Russian Lessons Everyday

Who is Elmar Rajsur?

2012-01-20T17:21:00.001+05:30

Elmar Rajsur is a Russian singer of Azerbaijani heritage who sings Indian songs. He performs in clubs in Moscow. In November 2007 he performed half to the visiting Indian delegation accompanying Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on his 28-hour visit to Russia.

Source: Wikipedia
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmar_Rajsur

Jimmy Jimmy Russian Remix song

2012-01-19T10:14:00.000+05:30

This song is a very good example to witness the popularity of Hindi songs in Russia.

Here is the famous Jimmy Jimmy Song blended in Russian. Enjoy...

Phrase of the day

2012-01-16T22:27:00.000+05:30

Cудить по внешности:
Meaning: To judge by appearances

Word of the Day

2012-01-13T22:22:00.000+05:30

Новогодные решения/обещания
Meaning: New Year Resoultions

«Виктория Дайнеко - Стоп, Куда Же Я Иду» слова песни текст

2011-12-29T17:00:00.001+05:30

Ветер ветку бережно качает,
А меня к тебе так сильно тянет.
От чего мое сердечко тает?
Стоп, куда же я иду?

Как же так случилось – я не знаю,
Стала я с тобой совсем ручная.
Отчего мое сердечко тает?
Стоп, куда же я иду?

Припев:

Стоп!
Твои песни, твои слезы и твои глаза –
В них ответы на вопросы раз и навсегда.
Твои песни, твои слезы и твои глаза –
В них ответы на вопросы раз и навсегда.

Кто мы друг для друга – я не знаю.
Может, в электронной почте смайлик?
Ветер листья к небу приучает,
Вздох, срывая на лету.

Ты меня дыханьем согреваешь,
А потом внезапно исчезаешь.
Отчего мое сердечко тает?
Стоп, куда же я иду?

Припев:

Стоп!
Твои песни, твои слезы и твои глаза –
В них ответы на вопросы раза и навсегда.
Мои песни, мои слезы и мои слова –
В них ответы на вопросы. Я люблю тебя!

Текст песни / слова песни «Стас Пьеха, Григорий Лепс - Она не твоя»

2011-12-29T15:52:00.003+05:30

Показал ей весь мир и подарил
И весь мир за тебя говорил
Что с того? Что с тобой? Жизнь нарядная
Думаешь ты разгадал, что надо ей?

Всё, что надо ей...

Припев:

Но ведь она - не твоя, хоть с тобой она
Даже иногда и бывает...
Она - не твоя, как глоток вина
Так тебя она выпивает

Она - не твоя, ты - играешь с ней,
А она с тобой...
Потому, что знаешь ли ты,
Что в себе таит женская любовь

Тайные, жаркие свидания
Ссоры и ранние рыдания
Молодой, кровь кипит, тело смелое
Это всё, так скоро надоело ей

Боль любви твоей...

Припев:

Но ведь она - не твоя, хоть с тобой она
Даже иногда и бывает...
Она - не твоя, как глоток вина
Так тебя она выпивает

Она - не твоя, ты - играешь с ней,
А она с тобой...
Потому, что знаешь ли ты,
Что в себе таит женская любовь

Знаешь ли ты, о чём молчит она
О чём её мечты
Знаешь ли ты, что говорит она
Когда не рядом ты
Рядом с кем-то другим...

Знаешь ли ты, когда уйдет она
Куда она идёт, слушая шаги
Знаешь ли ты, веришь ли ты (?)
Чтоб удержать ей

Но ведь она - не твоя...
Но ведь она - не твоя...
Она - не твоя, ты - играешь с ней,
А она с тобой...

Потому, что знаешь ли ты,
Что в себе таит женская любовь

Respected Prof Sankar Basu with Russia Today

2011-12-20T17:59:00.000+05:30

Phrase of the day

2011-12-20T17:26:00.000+05:30

Радужно смотреть на всё

Meaning: To look on the bright side of everything

Proverb of the Day

2011-12-20T17:11:00.000+05:30

Скажи мне, кто твой друг, и я скажу, кто ты
Meaning: A man is known by the company he keeps.

Word of the day

2011-12-19T17:53:00.000+05:30

Убить кого-либо
Meaning: to take smb.'s life

Proverb of the Day

2011-12-19T17:50:00.001+05:30

Пока человек жив, он надеется
Meaning: While there is life there is hope

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-13T21:50:00.003+05:30

заколдованный круг
Meaning: A vicious circle

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-13T21:48:00.006+05:30

заговаривать зубы (кому-либо)
Meaning: to fool smb with fine words

Verb of the Day

2011-12-12T18:01:00.000+05:30

влиять / повлиять (to influence, affect)

Я влия́ю / повлия́ю
Ты влия́ешь / повлия́ешь
Он/Она влия́ет / повлия́ет
Мы влия́ем / влия́ем
Вы влия́ете / влия́ете
Они влия́ют / влия́ют

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-12T17:40:00.000+05:30

Махнуть рукой (на что-либо/кого-либо)
Meaning: To give up on something or someone

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-09T18:16:00.000+05:30

Передавать из рук в руки
Meaning: To hand smth over to smb in person

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-08T14:57:00.000+05:30

От всей души
Meaning: with all one's heart and soul

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-08T14:01:00.001+05:30

Одержать победу (над кем-либо) -
Meaning: To gain a victory

Yulia Savicheva - Vysoko

2011-12-08T04:23:00.002+05:30

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-07T20:22:00.003+05:30

чесать/трепать/болтать языком
Meaning: To talk non stop

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-07T20:18:00.003+05:30

более-менее
Meaning: More or less

Виктория Дайнеко - стоп, куда же я иду?

2011-12-06T08:25:00.001+05:30

Word of the day

2011-12-05T15:28:00.001+05:30

Adding some spices' name and their Russian names. These spices are used in Indian cooking very much and we Indians love spices a lot.

Garlic: чеснок

Cumin: тмин

Coriander: кориандр

Turmeric: куркума

Bay leaf: лавровый лист

Ginger: имбирь

Word of the day

2011-12-05T15:02:00.000+05:30

Комплекс неполноценности
Meaning: Inferiority complex

From Astrakhan...(Russia)

2011-12-01T14:47:00.001+05:30

Dear All, I am adding 3 photos of city strakhan which are captured by Prof. Purushottam Agrawal during his visit to Astrakhan.

The photos are very unique as these depict the Indo-Russian link telling us the story of Indian presence in Russia in 17th Century.

Under each photo, the words that you will see are by Prof. Purushottam Agrawal.

You can find more information under my post "Indians in Russia" where information is provided India-Astrakhan link in details (taken from Wikipedia). The aim of this post to have the feel that how strong bond we share with Russia...

वोल्गा की एक धारा के किनारे, वोल्गा इलाके में, तातार बाजार के पास थी हिन्दी बस्ती, एक पुराना मकान, ऐसे ही मकानों में रहते थे भारतीय-मारवाड़ी, मुल्तानी, गुजराती और सिंधी...नगर के इलीट में गिने जाते थे, सोलहवीं सदी से ही....अंग्रेजों के पहले भी, कुछ हिन्दुस्तानी तो समुद्र पार किया ही करते थे...:)

अस्त्राखान की हिन्दी सराय में...अब यह एक रिहाइशी चौक या बाड़ा है...

Who is Sergey Brin??

2011-12-01T13:54:00.001+05:30

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin (Russian: Сергей Михайлович Брин; born August 21, 1973) is a Russian-born American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the largest internet companies. As of 2011, his personal wealth is estimated to be $16.7 billion.

Brin immigrated to the United States from Soviet Union at the age of six. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by studying mathematics, as well as computer science. After graduation, he moved to Stanford to acquire a Ph.D in computer science. There he met Larry Page, with whom he later became friends. They crammed their dormitory room with inexpensive computers and applied Brin’s data mining system to build a superior search engine. The program became popular at Stanford and they suspended their PhD studies to start up Google in a rented garage.

The Economist magazine referred to Brin as an "Enlightenment Man", and someone who believes that "knowledge is always good, and certainly always better than ignorance", a philosophy that is summed up by Google’s motto of making all the world’s information "universally accessible and useful".

Verb of the Day

2011-12-01T13:22:00.001+05:30

благодарить / поблагодарить

Meaning: To Thank

1st Person Singular -    благодарю́ / поблагодарю́

2nd Person Singular-    благодари́шь / поблагодари́шь

3rd Person Singular - благодари́т / поблагодари́т

1st Person Plural -       благодари́м / поблагодари́м

2nd Person Plural        благодари́те / поблагодари́те

3rd Person Plural -      благодаря́т / поблагодаря́т

Idiom of the Day

2011-12-01T13:20:00.001+05:30

так ему и надо!
Meaning: It serves him right!

