded a new era in the history of friendly relations between our two great civilisations.
the movements of Krishna Menon and K.P.S Menon were placed under strict surveillance of the British intelligence. Even their correspond e n c e w i t h N e h r u wa s intercepted. There were many events that facilitated close contacts and productive cooperation, leading to the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and the USSR in April 1947. The UN was a significant platform that brought India and USSR closer. The Indian and Soviet delegations not only shared identical views on many important issues, but the Soviet delegation also used the debate for granting independence to India promptly. The Soviet government, on its part, tried to simplify the formal procedure for the establishment of diplomatic ties with India. Both sides agreed to issue simultaneous public statements for quick implementation of the agreement for an exchange of diplomatic representatives between the two countries. Finally, diplomatic relations between the two nations were established formally on April 14 through the issuance of a joint communiqué.“To preserve and further strengthen the friendly relations existing between India and USSR, the government of India and the government of USSR have decided to exchange diplomatic missions in the rank of embassy,” said the communique. The Soviet recognition had profound significance as it meant the Soviet recognition of India’s independence even before it was formally declared in August 1947. The USSR became one
security and cooperation structure, the President stressed. Russia will soon present to its partners its proposals for improving the safety system for building nuclear power plants, Medvedev said. This will include establishing information exchange channels in the case of emergencies, creating international expert support and quick response forces. Catastrophes cannot stop humankind’s progress, but conclusions should be drawn from accidents such as that at Fukushima-1, the President said. He is convinced that green development is a powerful stimulus for modernising economy and dramatically improving people’s standards of living.
Full speech at www.indrus.in
REUTERS
India established diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union four months before it got independence in 1947 and set up its first mission in Moscow.
President Medvedev addressing the Boao Forum.
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ossetians.com/eng Find more information about North Ossetia - Alania russiatrek.org/north_caucasus-district North Caucasus Federal District
North Caucasus blighted by Beslan tragedy, the troubled region awaits 2014 Sochi Games to refurbish its image and boost economy
of purpose.Ski resort Mamison, which is under construction, will have more than 60 miles of slopes of all levels difficulty at altitudes between 6 and 10,000 feet.Karsanov has been nurturing tourism in the region for four years, much before the federal government chipped in. “We have gone from under 30,000 tourists a year to about 100,000 a year, thanks to the
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The federal programme unveiled by President Dmitry Medvedev at the Davos summit in January is aimed at developing swish resorts across the entire region.Tourism is now seen as a remedy for many ills that plague the region, thus bringing sorely needed employment, economic stimulus and a sense
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casus in the long term,” said Taymuraz Mamsurov,president of North Ossetia. Regional observers agree that shoring up tourism is a legitimate way of injecting money into the local economy and boosting other sunshine sectors such as construction and the service industry.“But it won’t resolve the problems," says Nikolai Petrov, a scholar in residence at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Moscow.“Even if jobs are created, they most likely won’t be suited for the local population." Most people in the region do not have the experience of providing high-quality services, says Petrov.An alternative is to open a local school for tourism and hospitality to train local youth, say analysts. The challenges are forbidding, but Karsanov is determined to get the word out and people in. He is relying not only on megaprojects,but also his small-scale tourism initiatives that are centered on the local population. With an average salary at around $500 a month, locals clearly don’t mind making some extra cash. “I’d be happy to open a guest house or store right along the road here,”says Elbrus Elkanov, 51, a farmer who also does construction work on the side. Elkanov lives along the Valley road outside the village of Fiagdon, about an hour’s drive west
Kabardino-Balkaria
Officials hope 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will revitalise the region as a ski paradise. from Vladikavkaz.“But right now,there are too few incoming tourists.” To the west lies the abandoned 14th-century farmers’ village of Tsemeti, a cluster of stone temples and roads perched atop a hill a few hundred feet above the valley floor.“It’s a great place to make an ethnic village for tourists,”says Karsanov.“I want to convince a few locals to move in seasonally, accommodate guests and raise livestock like they did hundreds of years ago.” Karsanov stops for lunch at a newly opened roadside restaurant, where a dining room stands on four wooden pillars above a stream.“We catch the trout right out of the water and serve it to you,”says a waitress. "All of the cheese and meat come from local animals."
