Volgayil
Manju peyyumbol
(When
snow rains on Volga)
by
Punathil
Kunjabdulla
Volgayil
Manju peyyumbol (when snow falls over Volga) is a travelogue written by DrPunathil Kunjabdulla. Kunjabdullah is a
well known writer in Malayalam for his
short stories, novels , biographical writings . His book Malamukalile Abdullah has got award
from Kerala sahithya academy and his book Smarakasila kal
(memory stones) has awards from both National sahithya academy and Kerala
saahithya academy.
Kunjabdulla
and his friend Dr Sreejit reached the Moscow`s Sherimatheva air
port and from there they wanted to go to wards Minsk. So they reached the railway station and have
spent night there. Dr Abdullah meets old people and a woman who reads a
pornographic book .He took some Vodka .His observations about the porters in Moscow air port and other
people over there is picturesque. They took train to Berlin in Germany. The two
tickets cost around 200dollors and they had to pay for the birth 8 dollars
each. They reached Minsk. From there they reached the hotel and spends the
millennium new year there in a hotel .
As usual in any ex soviet country two girls meet them. Next day they met
a painter who belonged to Belarus known as Gregor Danilyan. He had been to
India and showed Abdullah and his friend
3 paintings one known as Mathsyam(Fish
based on the Avathara of Lord Vishnu) and other Saraswathy and third is “Dance of MavrTanka” The painter
said that the painting speaks to him continuously. Breaks
his solitude, it loves him!! Dr
Kunjabdullah felt that the revolution has created an exhibition of urbanization and perishing. He found young people drunk and
the man trying to kiss the girl.
Next chapter is devoted to the Russian ballet
and circus. He stayed in Moscow as the guest of a medical doctor from Pathanamthitta
(Kerala) who is working as a sales executive of a Delhi based pharmaceutical company. He never
practiced as a medical doctor any time as the salary of doctors in Russia is
very meager (around 50 to 70Dollors). Russians
consider medical practice as a part of
service to humanity!”
Though
his friend tried to get a ticket for Ballet, he was not successful. They could see a circus at Minsk. The place where circus is shown in Russia has
an accommodation of 3thousad to 4 thousand people. Kunjabdullah has described it as a tent,
though my experience in Russia was that major towns used to have permanent
buildings to show circus known as “Sirk “. Though people bring their snacks they do not
throw the poly ethylene covers or empty
bottles here and there as done inIndia. They
deposit them in their own bags. The civic sense shown by Russians was perhaps
that they inherited from their
communist past when more disciple was enforced. There were lot of school children to see the
circus and they all stayed in the
queue. There was a music band, then
animals came, young lady artists, then men with good physique, all made a round
like a carnival. Trapeze items were good. Jokers
did not show cheap things to create humor. The program was around 3 hours.
There they met Dr Kurse from Maharashtra
and his Russian wife. Though a medical doctor, he too does not practice medicine but sells tea. They
took Dr Kunjabdullah and Manoj to their home and gave them Indian food. (Kunjabdullah
expected a meals like a Malayalee).
Then both went to the medical Institute. The
Institute is vey huge and the Anatomy department itself is as big as an Indian
medical college. Laboratory museum, library , dissection hall and all are of
excellent standard. The dean Mr. Pithoyer
Grigariovich pivichango was not able to speak in English. They were interested to get some foreign
students. Rector informed him that if needed , he can give authorization to
recruit and send students from India. They were surprised to hear that in India
the medical college professors do private practice! Minsk has a news paper `` Naasha Diva “ edited by Andre Dinko. About 20 thousand copies are sold. The editor
was happy that they have freedom to criticize any body after the fall of
communist rule.
They reached St: Peter`s burg in the morning about
7`Oclock morning after a good sleep in
the train. They were welcomed by medical student from Kerala. One of them
Mr. Illiyas has a car of his own. On the way one traffic police man stopped
them and after paying 20 rubles as bribe Mr Illiyas drove ahead. They had a reservation in a hostel where the rent for a single room was30 Dollars and for
two room suite 50 Dollars. As it was in the former Soviet Russia, most of the
workers are women in the hostels, Trams ,super bazaars etc. In 1917 during
October revolution , Russian Czar was
killed by his own men .The naval ship Avrora was there in the river Neva. Lenin
who was living that time in a place known as Smolny had ordered to fire at the
winter palace of the Czar. The captain of the ship who was hesitant to do so
was compelled by his cadets to fire.
Though
the time was over for visitors to see the ship, they bribed the sentry for
100Rubles and could go inside the ship Avrora which is kept there as it was as a
memoriam . They were narrated how the revolution took place overcoming the
resistance of the palace guards. After over coming theministers of temperory
government, a soldier by name Anthanov
Ovsenkov declared that the revolutionary council of Petrograd soviet removed
the temporary government. The ship named Avrora
had a speed of 47 miles and 11000 CC capacity. Doctor Kunjabdullah could see that the guards
there were wearing the metallic badge with
emblem for the memory of the fighter ship. The soldiers were supposed to wear
that always. Kunjabdullah paid him some Rubles as bribe and the soldier gave
him the original emblem.