Phrase of the Day

2011-11-30T19:54:00.001+05:30

По одёжке встреча́ют, а провожа́ют по уму́.
Meaning: Beauty may open the door, but only virtue enters.
Literal: One meets people by their clothes, and says farewell by their mind.

Idiom of the Day

2011-11-30T19:49:00.001+05:30

око за око, зуб за зуб
Meaning: An eye for an eye

Yulia Savicheva - Esli V Serdce Zhivet Lyubov'

2011-11-30T08:49:00.001+05:30

Земфира - Мы разбиваемся

2011-11-30T08:39:00.001+05:30

Прости за любовь (Julia Savicheva)

2011-11-29T23:44:00.001+05:30

Word of the Day

2011-11-29T16:31:00.001+05:30

Russian: Рыбный рынок
English: Fish market

Idiom of the Day

2011-11-29T16:26:00.002+05:30

сердце не лежит (к чему-либо)
Meaning: One has no liking for smth

Катюша ( Katyusha Song Lyrics) in Russian with English Translation

2011-11-28T17:27:00.001+05:30

Катюша

Расцветали яблони и груши,
Поплыли туманы над рекой.
Выходила на берег Катюша,
На высокий берег на крутой.

Выходила, песню заводила
Про степного, сизого орла,
Про того, которого любила,
Про того, чьи письма берегла.

Ой ты, песня, песенка девичья,
Ты лети за ясным солнцем вслед.
И бойцу на дальнем пограничье
От Катюши передай привет.

Пусть он вспомнит девушку простую,
Пусть услышит, как она поёт,
Пусть он землю бережёт родную,
А любовь Катюша сбережёт.

Katyusha (english Translation):

Apple and pear trees were blooming.
O'er the river the fog merrily rolled.
On the steep banks walked Katyusha,
On the high bank she slowly strode.

As she walked she sang a sweet song
Of her silver eagle of the steppe,
Of the one she loved she loved so dearly,
And the one whose letters she had kept

O you song! Little song of a young girl,
Fly over the river and in the sunlight go.
And fly to my hero far from me,
From his Katyusha bring him a sweet hello.

Will he remember this plain young girl,
And her sweet song like a dove,
As he stands guarding his proud nation,
So Katyusha will guard their love.

Phrase of the Day

2011-11-28T13:49:00.000+05:30

Терпение и труд всё перетрут
Meaning: Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.

Idiom of the Day

2011-11-28T13:46:00.002+05:30

конец - делу венец
Meaning: The end crowns the work

Idiom of the Day

2011-11-27T23:43:00.002+05:30

как ни в чём не бывало
Meaning: As if nothing had happened

Idiom of the Day

2011-11-25T17:33:00.000+05:30

Idiom: брать за душу/сердце/живое
Meaning: To touch someone's heart

Idiom of the Day

2011-11-25T17:30:00.002+05:30

Idiom: бабье лето
Meaning: Indian Summer

Word of the Day

2011-11-25T17:24:00.001+05:30

Russian: Вход со двора
English: Entrance from the backyard

Grammar Test: Gender of Nouns

2011-11-22T18:41:00.002+05:30

MasterRussian.com

Grammar Test: Gender of Nouns

Test how well you know Russian gender endings. Mark the gender of the following nouns. Correct answers are provided in the end.

My results:

Your grade is an A—Excellent
Perfect! Not a single mistake! You've mastered the genders of Russian nouns. We are proud of you!

» Take this Russian language test
» View all tests at MasterRussian.com

Proverb of the Day

2011-11-21T16:17:00.000+05:30

Жизнь прожить -- не поле перейти.
Meaning: Life is not a bed of roses.
Literal Meaning: Living through one's life is not like crossing a field

Word of the day

2011-11-21T16:10:00.000+05:30

Russian: Гостиница ''Маяк''
English: Lighthouse hotel

Последний абзац романа "Отцы и Дети"

2011-11-18T16:59:00.000+05:30

Есть небольшое сельское кладбище в одном из отдаленных уголков России. Как почти все наши кладбища, оно являет вид печальный: окружающие его канавы давно заросли; серые деревянные кресты поникли и гниют под своими когда-то крашеными крышами; каменные плиты все сдвинуты, словно кто их подталкивает снизу; два-три ощипанных деревца едва дают скудную тень; овцы безвозбранно бродят по могилам... Но между ними есть одна, до которой не касается человек, которую не топчет животное: одни птицы садятся на нее и поют на заре. Железная ограда ее окружает; две молодые елки посажены по обоим ее концам: Евгений Базаров похоронен в этой могиле. К ней, из недалекой деревушки, часто приходят два уже дряхлые старичка — муж с женою. Поддерживая друг друга, идут они отяжелевшею походкой; приблизятся к ограде, припадут и станут на колени, и долго и горько плачут, и долго и внимательно смотрят на немой камень, под которым лежит их сын; поменяются коротким словом, пыль смахнут с камня да ветку елки поправят, и снова молятся, и не могут покинуть это место, откуда им как будто ближе до их сына, до воспоминаний о нем... Неужели их молитвы, их слезы бесплодны? Неужели любовь, святая, преданная любовь не всесильна? О нет! Какое бы страстное, грешное, бунтующее сердце ни скрылось в могиле, цветы, растущие на ней, безмятежно глядят на нас своими невинными глазами: не об одном вечном спокойствии говорят нам они, о том великом спокойствии «равнодушной» природы; они говорят также о вечном примирении и о жизни бесконечной...

Proverb of the Day

2011-11-18T16:34:00.000+05:30

Все строят планы, и никто не знает, проживёт ли он до вечера.
Meaning: Everyone is making plans, but no-one knows if he's living to the evening.

Indians in Russia

2011-11-17T16:36:00.002+05:30

Indian presence in Russia dates back to the 17th century when Astrakhan, a trading-port in the delta of the Volga river by the Caspian Sea was incorporated into Moscow state. By then, Indian traders had reached as far as Isfahan in Persia, Kizlyar in the North Caucasus and Astrakhan in Russia. The first Indians from Sindh and Multan arrived in Russian Astrakhan in 1615. In 1624, a special trading post for Indian merchants was erected in Astrakhan along with separate posts for Armenian and Persian merchants. Many of them were dealers in Astrakhan textiles, jewelry and medicines. There are records of Indians marrying Soviet Tartar women.

By the early 18th century Indian merchants lived not only in Astrakhan, but also in Moscow. Russian chroniclers reported the presence of Hindu traders in Moscow in the 18th century. Indian diamond trade was known then in Moscow and St. Petersburg. While it is impossible to speak of a continued Indian presence, Astrakhan Indians are known to have dispersed to Kazan, Moscow, and St. Petersburg and their descendents became assimilated, although, it may be assumed that some families of ‘Russian Indians’ still keep memories of their South Asian ancestors.

Visit of H.E. Mr. Anand Sharma to Russia from 9-11 November 2011 for the Fifth Meeting of India-Russia Forum on Trade and Investment

2011-11-17T15:45:00.003+05:30

His Excellency Mr. Anand Sharma, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce, Industry & Textiles of India, paid an official visit to Russia from 9-11 November 2011 to participate in the 5th India-Russia Forum Trade & Investment, 2011. He is accompanied by senior Government officials from various Ministries as well as a high-level business delegation, from across the Indian industry.

2. H.E. Mr. Anand Sharma co-chaired the 5th India-Russia Forum on Trade & Investment along with H.E. Mr. Sergei Ivanov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation on 10 November 2011. The India-Russia Forum on Trade and Investment was established in 2007 and has met four times since its inception. The Forum has developed into an effective platform for promotion of business interactions between the two countries. The 5th India-Russia Forum on Trade & Investment witnessed high-level participation of businessmen from both sides. Addressing the opening plenary of the Forum, both the Ministers lauded the fact that the Forum has acted as an important catalyst in deepening bilateral economic partnership. Both the Ministers encouraged industry representatives to explore partnerships in new areas, in addition to priority sectors of economic cooperation between the two countries.

3. A Protocol on the fifth meeting of India-Russia Forum on Trade and Investment was signed in the presence of H.E. Mr. Anand Sharma and H.E. Mr. Sergei Ivanov by H.E. Mr. Ajai Malhotra, Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation, and H.E. Mr. Andrey Slepnev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russian Federation.