North Ossetia
Where is the money going to come for putting up hotels in the mountains?“We have a huge diaspora abroad and in Russia. A lot of successful businessmen from Ossetia live in other parts of Russia and want to invest in real estate here,” says Karsanov. “I invested about 80 million rubles, and overall, I’m statisfied with the project, but the federal government still hasn’t built all the infrastructure that was promised to me,” says the 50-year-old Rostilsav Khortiev, a native Ossetian businessman who returned three years ago to open a hotel complex southwest of Vladikavkaz.“It will only become profitable once an important road is in place. I currently employ about 35 locals running the hotel, cottages and skiing and fishing packages that we offer. Tourists come from all over Russia.The local government helps a lot by not interfering with what I am doing. I haven’t paid a penny in bribes,”he said. continued on PAGE 5
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work that’s been done,”he said. “Mamison will offer our countrymen the opportunity to experience world-class skiing without leaving the country,” said Karsanov while unveiling plans to build hiking trails through the spectacular mountains. Russian officials hope the 2014Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will revitalise this area of Russia as a ski paradise. But the threat of terrorism still looms large, and may play a spoiler. In 1999,Vladikavkaz’s central market was rocked by an explosion that killed 62 people. In 2010, a smaller attack hit the city, denting the region’s reputation as a tourist hub.“It all sounds a little utopian to me,”says Galina Gokashnavili, a teacher in Vladikavkaz.Officials are all too aware of the pitfalls on the way. “When people look at a map and see we’re only millimeters away from places like Chechnya, they are discouraged,”said Oleg Kalayev,first deputy prime minister of North Ossetia.“But when we had Western experts examine the location,they said the potential was there.” Indeed, many new hotels are coming up, the infrastructure has improved, and some Russians are already coming to ski and soak in the hospitality.“It’s been fun,” said Alyona, who came as a part of a tour group from St. Petersburg.That kind of endorsement is priceless, local leaders say.“We have to change the image of North Cau-
lori/legion media
Skiing with hope: Banking on tourism to combat terror
area 50 300 km² population 2.7 million
area 3630 km² population 0.5 Million
area 12 500 km²
area 8000 km²
area 15 700 km²
population 0.9 million
population 0.7 million
population 1.3 million
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www.chechnyatoday.com/en The Chechen Republic website www.dagtourism.com Agency for tourism of the Republic of Dagestan
Amid growing public alarm in the wake of Moscow Metro bombings, families of dead insurgents end up as victims of suspicion and paranoia. ANNA NEMTSOVA SPECIALLY FOR RIR
Zaira recently gave birth to a boy. But outside her home in Makhachkala, the bustling capital of the Russian republic of Dagestan, people think of her not as a mother, but as a potential killer. On a recent shopping trip, she says, customers pointed fingers at her, and taunted:“Here comes the martyr.” Now, she prefers to stay at home, “locked between the four walls”of her apartment, rather than confront the accusing looks of strangers in this predominantly Muslim region of southern Russia. The nightmare for Zaira began last spring after two women from Dagestan blew themselves up in the Moscow Metro, killing 40 and injuring more than 100 passengers. They shared more than geography with Zaira. Like her, their former husbands were insurgents who had fought Russian forces in the North Caucasus and were killed. As many suicide bombers targeting Moscow have been the wives of dead rebels, they were dubbed “BlackWidows” by the Russian media. After the attack, Komsomolskaya Pravda published the photographs of 22 actual and potential BlackWidows, along with personal information, such as the districts in which they lived. The first portrait was of one of the Metro bombers.The head-
Audio slide show at www.indrus.in
INTERVIEW TAYMURAZ MAMSUROV
'The youth will pave the way forward' Taymuraz Mamsurov, president of North Ossetia, speaks about the prospects of tourism and bringing peace to this troubled region.