They
boarded a chartered bus and went round St: Peter’s burg which was made capital
by Peter 1 in 18th century. (The Capital was shifted to Kremlin
again after the revolution.) They could
visit the Kasansky Cathedral which was made using European as well as Egyptian
architecture. They came back after the
circuitous route to the original location. They met an old
lady selling ice cream on the way. A girl there, begged for an ice cream and kissed Kunjabdullah after
receiving the ice cream. She accompanied him for some time also and returned.
On return he finds the same girl with the ice cream seller at the same place.
Perhaps the old woman was her mother and she may have deposited the ice cream
back to the mother after leaving Kunjabdullah and his friend!! Cheating was always expected when you travel in Russia and Kunjabdullah
perhaps had a better heart than a common man who can always understand such
tricks !
Kunjabdullah
had an opportunity to visit the winter palace museum called Hermitage. It is a
worth seeing place with corridors, bedrooms, Darbars, with a good collection of
paintings including that of RajRavi Varma. Then kunjabdullha and friends visited a casino where they drank and danced. Out
side the casino prostitutes were waiting with a price of 30 to 50Dollors per
night. Though the writer wanted to lift
one of them to listen her story he was desisted by his companions. Perhaps the
Kerala readers have lost an opportunity to read one Russian more story from the pen of the writer.
They
started to the city Tula in a late night train to see the Tolstoy estate. There
was strict checking by the police men on foreigners perhaps due to problems in
Chechnya. They met an old Russian
couple who sang poems of Pushkin to
them. They could see the Tolstoy`s
memorial .Tolstoy museum was closed due to Xmas.
Visit to Kremlin is
another good description in the book.
Dr Manoj and Kunjabdullah were guests of Dr Iftikar who is also an
Indian doctor worked as a medical representative of Panacea Biotech. With the
help of Iftikar`s driver they go round Moscow and saw a super market, Kremlin , Red square ,
Asthankino Television tower. Kremlin is a fort covering more than 100
acres. One side of Kremlin is red square and other side is confluence of
Moscow river and Nenniglaya river. There
is a big bell there which weighs 65000Kilograms.They have seen the Lenin`s
Mausoleum also. Kunjabdullah met a history professor named Grigory M Bonguard Lev
who has received Nehru award. He has respect towards Indian Ayurvedic medicine.
They saw a cathedral known as Lavra Cathedral where holy water is attracting
many believers to cure them. Kunjabdullah sees a street known as
Oolis Tharaya (I think , the name is
not written properly by Kunjabdulla who was visitingRussia first time . Ulitsa means road in Russian and it could be Ulitsa Taraya perhaps).There he gets a portrait made
by a street artist. The
writer in him wanted his portrait as caricature and he paid 150 Ruble against 100 demanded by the artist !!He searched the place where Stalin
is buried and could not find it ( Nikita Khrushchev removed Stalin`s body
from his mausoleum Stalin is buried outside the Kremlin fort ) .
The book
gives a good description of the Russia after the dissolution of USSR. I had an opportunity to live in USSR for four months during 1987 when Ghorbechov was ruling that country with his tools Peristroika and Glassnost inhands. I could see corruption and
prostitution in that country that time though rarely. Russian women had lot of
attraction towards Indian men and were willing to marry them mostly due to the
fact that Indians had a robust family system with rare cases of divorce. One thing perhaps Kunjabdullah forgot was
Stalin was Georgian and not a Russian. Even in his home country Georgia
(CIS) Stalin has not much followers to
day. I could see only one photo of Stalin in a pump house near the Kura river near Tibilitsi .I did not find any body
speaking high of Stalin there also. I
had opportunity to visit CIS Georgia three times and also Azerbaijan after the
fall of USSR. Georgia under Michail
Sakashvelli has become pro American.
I happened to be at Tibilisi on the day when Michail Sakashveli
made a successful blockade of the
parliament and Edward Sheverrnatze was
forced to hand over power to the speaker
of their parliament. I could see the Georgian Ballet once which is
definitely a great classical art like our Kathakali. I have seen an opera in Bolshoi theatre though I could not see an
opera there. I had a boat cruise in Moscow
river once. I have traveled many times
in the Moscow metro which is very good. When I visited the Asthankino
television tower , I was informed that it was that time the tallest in the
world. I did not bribe any body those days to get a ticket to the TV Tower top
though I was also late to reach there. Those days we Indians were “Indiskaya Drusyas “(Indian friends) for Russians. Indians were loved officially at least. On careful examination, even in 1987, one visitor could see gaps being
developed with in the Republics of
Muslim dominated Azerbaijan etc and the Russian part. Of course,
I met there a scientist who
married Muslim women from Eastern republics against the wished of their
parents. But even in those communist
days Russians were Russians and Azaris azaris !! Baku was definitely a tourist spot for
Russians . I too loved
the beauty of Baku and Ganza etc of Azerbaijan and the river
Kura of Tibilitzi ( capital of
CIS Georgia) .
Any tourist to Russia and CIS countries should
be careful about the passport, encounter with hooligans and prostitutes, and
their purse with dollars or other foreign currencies. I am happy that Punathil had returned India with all his belongings !! If he had money he could have purchased a
Samovar and presented to his loved ones. The cuckoo clocks sold there is not tropicalised may not last
long !!