4. The Protocol recognized the immense potentialities that lie in infrastructure modernization in both the countries and agreed to facilitate cross-flows on investment and expertise in this sector. Both sides agreed to explore the possibility of creation of Special purpose Vehicle or such other mechanism to finance and manage mutually identified infrastructure projects in either countries, especially in key areas as ports construction, rail and roads, automobiles and public transport and heavy industry. Both sides also mutually agreed to consider joint financing of projects/ technologies in PPP format, mutually identified, especially in nanotechnology, biotechnology, energy efficient technologies, etc. Indian Side stated its appreciation of the Pharma 2020 Programme of Government of Russian Federation, under which establishment of pharma units are envisaged and also expressed its interest in participating in the Pharma 2020 Programme. The Protocol also noted the positive contribution of the Forum in the development of bilateral economic cooperation through establishment of direct B2B contacts.

5. The Forum focused on three specific areas, in the form of deliberations over three round tables, viz. on infrastructure, innovation and commercialization of technologies, and pharmaceuticals, which will provide the basis of strengthening cooperation in these areas between the two countries.

6. H.E. Mr. Anand Sharma also had separate bilateral meetings on the margins of the Forum with H.E. Mr. Sergei Ivanov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation and with H.E. Mr. Viktor Khristenko, Minister of Industry & Trade. In their meetings, both the sides reaffirmed their resolve to take forward and intensify the process of trade and economic cooperation so that mutually agreed bilateral trade target of US$20 billion by 2015 could become a reality. The meetings also addressed the status of the overall bilateral economic engagement, in the light of the forthcoming Annual Summit to be held in Moscow in December 2011.

7. A B2B interaction was organized in honour of H.E. Mr. Anand Sharma at Hotel Sputnik on November 10. Representatives of the Indian business delegation, captains of Russian industry and Indian businessmen based in Russia participated in it. Addressing the gathering, H.E. Mr. Sharma emphasized the importance of long standing and vibrant relations between both countries and urged the business communities to further accelerate their economic engagement. He also underscored the importance of diversifying the trade basket.

8. H.E. Mr. Sharma’s visit to Russia is an integral part of regular high level exchanges between India and Russia.

Moscow,
10 November 2011

Word of the Day

2011-11-17T14:31:00.005+05:30

Russian: Аптека
English: Drug store

Russian Film Festival in New Delhi_November 21-25, 2011

2011-11-17T13:59:00.002+05:30

Russian Centre of Science and Culture, New Delhi,

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation,

Embassy of the Russian Federation in India,

NOY FILM COMPANY

present

RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL

November 21-25, 2011

at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture

(24, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi 110001)

Film Screenings to be attended by famous Russian film celebrities:

Grigory Gevorkyan

(Deputy Director General, MOSFILM Studio),

Konstantin Kryukov (Actor),

Igor Ugolnikov (Actor),

Engeny Ayzikovich (Producer)

Screening Schedule:

November 21 (Monday), 6 p.m. - War Drama "The Brest Fortress" (2010)

The film will be introduced by the actor, author of the idea Igor Ugolnikov

and producer Engeny Ayzikovich

November 22 (Tuesday), 6 p.m. – Romantic Comedy "On the Hook" (2010)

The film will be introduced by the actors Konstantin Kryukov and Igor Ugolnikov

November 23 (Wednesday), 6 p.m. – Drama "Ward No 6" (2009)

The film will be introduced by the Deputy Director General of MOSFILM studio

Grigory Gevorkyan

November 24 (Thursday), 6 p.m. – Comedy “Lucky Trouble” (2010)

November 25 (Friday), 6 p.m. – Drama “The House of the Wind” (2011)

No entry fee.

All are cordially invited!

Kvas recipe

2011-11-16T21:58:00.000+05:30

Kvas is one of favorite refreshing Russian beverages. In all probability, the Slavs knew about Kvas long before the foundation of the Kiev Rus. The word Kvas is Russian by origin and means "sour beverage". It was so popular that in the "Encyclopedia of food" it was written: After water, the most widespread beverage was Kvas … we even think that people drink it more often than water…" At the same time the love to kvas overstepped the limits of classes: the poor people drank it with a great pleasure and the nobility preferred kvas to foreign wines. Kvas was very cheap and this, partly, explains its popularity. Kvas served as stock for many dishes: turya, balanda, okroshka…

Ingredients:
1 lb black bread
3 quarts water
several raisins
1/2 tsp yeast
3-4 tbsp sugar
1/2 c sour berry juice
crushed mint

Method:
Slice the larger pieces of bread thinly and let the bread roast in the oven until it`s completely dry and gives a strong smell of rye. Put in a large utensil, pour over the boiling water. Dont`t mix. Let stand for at least 3 hours, or overnight (in a cool place). Strain off the bread through a cloth, try not to disturb the bread too much, so it would not give off the gluten into the liquid. Heat the liquid to a lukewarm, add the yeast, mint and berry juice and let stand for 6-8 hours approximately, covered with a towel. Kvas has to be monitored at this point. When a thin layer of bubbly froth appears on the surface, pour it into bottles through a cloth, drop a raisin into each bottle and cork the bottles well. Put into a cool place (2 C is best) for at least 2 days.

THE DARLING BY ANTON P. CHEKOV

2011-11-16T16:28:00.002+05:30

Olenka, the daughter of the retired collegiate assessor Plemyanikov, was sitting on the back-door steps of her house doing nothing. It was hot, the flies were nagging and teasing, and it was pleasant to think that it would soon be evening. Dark rain clouds were gathering from the east, wafting a breath of moisture every now and then.

Kukin, who roomed in the wing of the same house, was standing in the yard looking up at the sky. He was the manager of the Tivoli, an open-air theatre.

"Again," he said despairingly. "Rain again. Rain, rain, rain! Every day rain! As though to spite me. I might as well stick my head into a noose and be done with it. It's ruining me. Heavy losses every day!" He wrung his hands, and continued, addressing Olenka: "What a life, Olga Semyonovna! It's enough to make a man weep. He works, he does his best, his very best, he tortures himself, he passes sleepless nights, he thinks and thinks and thinks how to do everything just right. And what's the result? He gives the public the best operetta, the very best pantomime, excellent artists. But do they want it? Have they the least appreciation of it? The public is rude. The public is a great boor. The public wants a circus, a lot of nonsense, a lot of stuff. And there's the weather. Look! Rain almost every evening. It began to rain on the tenth of May, and it's kept it up through the whole of June. It's simply awful. I can't get any audiences, and don't I have to pay rent? Don't I have to pay the actors?"

The next day towards evening the clouds gathered again, and Kukin said with an hysterical laugh:

"Oh, I don't care. Let it do its worst. Let it drown the whole theatre, and me, too. All right, no luck for me in this world or the next. Let the actors bring suit against me and drag me to court. What's the court? Why not Siberia at hard labour, or even the scaffold? Ha, ha, ha!"

It was the same on the third day.

Olenka listened to Kukin seriously, in silence. Sometimes tears would rise to her eyes. At last Kukin's misfortune touched her. She fell in love with him. He was short, gaunt, with a yellow face, and curly hair combed back from his forehead, and a thin tenor voice. His features puckered all up when he spoke. Despair was ever inscribed on his face. And yet he awakened in Olenka a sincere, deep feeling.

She was always loving somebody. She couldn't get on without loving somebody. She had loved her sick father, who sat the whole time in his armchair in a darkened room, breathing heavily. She had loved her aunt, who came from Brianska once or twice a year to visit them. And before that, when a pupil at the progymnasium, she had loved her French teacher. She was a quiet, kind-hearted, compassionate girl, with a soft gentle way about her. And she made a very healthy, wholesome impression. Looking at her full, rosy cheeks, at her soft white neck with the black mole, and at the good naïve smile that always played on her face when something pleasant was said, the men would think, "Not so bad," and would smile too; and the lady visitors, in the middle of the conversation, would suddenly grasp her hand and exclaim, "You darling!" in a burst of delight.

The house, hers by inheritance, in which she had lived from birth, was located at the outskirts of the city on the Gypsy Road, not far from the Tivoli. From early evening till late at night she could hear the music in the theatre and the bursting of the rockets; and it seemed to her that Kukin was roaring and battling with his fate and taking his chief enemy, the indifferent public, by assault. Her heart melted softly, she felt no desire to sleep, and when Kukin returned home towards morning, she tapped on her window-pane, and through the curtains he saw her face and one shoulder and the kind smile she gave him.

He proposed to her, and they were married. And when he had a good look of her neck and her full vigorous shoulders, he clapped his hands and said:

"You darling!"

He was happy. But it rained on their wedding-day, and the expression of despair never left his face.