Have the Winter Games in Sochi affected the place? Of course.We supply raw materials and some of our construction workers are there.After the Games are over, we’re going to receive one of the ice arenas to be used in Sochi here in Vladikavkaz. It’s not the Sochi Olympics; it’s the Russian Olympics. And we all – from Kamchatka to Kaliningrad – have to do our part to make them great. Which sectors could drive the republic’s economy over the coming decades? Metallurgy and forestry are ob-
vious choices based on our natural resources.They provide the inputs for construction and manufacturing, specifically road-building and furnituremaking. We also must learn to take advantage of our hospitality via the services sector.We’re investing resources and providing basic management training for our youth.
What factors will lead to longlasting peace in the region? We had groups of young people here from Chechnya, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria, and the positive interaction that goes on between their youth and ours is remarkable. This youth will lead us to a prosperous future. Prepared by Artem Zagorodnov
line said: “1,000 widows and sisters of Dagestan guerrillas help terrorists.”Zaira’s picture was among the 22, a clear accusation that she was a potential suicide bomber, someone to be feared.“How reckless of them to put me on that list,” Zaira said in an interview.“If I wanted to commit a terror attack, I would not have lived openly in Dagestan’s capital. I would not have enrolled my son in school.” In the previous decade, Russia’s security agencies tended to label all fundamentalist Muslims – called Wahhabis by the police – as terrorist suspects. And the police have engaged in brutal tactics to suppress a violent insurgency, according to human rights activists. “Your house gets burned, and you and your family may ‘disappear’ or be murdered,” says Tatyana Lokshina of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch. When the list of the widows was released to the newspaper by officials, nobody cared much about the women’s rights, or the effect such a branding might have on their lives, rues Zaira. The police insist they are fighting a deadly enemy in the Caucasus. Last month, they arrested another young woman and a suspected Black Widow in Ingushetia. FatimaYevloyeva, 22, is a sister of MagomedYevloyev, the suspected suicide bomber who struck at the Domodedovo airport in January, killing 36 people. Investigators say Fatima had traces of explosives on her hands; she allegedly helped her brother to make the bomb. Fatima’s husband, a suspected insurgent, was killed last sum-
mer. Last year, 68 people died and 195 were injured in 112 attacks in Dagestan, five of them committed by suicide bombers, while Human Rights Watch reported 20 abductions and the killing of eight fundamentalist Muslims by the police in the last six months of 2010. There were twice the number of terrorist attacks here in 2010 than in 2009 in the entire North Caucasus, says deputy prosecutor general Ivan Sydoruk. But as the conflict hots up, its workings remain murky. Gennady Gudkov, a deputy in the State Duma and the deputy head of the security committee, says legislators need new political power to oversee counter-terrorism efforts by the security services, especially the National Anti-Terrorism Committee.“We deputies are not allowed to probe the committee’s work,” he says. “So it's a big secret what methods they are using to fight terrorism.” And the case of Zaira suggests that some of those methods may be counter-productive. Since her first husband was killed six years ago, Zaira says she has tried everything to build a new life. She remarried, had another baby and got a job. All of that collapsed with that newspaper’s ominous list. She lost her job as a cleaner; she took her eight-year-old son out of a secular school, and enrolled him in a private religious school, after a teacher beat him for being a Wahhabi. The police, she says, frequently question her.“We wish we could fit in,”she says,“but we are being pushed out.”
Slide show at www.indrus.in
OKSANA USHKO
Why would a family choose to fly to North Caucasus for a holiday rather than a region with a more stable reputation? It’s a psychological barrier we have to overcome, and this will take time. We can’t do this through a barrage of advertising. What we need is for people to come, have a good time, and recommend it to their friends.
