Russian classical literature is now brought to Indian audiences across air waves in a revival of a Soviet-era project of building cultural bridges between the two nations.
The Voice of Russia has begun producing and broadcasting radio dramas based on the works of famous Russian playwrights. It has already aired several plays by Anton Chekov, including his most famous Cherry Garden.
The plays, adapted for radio and broadcast in 15-minute installments in Hindi and Urdu, have met with enthusiastic response from Indian listeners, says Irina Maksimenko, chief of the Voice of Russia South Asia department.
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“I think I grasped the Russian soul when I listened to the Cherry Garden,” an Indian fan of the Voice of Russia wrote.
Those who missed the original broadcasts can listen to them by going to the Voice of Russia websites at hindi.ruvr.ru and urdu.ruvr.ru.
Encouraged by the success of Chekov plays the station now plans to adapt for the radio works by other Russian classics, such as Alexander Ostrovsky and Leo Tolstoi.
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Ms. Maksimenko thinks the new project will play an important role in promoting cross-cultural understanding.
“It is after all through art that we get to know each other better,” she said.
The Voice of Russia has picked from where Radio Moscow, as it was known in the Soviet days, left. Radio drama was then a staple feature of broadcasts from Moscow, but was taken off the air when funding dried up after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The revived project will be discussed at the fifth all-India conference of the Voice of Russia Listeners’ Clubs in New Delhi on December 1-2.