They got along well together. She sat in the cashier's box, kept the theatre in order, wrote down the expenses, and paid out the salaries. Her rosy cheeks, her kind naïve smile, like a halo around her face, could be seen at the cashier's window, behind the scenes, and in the café. She began to tell her friends that the theatre was the greatest, the most important, the most essential thing in the world, that it was the only place to obtain true enjoyment in and become humanised and educated.

"But do you suppose the public appreciates it?" she asked. "What the public wants is the circus. Yesterday Vanichka and I gave Faust Burlesqued, and almost all the boxes were empty. If we had given some silly nonsense, I assure you, the theatre would have been overcrowded. To-morrow we'll put Orpheus in Hades on. Do come."

Whatever Kukin said about the theatre and the actors, she repeated. She spoke, as he did, with contempt of the public, of its indifference to art, of its boorishness. She meddled in the rehearsals, corrected the actors, watched the conduct of the musicians; and when an unfavourable criticism appeared in the local paper, she wept and went to the editor to argue with him.

The actors were fond of her and called her "Vanichka and I" and "the darling." She was sorry for them and lent them small sums. When they bilked her, she never complained to her husband; at the utmost she shed a few tears.

In winter, too, they got along nicely together. They leased a theatre in the town for the whole winter and sublet it for short periods to a Little Russian theatrical company, to a conjuror and to the local amateur players.

Olenka grew fuller and was always beaming with contentment; while Kukin grew thinner and yellower and complained of his terrible losses, though he did fairly well the whole winter. At night he coughed, and she gave him raspberry syrup and lime water, rubbed him with eau de Cologne, and wrapped him up in soft coverings.

"You are my precious sweet," she said with perfect sincerity, stroking his hair. "You are such a dear."

At Lent he went to Moscow to get his company together, and, while without him, Olenka was unable to sleep. She sat at the window the whole time, gazing at the stars. She likened herself to the hens that are also uneasy and unable to sleep when their rooster is out of the coop. Kukin was detained in Moscow. He wrote he would be back during Easter Week, and in his letters discussed arrangements already for the Tivoli. But late one night, before Easter Monday, there was an ill-omened knocking at the wicket-gate. It was like a knocking on a barrel—boom, boom, boom! The sleepy cook ran barefooted, plashing through the puddles, to open the gate.

"Open the gate, please," said some one in a hollow bass voice. "I have a telegram for you."

Olenka had received telegrams from her husband before; but this time, somehow, she was numbed with terror. She opened the telegram with trembling hands and read:

"Ivan Petrovich died suddenly to-day. Awaiting propt orders for wuneral Tuesday."

That was the way the telegram was written—"wuneral"—and another unintelligible word—"propt." The telegram was signed by the manager of the opera company.

"My dearest!" Olenka burst out sobbing. "Vanichka, my dearest, my sweetheart. Why did I ever meet you? Why did I ever get to know you and love you? To whom have you abandoned your poor Olenka, your poor, unhappy Olenka?"

Kukin was buried on Tuesday in the Vagankov Cemetery in Moscow. Olenka returned home on Wednesday; and as soon as she entered her house she threw herself on her bed and broke into such loud sobbing that she could be heard in the street and in the neighbouring yards.

"The darling!" said the neighbours, crossing themselves. "How Olga
Semyonovna, the poor darling, is grieving!"

Three months afterwards Olenka was returning home from mass, downhearted and in deep mourning. Beside her walked a man also returning from church, Vasily Pustovalov, the manager of the merchant Babakayev's lumber-yard. He was wearing a straw hat, a white vest with a gold chain, and looked more like a landowner than a business man.

"Everything has its ordained course, Olga Semyonovna," he said sedately, with sympathy in his voice. "And if any one near and dear to us dies, then it means it was God's will and we should remember that and bear it with submission."

He took her to the wicket-gate, said good-bye and went away. After that she heard his sedate voice the whole day; and on closing her eyes she instantly had a vision of his dark beard. She took a great liking to him. And evidently he had been impressed by her, too; for, not long after, an elderly woman, a distant acquaintance, came in to have a cup of coffee with her. As soon as the woman was seated at table she began to speak about Pustovalov—how good he was, what a steady man, and any woman could be glad to get him as a husband. Three days later Pustovalov himself paid Olenka a visit. He stayed only about ten minutes, and spoke little, but Olenka fell in love with him, fell in love so desperately that she did not sleep the whole night and burned as with fever. In the morning she sent for the elderly woman. Soon after, Olenka and Pustovalov were engaged, and the wedding followed.

Pustovalov and Olenka lived happily together. He usually stayed in the lumber-yard until dinner, then went out on business. In his absence Olenka took his place in the office until evening, attending to the book-keeping and despatching the orders.

"Lumber rises twenty per cent every year nowadays," she told her customers and acquaintances. "Imagine, we used to buy wood from our forests here. Now Vasichka has to go every year to the government of Mogilev to get wood. And what a tax!" she exclaimed, covering her cheeks with her hands in terror. "What a tax!"

She felt as if she had been dealing in lumber for ever so long, that the most important and essential thing in life was lumber. There was something touching and endearing in the way she pronounced the words, "beam," "joist," "plank," "stave," "lath," "gun-carriage," "clamp." At night she dreamed of whole mountains of boards and planks, long, endless rows of wagons conveying the wood somewhere, far, far from the city. She dreamed that a whole regiment of beams, 36 ft. x 5 in., were advancing in an upright position to do battle against the lumber-yard; that the beams and joists and clamps were knocking against each other, emitting the sharp crackling reports of dry wood, that they were all falling and then rising again, piling on top of each other. Olenka cried out in her sleep, and Pustovalov said to her gently:

"Olenka my dear, what is the matter? Cross yourself."

Her husband's opinions were all hers. If he thought the room was too hot, she thought so too. If he thought business was dull, she thought business was dull. Pustovalov was not fond of amusements and stayed home on holidays; she did the same.

"You are always either at home or in the office," said her friends.
"Why don't you go to the theatre or to the circus, darling?"

"Vasichka and I never go to the theatre," she answered sedately. "We have work to do, we have no time for nonsense. What does one get out of going to theatre?"

On Saturdays she and Pustovalov went to vespers, and on holidays to early mass. On returning home they walked side by side with rapt faces, an agreeable smell emanating from both of them and her silk dress rustling pleasantly. At home they drank tea with milk-bread and various jams, and then ate pie. Every day at noontime there was an appetising odour in the yard and outside the gate of cabbage soup, roast mutton, or duck; and, on fast days, of fish. You couldn't pass the gate without being seized by an acute desire to eat. The samovar was always boiling on the office table, and customers were treated to tea and biscuits. Once a week the married couple went to the baths and returned with red faces, walking side by side.

"We are getting along very well, thank God," said Olenka to her friends. "God grant that all should live as well as Vasichka and I."

When Pustovalov went to the government of Mogilev to buy wood, she was dreadfully homesick for him, did not sleep nights, and cried. Sometimes the veterinary surgeon of the regiment, Smirnov, a young man who lodged in the wing of her house, came to see her evenings. He related incidents, or they played cards together. This distracted her. The most interesting of his stories were those of his own life. He was married and had a son; but he had separated from his wife because she had deceived him, and now he hated her and sent her forty rubles a month for his son's support. Olenka sighed, shook her head, and was sorry for him.

"Well, the Lord keep you," she said, as she saw him off to the door by candlelight. "Thank you for coming to kill time with me. May God give you health. Mother in Heaven!" She spoke very sedately, very judiciously, imitating her husband. The veterinary surgeon had disappeared behind the door when she called out after him: "Do you know, Vladimir Platonych, you ought to make up with your wife. Forgive her, if only for the sake of your son. The child understands everything, you may be sure."

When Pustovalov returned, she told him in a low voice about the veterinary surgeon and his unhappy family life; and they sighed and shook their heads, and talked about the boy who must be homesick for his father. Then, by a strange association of ideas, they both stopped before the sacred images, made genuflections, and prayed to God to send them children.

And so the Pustovalovs lived for full six years, quietly and peaceably, in perfect love and harmony. But once in the winter Vasily Andreyich, after drinking some hot tea, went out into the lumber-yard without a hat on his head, caught a cold and took sick. He was treated by the best physicians, but the malady progressed, and he died after an illness of four months. Olenka was again left a widow.

"To whom have you left me, my darling?" she wailed after the funeral. "How shall I live now without you, wretched creature that I am. Pity me, good people, pity me, fatherless and motherless, all alone in the world!"

She went about dressed in black and weepers, and she gave up wearing hats and gloves for good. She hardly left the house except to go to church and to visit her husband's grave. She almost led the life of a nun.