RUSLAN SUKHSHIN
Even as North Ossetia scripts a new life, the Beslan tragedy is still fresh in the minds of some people and will haunt them for years to come. "We will feel and remember this for a very long time. My generation will remember it for as long as we live. There are things that are hard to forget; there are things that are impossible to forget and there are things that shouldn’t be forgotten. Beslan belongs to the second and third categories," says Karsanov. For now, Karsanov is, however, banking on the Sochi Games to refurbish the image of southern Russia.“The Sochi Winter Games in 2014 will help,”believes the enterprising politician.“Not only will they show southern Russia in a more positive light, but also more Russians will become interested in skiing. This will bring more tourists here.” And tourists will not only bring cash with them, but also hope of a new identity for the region. Karsanov is upbeat about the future. He is hoping that his son, who is studying at Bauman University in Moscow, will return to his father’s home in Beslan. "I hope that by 2030, Ossetians will live in one of the most prosperous, open, stable and dynamic territories of Russia. I’d like us to be an example of how such a diverse group of people can live together in harmony and attend churches, mosques and other temples in peace," he says proudly.
05
Guilt by association? A widow’s dark tales
View from the ski slope at Dombai ski resort. Dombai is a beautiful ski resort in the North Caucasus region, and is suited to the beginners.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
Region
IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, RUSSIA THE TIMES OF INDIA WEDNESDAY_APRIL 27_2011
Zaira, the widow of a dead Dagestani insurgent, offers prayer as she tries to salvage her life.
06
Russia india BUSINESS report
Opinion
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www.cdi.org/russia/johnson Johnson’s Russia List www.russiaprofile.org Analysis of business, economic, political and cultural trends en.fondsk.ru Strategic Culture Foundation magazine
BRICS: Shifting global Calculus Expanding the Multilateral Fold
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specially for RIR
f the recent BRICS summit at the Chinese resort Sanya on April 14 has to be summarised in a few words, then it is appropriate to suggest that the grouping had succeeded in expanding the roadmap for multilateral interactions comprehensively.This is no less significant as the grouping emerged only recently in 2009 atYekaterinburg in Russia.The themes suggested to the heads of states to deliberate, interactions and final declaration – all indicated the constituent members’ desire to discuss, work for the goals of multilateralism in many ways than had been agreed to previously. Firstly, while such multilateral groupings existed before between the BRICS states, such as the trilateral meetings of Russia-China-India (taking
A strong imprint of the South-South dialogue and multipolarity was evident at Sanya. off from Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov’s suggestion in December 1998), India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA –from 2003), BrazilSouth Africa-India-China (BASIC) on climate change proposals at the 2009 Copenhagen Summit meeting, these initiatives remained either geographically confined or limited in focus. The third meeting at Sanya thus expands not only the geographical reach of the grouping to include Africa, but also increased the number of issues like exploring cooperation in local currencies, curbing cross-border capital flows in emerging economies, food security, bio-diversity, countering cyber crime, sports, etc. Previously, the trilateral meetings (from the 2005 Vladivostok event) have mentioned the necessity for reforming the structure of the United Nations, including its Security Council. The Sanya declaration men-
tioned support to India, Brazil and South Africa (currently all these three are non-permanent members of UN Security Council) in their“aspiration to play a greater role in the UN” and possible coordination in the UN. Secondly, a strong imprint of the South-South dialogue and multipolarity is unmistakable at Sanya and indicates to the long-term experience and work of the BRICS countries in this field. In the“Broad Vision and Shared Prosperity” speeches of the four presidents and one prime minister at Sanya, it is clear that the common minimum agreeable propositions have been laid out and resolved to work for an equitable world order based on rules, sustainability, predictability and of peaceful transition. Thirdly, although the BRICS economic and financial status has risen in the last decade, several indicators indicate that they are still marginal in their influence on the global and economic order. By deciding that the BRICS constituents would work together in coordination and cooperation with each other at several levels, the Sanya deliberations and declaration re-emphasised such work in the multilateral field. For instance, despite the BRICS emerging significantly as larger economies with higher economic growth rates, the intra-BRICS trade is currently marginal and at best lopsided in nature, with huge favourable balance of trade in favour of one or another. As such the BRICS countries trade very less as compared to their other trading partners, specifically with that of the United States and Europe. Diversifying trade from these countries as well as cooperating among themselves could benefit the BRICS. The action plan prepared at the venue, viz.on periodic meetings between finance ministers, central bank governors, representatives of international organisations, and inancial cooperation between development banks further provides concrete steps for the growth of the BRICS. Fourthly, despite divergent political systems in the BRICS,
