India-Russia joint issue

Russia has been a longstanding and time-tested partner for India. Development of Indo-Russian relations have been a key pillar of India’s foreign policy. Since the signing of “Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership” in October 2000, Indo-Russian ties have acquired a qualitatively new character with enhanced levels of cooperation in almost all areas of the bilateral relationship including political, security, trade and economy, defence, science and technology, and culture. Under the Strategic Partnership, several institutionalized dialogue mechanisms operate at both political and official levels to ensure regular interaction and follow up on cooperation activities. There is regular high level interaction between the two countries.

India has longstanding and wide-ranging cooperation with Russia in the field of defence. Indo-Russian military technical cooperation has evolved from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research, development and production of advanced defence technologies and systems. BrahMos Missile System as well as the licensed production in India of SU-30 aircraft and T-90 tanks, are examples of such flagship cooperation. The two countries also hold exchanges and training exercises between their armed forces, annually.

Making the economic partnership a strong pillar of the bilateral partnership like other areas of cooperation between India and Russia is a key priority for both governments. Major items of export from India include pharmaceuticals, tea, coffee and tobacco, machinery and mechanical appliances, organic chemicals, and electrical machinery and equipment. Major items of import from Russia include pearls, precious and semi-precious stones & metals, nuclear power equipment, electrical machinery and equipment and mineral oil & products, iron & steel, optical, precision and surgical equipment. India and Russia are exploring various ways for enhancing bilateral trade.

Russia is an important partner for India in the area of peaceful use of nuclear energy. It recognises India as a country with advanced nuclear technology with an impeccable non-proliferation record. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is being built in India with Russian cooperation. Indo-Russian cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of outer space dates back to about four decades. 2015 marked the 40th anniversary of the launch of India’s first satellite “Aryabhata” on a Russian (then USSR) launch vehicle “C-1 Intercosmos”. In 2007, India and Russia signed a framework agreement for cooperation on joint flights of outer space, including manned space flights, GLONASS navigation system, remote sensing and other societal applications of outer space. Both sides are also exploring the possibility of cooperation in futuristic technologies.

There is a strong tradition of Indian studies in Russia. Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre at the Embassy of India, Moscow (JNCC) maintains close cooperation with leading Russian institutions. There is a Mahatma Gandhi Chair on Indian Philosophy in the Institute of Philosophy, Moscow. Nearly 20 Russian institutions, including leading universities and schools, regularly teach Hindi to students. A wide range of Indian languages are being taught, including Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Urdu, Sanskrit and Pali at various centres in Russia. There is growing interest among Russian people in Indian dance, music, Yoga and Ayurveda. There are regular cultural initiatives to promote people-to-people contacts between India and Russia, including reciprocal Years of Culture.

Indian Community in the Russian Federation is estimated at about 30,000. About 500 Indian businessmen reside in Russia out of which around 300 work in Moscow. It is estimated that about 300 registered Indian companies operate in Russia. There are approximately 4,500 Indian students enrolled in medical and technical institutions in the Russian Federation. Hindustani Sangeet Mahavidyalaya has been operating in Russia functioning since 1957.

The Theme for India-Russia Joint Issue is “Folk Dance”. The folk dance selected for depicting in Indian stamp is Bhavai and the folk dance selected for depicting in Russian stamp is Beryozka. The Miniature sheet design has structures of Hawa Mahal from Jaipur, India and Saint Basil’s Cathedral from Moscow, Russia which shows the strong bond between the two great civilizations.

Bhavai is a genre of folk dance popular in Rajasthan, India. The Dance form consists of veiled women dancers balancing up to seven or nine brass pitchers as they dance nimbly, pirouetting and then swaying with the soles of their feet perched on the top of a glass or on the edge of the sword. There is a sense of cutting edge suspense and nail biting acts in the dance. The accompaniment to the dance is provided by the male performers singing melodious songs and playing a number of musical instruments, which include pakhawaj, dholak, jhanjhar, sarangi and harmonium. Traditionally, this genre of dance was performed by the female performers belonging to the Jat, Bhil, Raigar, Meena, Kumhar and Kalbeliia communities of Rajasthan. It is assumed that this genre of dance has evolved from the exceptional balancing skills of the females of these communities developed because of carrying a number of pots over the head over long distances from the desert.

Beryozka round dance is one of the famous Russian folk dances. This is an ancient round social Slavonic ritual folk dance. Dancers hold hands and the distinctive element of the dance is that the step is a small one, simultaneous squatting of all dancers on a certain point of the music. A stage version is based on the dance was created, where women performers wear pseudo-Russian stage outfits, styled on the Nizhny Novgorod girls (jacket, a sarafan, a kokoshnik or a headdress) their braids. The dancers move in a circle, after each other, in single file, in two lines, rotating around each other in pairs around common centers of the groups. The steps are short and frequent, creating the impression of “slipping” (like a swim swan glide). The dancers hold handkerchiefs or branches of birch in their hands which symbolize revival to the spring. The general mood of the dance is melodic and melancholic.