It was not until six months had passed that she took off the weepers and opened her shutters. She began to go out occasionally in the morning to market with her cook. But how she lived at home and what went on there, could only be surmised. It could be surmised from the fact that she was seen in her little garden drinking tea with the veterinarian while he read the paper out loud to her, and also from the fact that once on meeting an acquaintance at the post-office, she said to her:

"There is no proper veterinary inspection in our town. That is why there is so much disease. You constantly hear of people getting sick from the milk and becoming infected by the horses and cows. The health of domestic animals ought really to be looked after as much as that of human beings."

She repeated the veterinarian's words and held the same opinions as he about everything. It was plain that she could not exist a single year without an attachment, and she found her new happiness in the wing of her house. In any one else this would have been condemned; but no one could think ill of Olenka. Everything in her life was so transparent. She and the veterinary surgeon never spoke about the change in their relations. They tried, in fact, to conceal it, but unsuccessfully; for Olenka could have no secrets. When the surgeon's colleagues from the regiment came to see him, she poured tea, and served the supper, and talked to them about the cattle plague, the foot and mouth disease, and the municipal slaughter houses. The surgeon was dreadfully embarrassed, and after the visitors had left, he caught her hand and hissed angrily:

"Didn't I ask you not to talk about what you don't understand? When we doctors discuss things, please don't mix in. It's getting to be a nuisance."

She looked at him in astonishment and alarm, and asked:

"But, Volodichka, what am I to talk about?"

And she threw her arms round his neck, with tears in her eyes, and begged him not to be angry. And they were both happy.

But their happiness was of short duration. The veterinary surgeon went away with his regiment to be gone for good, when it was transferred to some distant place almost as far as Siberia, and Olenka was left alone.

Now she was completely alone. Her father had long been dead, and his armchair lay in the attic covered with dust and minus one leg. She got thin and homely, and the people who met her on the street no longer looked at her as they had used to, nor smiled at her. Evidently her best years were over, past and gone, and a new, dubious life was to begin which it were better not to think about.

In the evening Olenka sat on the steps and heard the music playing and the rockets bursting in the Tivoli; but it no longer aroused any response in her. She looked listlessly into the yard, thought of nothing, wanted nothing, and when night came on, she went to bed and dreamed of nothing but the empty yard. She ate and drank as though by compulsion.

And what was worst of all, she no longer held any opinions. She saw and understood everything that went on around her, but she could not form an opinion about it. She knew of nothing to talk about. And how dreadful not to have opinions! For instance, you see a bottle, or you see that it is raining, or you see a muzhik riding by in a wagon. But what the bottle or the rain or the muzhik are for, or what the sense of them all is, you cannot tell—you cannot tell, not for a thousand rubles. In the days of Kukin and Pustovalov and then of the veterinary surgeon, Olenka had had an explanation for everything, and would have given her opinion freely no matter about what. But now there was the same emptiness in her heart and brain as in her yard. It was as galling and bitter as a taste of wormwood.

Gradually the town grew up all around. The Gypsy Road had become a street, and where the Tivoli and the lumber-yard had been, there were now houses and a row of side streets. How quickly time flies! Olenka's house turned gloomy, the roof rusty, the shed slanting. Dock and thistles overgrew the yard. Olenka herself had aged and grown homely. In the summer she sat on the steps, and her soul was empty and dreary and bitter. When she caught the breath of spring, or when the wind wafted the chime of the cathedral bells, a sudden flood of memories would pour over her, her heart would expand with a tender warmth, and the tears would stream down her cheeks. But that lasted only a moment. Then would come emptiness again, and the feeling, What is the use of living? The black kitten Bryska rubbed up against her and purred softly, but the little creature's caresses left Olenka untouched. That was not what she needed. What she needed was a love that would absorb her whole being, her reason, her whole soul, that would give her ideas, an object in life, that would warm her aging blood. And she shook the black kitten off her skirt angrily, saying:

"Go away! What are you doing here?"

And so day after day, year after year not a single joy, not a single opinion. Whatever Marva, the cook, said was all right.

One hot day in July, towards evening, as the town cattle were being driven by, and the whole yard was filled with clouds of dust, there was suddenly a knocking at the gate. Olenka herself went to open it, and was dumbfounded to behold the veterinarian Smirnov. He had turned grey and was dressed as a civilian. All the old memories flooded into her soul, she could not restrain herself, she burst out crying, and laid her head on Smirnov's breast without saying a word. So overcome was she that she was totally unconscious of how they walked into the house and seated themselves to drink tea.

"My darling!" she murmured, trembling with joy. "Vladimir Platonych, from where has God sent you?"

"I want to settle here for good," he told her. "I have resigned my position and have come here to try my fortune as a free man and lead a settled life. Besides, it's time to send my boy to the gymnasium. He is grown up now. You know, my wife and I have become reconciled."

"Where is she?" asked Olenka.

"At the hotel with the boy. I am looking for lodgings."

"Good gracious, bless you, take my house. Why won't my house do? Oh, dear! Why, I won't ask any rent of you," Olenka burst out in the greatest excitement, and began to cry again. "You live here, and the wing will be enough for me. Oh, Heavens, what a joy!"

The very next day the roof was being painted and the walls whitewashed, and Olenka, arms akimbo, was going about the yard superintending. Her face brightened with her old smile. Her whole being revived and freshened, as though she had awakened from a long sleep. The veterinarian's wife and child arrived. She was a thin, plain woman, with a crabbed expression. The boy Sasha, small for his ten years of age, was a chubby child, with clear blue eyes and dimples in his cheeks. He made for the kitten the instant he entered the yard, and the place rang with his happy laughter.

"Is that your cat, auntie?" he asked Olenka. "When she has little kitties, please give me one. Mamma is awfully afraid of mice."

Olenka chatted with him, gave him tea, and there was a sudden warmth in her bosom and a soft gripping at her heart, as though the boy were her own son.

In the evening, when he sat in the dining-room studying his lessons, she looked at him tenderly and whispered to herself:

"My darling, my pretty. You are such a clever child, so good to look at."

"An island is a tract of land entirely surrounded by water," he recited.

"An island is a tract of land," she repeated—the first idea asseverated with conviction after so many years of silence and mental emptiness.

She now had her opinions, and at supper discussed with Sasha's parents how difficult the studies had become for the children at the gymnasium, but how, after all, a classical education was better than a commercial course, because when you graduated from the gymnasium then the road was open to you for any career at all. If you chose to, you could become a doctor, or, if you wanted to, you could become an engineer.

Sasha began to go to the gymnasium. His mother left on a visit to her sister in Kharkov and never came back. The father was away every day inspecting cattle, and sometimes was gone three whole days at a time, so that Sasha, it seemed to Olenka, was utterly abandoned, was treated as if he were quite superfluous, and must be dying of hunger. So she transferred him into the wing along with herself and fixed up a little room for him there.

Every morning Olenka would come into his room and find him sound asleep with his hand tucked under his cheek, so quiet that he seemed not to be breathing. What a shame to have to wake him, she thought.

"Sashenka," she said sorrowingly, "get up, darling. It's time to go to the gymnasium."

He got up, dressed, said his prayers, then sat down to drink tea. He drank three glasses of tea, ate two large cracknels and half a buttered roll. The sleep was not yet out of him, so he was a little cross.

"You don't know your fable as you should, Sashenka," said Olenka, looking at him as though he were departing on a long journey. "What a lot of trouble you are. You must try hard and learn, dear, and mind your teachers."

"Oh, let me alone, please," said Sasha.

Then he went down the street to the gymnasium, a little fellow wearing a large cap and carrying a satchel on his back. Olenka followed him noiselessly.

"Sashenka," she called.

He looked round and she shoved a date or a caramel into his hand. When he reached the street of the gymnasium, he turned around and said, ashamed of being followed by a tall, stout woman:

"You had better go home, aunt. I can go the rest of the way myself."

She stopped and stared after him until he had disappeared into the school entrance.

Oh, how she loved him! Not one of her other ties had been so deep. Never before had she given herself so completely, so disinterestedly, so cheerfully as now that her maternal instincts were all aroused. For this boy, who was not hers, for the dimples in his cheeks and for his big cap, she would have given her life, given it with joy and with tears of rapture. Why? Ah, indeed, why?

When she had seen Sasha off to the gymnasium, she returned home quietly, content, serene, overflowing with love. Her face, which had grown younger in the last half year, smiled and beamed. People who met her were pleased as they looked at her.

"How are you, Olga Semyonovna, darling? How are you getting on, darling?"

"The gymnasium course is very hard nowadays," she told at the market. "It's no joke. Yesterday the first class had a fable to learn by heart, a Latin translation, and a problem. How is a little fellow to do all that?"