the Sanya declaration was unequivocal in criticising the recent no-fly-zone and military action by the NATO forces in Libya and suggested that the UN Charter respecting the sovereignty of the member states should be respected. The declaration called for multilateral initiatives such as by the African Union and deliberations at the UN. Nevertheless, the declaration was significant in mentioning that the“legitimate aspirations of their [Libyan] people”should also be respected. Overall, the significance of the BRICS should not be underestimated. In a span of three years, the multilateral grouping not only was expanded, but also had attracted global attention.While the impact of the BRICS on the international order may not be known immediately, the BRICS are making an effort, as Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said in his speech at Sanya, to “harness the vast potential” that exists among this multilateral grouping. Prof Srikanth Kondapalli teaches at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
dmitry divin
Srikanth Kondapalli
Forging common stand to shape world order Fyodor Lukyanov
H
inosmi.ru
istory provides various examples of how international institutions emerged and developed, but BRIC has no analogues. The witty acronym coined by a Goldman Sachs employee, Jim O'Neill, for commercial interests – namely, to draw clients’ attention to emerging markets – took on a life of its own. The third summit – now in an extended format with South Africa as a new full member – showed that this artificially invented list of fast-developing economies, little related to each other, is rapidly transforming into a political reality. Many Western commentators slam BRICS as a virtual and mostly Anti-American organisation. Some critics say Russia is the economically weakest element in this chain. The economic crisis exposed a lot of problems in Russia’s dynamism which is far from the numbers shown by the other “letters”.At the same time Russia has never considered itself a developing country – and, actually, it is not. Brazil, India
and China have for several decades now been gradually rising, seeking to overcome poverty and backwardness. Russia experienced an unprecedented decline 20 years ago, after which it began to rise but has never returned to a stable growth trajectory. Even during the first few years after the Soviet Union’s collapse, Russia did not slip to the level of a third world country. The BRIC idea turned up just in time. It was difficult to find a more convenient format for, first, adjusting the general vector of Russia’s foreign policy in favour of non-Western orientation, because the most important strategic arena is rapidly moving from Euro-Atlantic to Asia-Pacific; second, for reminding the world that this country has a global horizon, which was reduced to a regional scale after the Soviet Union’s break-up; and, third, for emphasising Russia’s commonality with states that are leaders in the rates and quality of economic growth. However, while finding numerous divergences between the four countries’ views, interests and plans, critics overlook the main thing – the BRIC countries themselves are obviously interested in developing this format, because they see a potential in it that no other association or forum has. The BRICS format differs from all other acronyms in so far as all participants potentially are not just fast-developing countries but the main “poles”of a multipolar world order. And this is why reducing criteria for the existence of this association of states to economic indicators would mean being guided by an erroneous method for analysing it. There are objective reasons why BRIC evokes growing interest. First, there is a widespread feeling that the global institutional architecture does not reflect the realities in the 21st century and that the reform of institutions does not go beyond words. One can find many differences in the positions of these four very different countries, but all of them – for their own and usually different reasons – are not satisfied with the current state of affairs in the world and with their posi-
tion in it. A multipolar world order requires different formats than those that served the bipolar world in the ColdWar years and has not changed much since that. It is not accidental that BRIC declarations express doubts about the legitimacy of the existing system. Second, there is an obvious need for new approaches to solving global problems. All the four countries believe that the global discourse has been monopolised by the West.This factor not only does not meet the economic or even political alignment of forces, but it also impedes the search for fresh solutions, which can be found only in broad discussions. This is not about confrontation with the West and not even always about competition with it, but about creating an alternative discourse that could enrich the Western one or bypass it without directly conflicting with it. BRIC coun-
BRICS' vote on Libya in UNSC showed the emergence of a consolidated approach. tries' vote on Libya in the UNSC, when all fours countries abstained, showed the emergence of a consolidated approach. Not anti-Western, but independent. The summit in China just reiterated a common willingness to formulate alternative approaches on international institutes, principles of security, understanding of fairness in the world economy and world politics. Third, all the four countries feel the limitations of their efforts to increase their own weight and influence in international affairs, while acting solely within the framework of existing institutions. That’s why Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are looking for ways to consolidate their negotiating positions in building the future world order. Fyodor Lukyanov is the editor-in-chief of the journal Russia in Global Affairs.