And she spoke of the teacher and the lessons and the text-books, repeating exactly what Sasha said about them.

At three o'clock they had dinner. In the evening they prepared the lessons together, and Olenka wept with Sasha over the difficulties. When she put him to bed, she lingered a long time making the sign of the cross over him and muttering a prayer. And when she lay in bed, she dreamed of the far-away, misty future when Sasha would finish his studies and become a doctor or an engineer, have a large house of his own, with horses and a carriage, marry and have children. She would fall asleep still thinking of the same things, and tears would roll down her cheeks from her closed eyes. And the black cat would lie at her side purring: "Mrr, mrr, mrr."

Suddenly there was a loud knocking at the gate. Olenka woke up breathless with fright, her heart beating violently. Half a minute later there was another knock.

"A telegram from Kharkov," she thought, her whole body in a tremble.
"His mother wants Sasha to come to her in Kharkov. Oh, great God!"

She was in despair. Her head, her feet, her hands turned cold. There was no unhappier creature in the world, she felt. But another minute passed, she heard voices. It was the veterinarian coming home from the club.

"Thank God," she thought. The load gradually fell from her heart, she was at ease again. And she went back to bed, thinking of Sasha who lay fast asleep in the next room and sometimes cried out in his sleep:

"I'll give it to you! Get away! Quit your scrapping!"

THE DISTRICT DOCTOR BY IVAN S. TURGENEV

2011-11-16T16:24:00.000+05:30

One day in autumn on my way back from a remote part of the country I caught cold and fell ill. Fortunately the fever attacked me in the district town at the inn; I sent for the doctor. In half-an-hour the district doctor appeared, a thin, dark-haired man of middle height. He prescribed me the usual sudorific, ordered a mustard-plaster to be put on, very deftly slid a five-ruble note up his sleeve, coughing drily and looking away as he did so, and then was getting up to go home, but somehow fell into talk and remained. I was exhausted with feverishness; I foresaw a sleepless night, and was glad of a little chat with a pleasant companion. Tea was served. My doctor began to converse freely. He was a sensible fellow, and expressed himself with vigour and some humour. Queer things happen in the world: you may live a long while with some people, and be on friendly terms with them, and never once speak openly with them from your soul; with others you have scarcely time to get acquainted, and all at once you are pouring out to him—or he to you—all your secrets, as though you were at confession. I don't know how I gained the confidence of my new friend—anyway, with nothing to lead up to it, he told me a rather curious incident; and here I will report his tale for the information of the indulgent reader. I will try to tell it in the doctor's own words.

"You don't happen to know," he began in a weak and quavering voice (the common result of the use of unmixed Berezov snuff); "you don't happen to know the judge here, Mylov, Pavel Lukich?… You don't know him?… Well, it's all the same." (He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes.) "Well, you see, the thing happened, to tell you exactly without mistake, in Lent, at the very time of the thaws. I was sitting at his house—our judge's, you know—playing preference. Our judge is a good fellow, and fond of playing preference. Suddenly" (the doctor made frequent use of this word, suddenly) "they tell me, 'There's a servant asking for you.' I say, 'What does he want?' They say, He has brought a note—it must be from a patient.' 'Give me the note,' I say. So it is from a patient—well and good—you understand—it's our bread and butter… But this is how it was: a lady, a widow, writes to me; she says, 'My daughter is dying. Come, for God's sake!' she says, 'and the horses have been sent for you.'… Well, that's all right. But she was twenty miles from the town, and it was midnight out of doors, and the roads in such a state, my word! And as she was poor herself, one could not expect more than two silver rubles, and even that problematic; and perhaps it might only be a matter of a roll of linen and a sack of oatmeal in payment. However, duty, you know, before everything: a fellow-creature may be dying. I hand over my cards at once to Kalliopin, the member of the provincial commission, and return home. I look; a wretched little trap was standing at the steps, with peasant's horses, fat—too fat—and their coat as shaggy as felt; and the coachman sitting with his cap off out of respect. Well, I think to myself, 'It's clear, my friend, these patients aren't rolling in riches.'… You smile; but I tell you, a poor man like me has to take everything into consideration… If the coachman sits like a prince, and doesn't touch his cap, and even sneers at you behind his beard, and flicks his whip—then you may bet on six rubles. But this case, I saw, had a very different air. However, I think there's no help for it; duty before everything. I snatch up the most necessary drugs, and set off. Will you believe it? I only just managed to get there at all. The road was infernal: streams, snow, watercourses, and the dyke had suddenly burst there—that was the worst of it! However, I arrived at last. It was a little thatched house. There was a light in the windows; that meant they expected me. I was met by an old lady, very venerable, in a cap. 'Save her!' she says; 'she is dying.' I say, 'Pray don't distress yourself—Where is the invalid?' 'Come this way.' I see a clean little room, a lamp in the corner; on the bed a girl of twenty, unconscious. She was in a burning heat, and breathing heavily—it was fever. There were two other girls, her sisters, scared and in tears. 'Yesterday,' they tell me, 'she was perfectly well and had a good appetite; this morning she complained of her head, and this evening, suddenly, you see, like this.' I say again: 'Pray don't be uneasy.' It's a doctor's duty, you know—and I went up to her and bled her, told them to put on a mustard-plaster, and prescribed a mixture. Meantime I looked at her; I looked at her, you know—there, by God! I had never seen such a face!—she was a beauty, in a word! I felt quite shaken with pity. Such lovely features; such eyes!… But, thank God! she became easier; she fell into a perspiration, seemed to come to her senses, looked round, smiled, and passed her hand over her face… Her sisters bent over her. They ask, 'How are you?' 'All right,' she says, and turns away. I looked at her; she had fallen asleep. 'Well,' I say, 'now the patient should be left alone.' So we all went out on tiptoe; only a maid remained, in case she was wanted. In the parlour there was a samovar standing on the table, and a bottle of rum; in our profession one can't get on without it. They gave me tea; asked me to stop the night… I consented: where could I go, indeed, at that time of night? The old lady kept groaning. 'What is it?' I say; 'she will live; don't worry yourself; you had better take a little rest yourself; it is about two o'clock.' 'But will you send to wake me if anything happens?' 'Yes, yes.' The old lady went away, and the girls too went to their own room; they made up a bed for me in the parlour. Well, I went to bed—but I could not get to sleep, for a wonder! for in reality I was very tired. I could not get my patient out of my head. At last I could not put up with it any longer; I got up suddenly; I think to myself, 'I will go and see how the patient is getting on.' Her bedroom was next to the parlour. Well, I got up, and gently opened the door—how my heart beat! I looked in: the servant was asleep, her mouth wide open, and even snoring, the wretch! but the patient lay with her face towards me and her arms flung wide apart, poor girl! I went up to her … when suddenly she opened her eyes and stared at me! 'Who is it? who is it?' I was in confusion. 'Don't be alarmed, madam,' I say; 'I am the doctor; I have come to see how you feel.' 'You the doctor?' 'Yes, the doctor; your mother sent for me from the town; we have bled you, madam; now pray go to sleep, and in a day or two, please God! we will set you on your feet again.' 'Ah, yes, yes, doctor, don't let me die… please, please.' 'Why do you talk like that? God bless you!' She is in a fever again, I think to myself; I felt her pulse; yes, she was feverish. She looked at me, and then took me by the hand. 'I will tell you why I don't want to die: I will tell you… Now we are alone; and only, please don't you … not to any one … Listen…' I bent down; she moved her lips quite to my ear; she touched my cheek with her hair—I confess my head went round—and began to whisper… I could make out nothing of it… Ah, she was delirious! … She whispered and whispered, but so quickly, and as if it were not in Russian; at last she finished, and shivering dropped her head on the pillow, and threatened me with her finger: 'Remember, doctor, to no one.' I calmed her somehow, gave her something to drink, waked the servant, and went away."

At this point the doctor again took snuff with exasperated energy, and for a moment seemed stupefied by its effects.

"However," he continued, "the next day, contrary to my expectations, the patient was no better. I thought and thought, and suddenly decided to remain there, even though my other patients were expecting me… And you know one can't afford to disregard that; one's practice suffers if one does. But, in the first place, the patient was really in danger; and secondly, to tell the truth, I felt strongly drawn to her. Besides, I liked the whole family. Though they were really badly off, they were singularly, I may say, cultivated people… Their father had been a learned man, an author; he died, of course, in poverty, but he had managed before he died to give his children an excellent education; he left a lot of books too. Either because I looked after the invalid very carefully, or for some other reason; anyway, I can venture to say all the household loved me as if I were one of the family… Meantime the roads were in a worse state than ever; all communications, so to say, were cut off completely; even medicine could with difficulty be got from the town… The sick girl was not getting better… Day after day, and day after day … but … here…" (The doctor made a brief pause.) "I declare I don't know how to tell you."… (He again took snuff, coughed, and swallowed a little tea.) "I will tell you without beating about the bush. My patient … how should I say?… Well she had fallen in love with me … or, no, it was not that she was in love … however … really, how should one say?" (The doctor looked down and grew red.) "No," he went on quickly, "in love, indeed! A man should not over-estimate himself. She was an educated girl, clever and well-read, and I had even forgotten my Latin, one may say, completely. As to appearance" (the doctor looked himself over with a smile) "I am nothing to boast of there either. But God Almighty did not make me a fool; I don't take black for white; I know a thing or two; I could see very clearly, for instance that Aleksandra Andreyevna—that was her name—did not feel love for me, but had a friendly, so to say, inclination—a respect or something for me. Though she herself perhaps mistook this sentiment, anyway this was her attitude; you may form your own judgment of it. But," added the doctor, who had brought out all these disconnected sentences without taking breath, and with obvious embarrassment, "I seem to be wandering rather—you won't understand anything like this … There, with your leave, I will relate it all in order."

He drank off a glass of tea, and began in a calmer voice.

"Well, then. My patient kept getting worse and worse. You are not a doctor, my good sir; you cannot understand what passes in a poor fellow's heart, especially at first, when he begins to suspect that the disease is getting the upper hand of him. What becomes of his belief in himself? You suddenly grow so timid; it's indescribable. You fancy then that you have forgotten everything you knew, and that the patient has no faith in you, and that other people begin to notice how distracted you are, and tell you the symptoms with reluctance; that they are looking at you suspiciously, whispering… Ah! it's horrid! There must be a remedy, you think, for this disease, if one could find it. Isn't this it? You try—no, that's not it! You don't allow the medicine the necessary time to do good… You clutch at one thing, then at another. Sometimes you take up a book of medical prescriptions—here it is, you think! Sometimes, by Jove, you pick one out by chance, thinking to leave it to fate… But meantime a fellow-creature's dying, and another doctor would have saved him. 'We must have a consultation,' you say; 'I will not take the responsibility on myself.' And what a fool you look at such times! Well, in time you learn to bear it; it's nothing to you. A man has died—but it's not your fault; you treated him by the rules. But what's still more torture to you is to see blind faith in you, and to feel yourself that you are not able to be of use. Well, it was just this blind faith that the whole of Aleksandra Andreyevna's family had in me; they had forgotten to think that their daughter was in danger. I, too, on my side assure them that it's nothing, but meantime my heart sinks into my boots. To add to our troubles, the roads were in such a state that the coachman was gone for whole days together to get medicine. And I never left the patient's room; I could not tear myself away; I tell her amusing stories, you know, and play cards with her. I watch by her side at night. The old mother thanks me with tears in her eyes; but I think to myself, 'I don't deserve your gratitude.' I frankly confess to you—there is no object in concealing it now—I was in love with my patient. And Aleksandra Andreyevna had grown fond of me; she would not sometimes let any one be in her room but me. She began to talk to me, to ask me questions; where I had studied, how I lived, who are my people, whom I go to see. I feel that she ought not to talk; but to forbid her to—to forbid her resolutely, you know—I could not. Sometimes I held my head in my hands, and asked myself, "What are you doing, villain?"… And she would take my hand and hold it, give me a long, long look, and turn away, sigh, and say, 'How good you are!' Her hands were so feverish, her eyes so large and languid… 'Yes,' she says, 'you are a good, kind man; you are not like our neighbours… No, you are not like that… Why did I not know you till now!' 'Aleksandra Andreyevna, calm yourself,' I say… 'I feel, believe me, I don't know how I have gained … but there, calm yourself… All will be right; you will be well again.' And meanwhile I must tell you," continued the doctor, bending forward and raising his eyebrows, "that they associated very little with the neighbours, because the smaller people were not on their level, and pride hindered them from being friendly with the rich. I tell you, they were an exceptionally cultivated family; so you know it was gratifying for me. She would only take her medicine from my hands … she would lift herself up, poor girl, with my aid, take it, and gaze at me… My heart felt as if it were bursting. And meanwhile she was growing worse and worse, worse and worse, all the time; she will die, I think to myself; she must die. Believe me, I would sooner have gone to the grave myself; and here were her mother and sisters watching me, looking into my eyes … and their faith in me was wearing away. 'Well? how is she?' 'Oh, all right, all right!' All right, indeed! My mind was failing me. Well, I was sitting one night alone again by my patient. The maid was sitting there too, and snoring away in full swing; I can't find fault with the poor girl, though; she was worn out too. Aleksandra Andreyevna had felt very unwell all the evening; she was very feverish. Until midnight she kept tossing about; at last she seemed to fall asleep; at least, she lay still without stirring. The lamp was burning in the corner before the holy image. I sat there, you know, with my head bent; I even dozed a little. Suddenly it seemed as though some one touched me in the side; I turned round… Good God! Aleksandra Andreyevna was gazing with intent eyes at me … her lips parted, her cheeks seemed burning. 'What is it?' 'Doctor, shall I die?' 'Merciful Heavens!' 'No, doctor, no; please don't tell me I shall live … don't say so… If you knew… Listen! for God's sake don't conceal my real position,' and her breath came so fast. 'If I can know for certain that I must die … then I will tell you all— all!' 'Aleksandra Andreyevna, I beg!' 'Listen; I have not been asleep at all … I have been looking at you a long while… For God's sake!… I believe in you; you are a good man, an honest man; I entreat you by all that is sacred in the world—tell me the truth! If you knew how important it is for me… Doctor, for God's sake tell me… Am I in danger?' 'What can I tell you, Aleksandra Andreyevna, pray?' 'For God's sake, I beseech you!' 'I can't disguise from you,' I say, 'Aleksandra Andreyevna; you are certainly in danger; but God is merciful.' 'I shall die, I shall die.' And it seemed as though she were pleased; her face grew so bright; I was alarmed. 'Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! I am not frightened of death at all.' She suddenly sat up and leaned on her elbow. 'Now … yes, now I can tell you that I thank you with my whole heart … that you are kind and good—that I love you!' I stare at her, like one possessed; it was terrible for me, you know. 'Do you hear, I love you!' 'Aleksandra Andreyevna, how have I deserved—' 'No, no, you don't—you don't understand me.'… And suddenly she stretched out her arms, and taking my head in her hands, she kissed it… Believe me, I almost screamed aloud… I threw myself on my knees, and buried my head in the pillow. She did not speak; her fingers trembled in my hair; I listen; she is weeping. I began to soothe her, to assure her… I really don't know what I did say to her. 'You will wake up the girl,' I say to her; 'Aleksandra Andreyevna, I thank you … believe me … calm yourself.' 'Enough, enough!' she persisted; 'never mind all of them; let them wake, then; let them come in—it does not matter; I am dying, you see… And what do you fear? why are you afraid? Lift up your head… Or, perhaps, you don't love me; perhaps I am wrong… In that case, forgive me.' 'Aleksandra Andreyevna, what are you saying!… I love you, Aleksandra Andreyevna.' She looked straight into my eyes, and opened her arms wide. 'Then take me in your arms.' I tell you frankly, I don't know how it was I did not go mad that night. I feel that my patient is killing herself; I see that she is not fully herself; I understand, too, that if she did not consider herself on the point of death, she would never have thought of me; and, indeed, say what you will, it's hard to die at twenty without having known love; this was what was torturing her; this was why, in, despair, she caught at me—do you understand now? But she held me in her arms, and would not let me go. 'Have pity on me, Aleksandra Andreyevna, and have pity on yourself,' I say. 'Why,' she says; 'what is there to think of? You know I must die.' … This she repeated incessantly … 'If I knew that I should return to life, and be a proper young lady again, I should be ashamed … of course, ashamed … but why now?' 'But who has said you will die?' 'Oh, no, leave off! you will not deceive me; you don't know how to lie—look at your face.' … 'You shall live, Aleksandra Andreyevna; I will cure you; we will ask your mother's blessing … we will be united—we will be happy.' 'No, no, I have your word; I must die … you have promised me … you have told me.' … It was cruel for me—cruel for many reasons. And see what trifling things can do sometimes; it seems nothing at all, but it's painful. It occurred to her to ask me, what is my name; not my surname, but my first name. I must needs be so unlucky as to be called Trifon. Yes, indeed; Trifon Ivanich. Every one in the house called me doctor. However, there's no help for it. I say, 'Trifon, madam.' She frowned, shook her head, and muttered something in French—ah, something unpleasant, of course!—and then she laughed—disagreeably too. Well, I spent the whole night with her in this way. Before morning I went away, feeling as though I were mad. When I went again into her room it was daytime, after morning tea. Good God! I could scarcely recognise her; people are laid in their grave looking better than that. I swear to you, on my honour, I don't understand—I absolutely don't understand—now, how I lived through that experience. Three days and nights my patient still lingered on. And what nights! What things she said to me! And on the last night—only imagine to yourself—I was sitting near her, and kept praying to God for one thing only: 'Take her,' I said, 'quickly, and me with her.' Suddenly the old mother comes unexpectedly into the room. I had already the evening before told her—-the mother—there was little hope, and it would be well to send for a priest. When the sick girl saw her mother she said: 'It's very well you have come; look at us, we love one another—we have given each other our word.' 'What does she say, doctor? what does she say?' I turned livid. 'She is wandering,' I say; 'the fever.' But she: 'Hush, hush; you told me something quite different just now, and have taken my ring. Why do you pretend? My mother is good—she will forgive—she will understand—and I am dying. … I have no need to tell lies; give me your hand.' I jumped up and ran out of the room. The old lady, of course, guessed how it was.