All articles appearing on page 6 do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the editors of Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Russia India Report.
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Society
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CONTINUED from PAGE 1
from personal archives
Russia has become a meltingpot for different nations and cultures. When two distinct cultures meet, many labels are often pasted on a person representing them – exotic, confused, torn between two worlds and so on. Am I a part of both cultures or do I really belong to none? Which cultural ties are stronger? To what extent is the cultural identity influenced by each of the parents (and respective immediate and extended family from each “team”)? And what impact does the parents’ behaviour and relationship have on a child? And does the whole experience of being a mixedheritage person really make them feel as if they stand out from their friends or colleagues or is it a less important aspect of their personalities that doesn’t really play a role in forming relationships? I talked to some of RussianIndian people who shared their stories with me, and I found that while we agree on some (major) points, there are still a lot of nuances and peculiarities that depend only on an individual. My sister and I grew up in an atmosphere of two cultures. Our father told us Ramayana stories and mother sang us Russian folk songs as lullabies
Elena Krovvidi.
when we were kids. In our apartment, there are both icons of Christian saints and Krishna miniature statues. Judging by my childhood memories, they did have disagreements about lifestyles and methods of upbringing that reflected their different cultural conditioning. For example, my father enjoyed gathering large companies almost every weekend, parties where parents bring with them even very young children, a common practice in India, but probably not as common in Russia where quiet family get-togethers are normally more popular than social events on that scale. My mother felt sometimes it was not her cup of tea, especially as she didn’t speak Hindi. Also, most of Russian families
from personal archives
25-year-old Anita with her husband.
we know don’t have such an intense communication with their extended family. As an Indian, my father, however, felt it was important to share even small details of our everyday lives with our uncles and aunties and their families. Congratulating a family member on their birthday or anniversary was pretty much of a solemn ritual which made me feel somewhat awkward as a child but filled me with pride and respect later in life.Those were minor differences, and my parents certainly didn’t want to inflict them on me. But still as a child I had to learn to find a balance between two different lifestyles. It was not always easy because of the strong influence of my environment - most of my friends are Russian and so was the cultural background that I was brought up in. My father encouraged my interest in Indian music and films, but he didn’t insist on it too much, and since I don’t speak Hindi or Telugu (the language of his state Andhra Pradesh), it takes a conscious effort to understand things that are familiar to most Indians. This feeling of being culturally conflicted is shared by other Russian-Indians.“I feel as an Indian in Russia and as a Russian in India,” says the 25-year-old Anita Tulasi. She says that in her family her father sometimes felt pressured because her mother’s influence was dominating. However, her mother still supported her initiative to speak Telugu and her younger sister’s aspiration to master classical dances. Besides, her father stood up for the values he strongly believed in. “In Russia, sometimes parents are ready to give their children everything on a silver platter – money, cars. In India, it’s considered that one has to work hard to get something. So my dad drilled this knowledge into us, he spent a lot of time helping us with our homework. And my Mum was sometimes too soft on us”. Now she has a child of her own, and even though her baby is just five-month-old, she is convinced that she’ll imbue her son with the same
from personal archives
Mingling cultures, they carve their special identity 21-year-old Lalit and his brother, 19-year-old Krishna with their Indian father.
an film. And finally he won me away from him and we married. Also we share the same family values. I have a lot of friends but I haven’t met any person who would cherish the family the way I do.” Not all Russian-Indians feel the same way. For instance, Our father told us the 21-year-old Lalit and his brother, 19-year-old Krishna, Ramayana stories feel psychologically more and mother sang Russian than Indian. “It’s us Russian lullabies beautiful there, and people when we were kids. are very friendly and nice, but it is a different culture, and I sense of responsibility and don’t feel like living there,” love for learning when he says Krishna. grows up. Another important Unfortunately, in many cases difference, in Anita’s view, is stereotypes about each oththe attitude towards family er’s culture continue to pervalues. “In Russia, the ap- sist. Lalit mentions that many proach is lighter, if something people in Russia judge Indidoesn’t work out, divorce is ans by glossy Indian films an option. In India, children which do not reflect reality. are taught from an early age Krishna says that Russians to go through fire and water often think Indians are all for the sake of one’s family”. yoga adherents.They feel this Anita’s husband is also of ignorance is mutual. In India mixed origin; his father was also, they say not enough is from Tatarstan, and as Anita known about Russia, and for emphasises, his traditional many people there still exists Eastern upbringing and men- the picture of bears walking tality was one of the things along Russian streets! that attracted her to him. In many ways, for all the cul“Sasha and I were good tural confusion they are exfriends for some time. I dated poses to, mixed heritage peranother guy then,”Anita tells sons are somewhat special me with a smile.“But he didn’t and tend to attract attention. give up and courted me for a As a rule, most people I’ve met long time, just like in an Indi- for the first time paid atten-
As a child, I had to learn to find a balance between two different lifestyles. It was not always easy.
tion to my looks and their immediate question was where I was from.The funny thing is that almost no one can pin down my origin. They are not sure whether I am from Georgia or Italy or the Middle East. When I share those memories with Anita, she says she can pass in many countries as a local until she starts to speak. She says most Russians have a very warm attitude towards India, and she’s always taken those signs of attention as a compliment. Lalit also doesn’t really remember any instance when his origin made him feel uncomfortable, except for his name that was often associated with a Russian singer Lolita which, he says, is a bit annoying.“There is mostly curiosity and positive interest, which is not a bad thing,”he says. It’s hard to say what my views and those of other Indians were if it were another country, which had a tense political relationship with Russia. For the most part, this crossover of cultures has become a significant part of my life and has given me additional advantages of feeling special, belonging to two different worlds at the same time and being able to see a broader picture of the culturally diverse world we live in.
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www.rtlb.ru/en_home Russian theatre life in brief an information project of Russian Theatre Union www.theatrehistory.com/russian Find more about Russian theatre history
Theatre New experimental playwrights are writing about the contemporary world and exploring taboo themes
EMMANUEL GRYNSZPAN RIR
On an intimate Moscow blackbox stage, four actors read their parts, including stage directions from the scripts in their hands.The tension builds as the actors transform into characters -- four young and aimless drunkards. The audience appears shocked and amused by the crudeness of “Life Smiled At Me”, which uses language unheard of in Russian theatres. A new breed of young Russian playwrights armed with razor-sharp tongues and a penchant for realism is charting new territory on the Russian stage, thus bringing a new lustre to the country’s theatrical reputation with its movement called “New Drama”. Their theatres are small and themes gritty and they are attracting daring talents and lively audiences. Theatre.doc, which produced “Life Smiled at Me” is best known outside Russia for performing a play about the life and death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died brutally in a detention centre in Moscow last year.“Life Smiled at Me”has been awarded a Golden Mask Award. The Golden Mask Theatre Festival is Moscow’s premier theater event and runs each year from March to April, closing with a showcase for cutting-edge
work, called the Case Festival. Some foreign theatregoers are under the impression that the nation that gave the world Chekhov and Gogol may be resting on its laurels.Whatever collapse of confidence and creativity occurred in the 1990s has been replaced with an emerging theatre scene worthy of Konstantin Stanislavsky himself. Every night, roughly 30 theatergoers enter the tiny basement of Theatre.doc, which has a cult following in Moscow.There is a bit of a conspiratorial feeling inside, and one can sense a special chemistry between actors and audience
Playwrights with razor-sharp tongues and a hunger for realism are charting new territory. in the spartan atmosphere and minimalist décor, as in the case of Zhizn Udalas (Life Smiled at Me). Like the Bauhaus, the theatre’s maxim is: “Less is more”. The New Theatre movement is causing a crack in the ageing facade of Moscow’s main street theatres. How long can Russia’s best-known directors ignore it? “Theatre must be contemporary,” thundered Marat Gatsalov, an actor and one of the movement’s leading directors who directed “Life Smiled at Me”and the muchacclaimed “Odds and Ends”. “Theatres are suffocating under the old plays, but they
slam the door in our faces,”he said. What sets New Drama apart is its accent on contemporary themes.“These are people who write about the contemporary world with a contemporary outlook and language. We are not afraid of provoking. Our writing must be emotional," says Natalia Vorozhbit, a Ukrainian playwright. Don’t go looking for politics in most of these dramas. However, the Magnitsky play is more the exception than the rule. Dissent is at the core of the movement, but its writers have so far refrained from an open confrontation with the establishment. “Politics doesn’t interest me, I’m a woman,”Vorozhbit said. Then, after a pause, she acknowledged,“Some part of me feels ashamed for not writing on this subject. In fact, without having really discussed it between ourselves, I think we consider the topic too dirty to mention.” The idea seems paradoxical, given New Drama’s fearless treatment of taboos (at least in Moscow’s theatres) such as drugs, prostitution and homosexuality. These audacious themes perhaps account for the powerful emotive appeal of the New Drama.The movement is growing at a fevered pitch as at least one or two new productions make a debut every week. These new offerings are a pure act of faith, as they acquire new followers every night.With such success, wider recognition is only a matter of time.
New Drama production Life Smiled at Me pulls no punches as it reveals the different side of modern existence.
INTERVIEW ACTRESS DARYA EKAMASOVA
‘A living, breathing, misunderstood process’ Actress Darya Ekamasova graduated from Moscow's prestigious Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in 2007 and now divides her time between filming and treading the boards of Theatre.doc. Do you feel you are a part of the New Drama? Everything started when I acted in Boris Khlebnikov’s film Free Floating (2006). The screenplay was done by Alexander Rodionov. I made new connections with extremely talented people. It’s exciting work for an actress. Is it more stimulating to act in a New Drama play than in a big
ITAR-TASS
Russia's mainstream theatre gets a wake-up call as a new theatre movement finds a loyal following with its gritty realism and daring themes.
MICHAEL GUTERMAN
New Drama sets Russia ablaze with creative fire
Moscow theatre production? For me, the most important thing is the text. I have a voracious appetite for interesting and complex roles. Unfortunately, they’re rare. Who are your favourite playwrights? My favourite authors are Kurochkin, Ugarov, Durnenkov,
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Gremina, Rodionov and Bondarenko. Something deep is emerging from them. I appreciate plays where the writer doesn’t try to overdo it with airing dirty laundry; it seems that some writers compete to see who can use the worst language. There’s a branch of New Drama that is going in that direction and it's not for me. Can you define New Drama? It’s an entirely new movement that still doesn’t have a well-defined scope. The only definition is that it doesn’t have a kopek to its name. Beyond that, it’s a living and largely misunderstood process.
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