"I will not, however, weary you any longer, and to me too, of course, it's painful to recall all this. My patient passed away the next day. God rest her soul!" the doctor added, speaking quickly and with a sigh. "Before her death she asked her family to go out and leave me alone with her."

"'Forgive me,' she said; 'I am perhaps to blame towards you … my illness … but believe me, I have loved no one more than you … do not forget me … keep my ring.'"

The doctor turned away; I took his hand.

"Ah!" he said, "let us talk of something else, or would you care to play preference for a small stake? It is not for people like me to give way to exalted emotions. There's only one thing for me to think of; how to keep the children from crying and the wife from scolding. Since then, you know, I have had time to enter into lawful wedlock, as they say… Oh … I took a merchant's daughter—seven thousand for her dowry. Her name's Akulina; it goes well with Trifon. She is an ill-tempered woman, I must tell you, but luckily she's asleep all day… Well, shall it be preference?"

We sat down to preference for halfpenny points. Trifon Ivanich won two rubles and a half from me, and went home late, well pleased with his success.

Proverb of the Day

2011-11-16T16:18:00.000+05:30

В тихом омуте черти водятся.
Meaning: Still waters run deep.

Word of the Day

2011-11-16T16:14:00.000+05:30

Word: палец
Meaning: finger, toe

2010-03-20T14:25:00.001+05:30

How to make Borsht

2009-05-25T23:17:00.000+05:30

I am sitting in the office and I thought why not to search something Russian. I have got no work and night shift as ususal will be boring if I do not find something interesting to me. These days my concentration is also on how to cook food, therefore this post is related with food only. Let's try if we can cook Borsht the same beutiful way as it is looking in the picture.

The Preparation:

Borsht
1 bunch of beets with greens (bunch is usually 3 or 4 beets)
2 potatoes, chopped
Small onion, chopped
Water
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Dill weed (fresh or dried; psst, dried is cheaper)
Sugar
Optional garnish of hardboiled egg, cucumber slices, and/or sour cream (okay, the eggs and cucumber might be optional, but the sour cream really isn't. It just isn't borsht without it!)

Remove the greens from the beetroots and set aside. Scrub the roots (don't peel them) to remove any dirt. Coat beets lightly with oil, wrap in foil, and roast at 400 degrees for about an hour, until you can pierce them. When you check them for doneness, be sure to use a sharp knife so that when it comes back bright red you can pretend that you cut yourself and freak your husband out. Lotsa fun! Anyway, set the beets aside to cool while you prepare the greens.

Rinse greens thoroughly, and chop - include both the stems and the leafy part. Place in large pot with potato and onion. Simmer in water to cover until very tender, about half an hour. Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill weed, and sugar. Dice the cooled beets and add to the borsht; it is not necessary to remove the skins. Chill or serve warm with the garnishes mentioned.

Ten Things Never to Say or Do in Russia

2009-01-23T23:33:00.001+05:30

Sometimes, knowing what NOT to do is even more important if you want to fit in or at least produce a good impression. Read on to find out about ten Russian social taboos.

Don't come to visit empty-handed

If you're invited over for dinner, or just for a visit, don't come to a Russian house with nothing. What you bring doesn't really matter — a box of chocolates, flowers, or a small toy for a child. Russian hosts prepare for company by cooking their best dishes and buying delicacies that they normally wouldn't for themselves. If, after all this effort, a guest shows up without even a flower, Russians believe he doesn't care.

Don't leave your shoes on in someone's home

Russian apartments are covered in rugs. Often, they're expensive Persian rugs with intricate designs, which aren't cleaned as easily as traditional American carpeting. Besides, Russians walk a lot through dusty streets, instead of just stepping from the car directly into the home. For these reasons, and also because this tradition has gone on for centuries, Russians take off their street shoes when they enter private residencies. The host usually offers a pair of tapochki (tah-puhch-kee; slippers); if you go to a party, women usually bring a pair of nice shoes to wear inside. And again, if you fail to take your shoes off, nobody will say anything. But sneak a peek: Are you the only person wearing your snow-covered boots at the dinner table?

Don't joke about the parents

Russians aren't politically correct. Go ahead and tell an anyekdot (uh-neek-doht; joke) based on ethnicity, appearance, or gender stereotypes; just steer clear of jokes about somebody's mother or father. You won't be understood.

Don't toast with "Na Zdorov'ye!"

People who don't speak Russian usually think that they know one Russian phrase: a toast, Na Zdorov'ye! Little do they know that Na Zdorov'ye! (nuh zdah-rohv'-ee; for health) is what Russians say when somebody thanks them for a meal. In Polish, indeed, Na Zdorov'ye! or something close to it, is a traditional toast. Russians, on the other hand, like to make up something long and complex, such as, Za druzhbu myezhdu narodami! (zah droozh-boo myezh-doo nuh-roh-duh-mee; To friendship between nations!) If you want a more generic Russian toast, go with Za Vas! (zuh vahs; To you!)

Don't take the last shirt

A Russian saying, otdat' poslyednyuyu rubashku (aht-daht' pahs-lyed-nyu-yu roo-bahsh-koo; to give away one's last shirt), makes the point that you have to be giving, no matter what the expense for yourself. In Russia, offering guests whatever they want is considered polite. Those wants don't just include food or accommodations; old-school Russians offer you whatever possessions you comment on, like a picture on the wall, a vase, or a sweater.

Now, being offered something doesn't necessarily mean you should take it. Russians aren't offering something because they want to get rid of it; they're offering because they want to do something nice for you. So, unless you feel that plundering their home is a good idea, don't just take things offered to you and leave. Refuse first, and do so a couple of times, because your hosts will insist. And only accept the gift if you really want this special something, but then return the favor and give your hosts something nice, as well.

Don't underdress

Russians dress up on more occasions than Americans do. Even to go for a casual walk, a Russian woman may wear high heels and a nice dress. A hardcore feminist may say women do this because they're victimized and oppressed. But Russian women themselves explain it this way, "We only live once; I want to look and feel my best."

On some occasions, all foreigners, regardless of gender, run the risk of being the most underdressed person in the room. These occasions include dinner parties and trips to the theater. Going to a restaurant is also considered a festive occasion, and you don't want to show up in your jeans and T-shirt, no matter how informal you think the restaurant may be. In any case, checking on the dress code before going out somewhere is a good idea.

Don't go dutch

Here's where Russians differ strikingly from Western Europeans. They don't go Dutch. So, if you ask a lady out, don't expect her to pay for herself, not at a restaurant or anywhere else. You can, of course, suggest that she pay, but that usually rules out the possibility of seeing her again. She may not even have money on her. Unless they expect to run into a maniac and have to escape through the back exit, Russian women wouldn't think of bringing money when going out with a man.

Don't let a woman carry something heavy

This rule may make politically correct people cringe, but Russians believe that a man is physically stronger than a woman. Therefore, they believe a man who watches a woman carry something heavy without helping her is impolite.

Don't overlook the elderly on public transportation

When Russians come to America and ride public transportation, they're very confused to see young people sitting when an elderly person is standing nearby. They don't understand that in America, an elderly person may be offended when offered a seat. In Russia, if you don't offer the elderly and pregnant women a seat on a bus, the entire bus looks at you as if you're a criminal. Women, even (or especially) young ones, are also offered seats on public transportation. But that's optional. Getting up and offering a seat to an elderly person, on the other hand, is a must.

Don't burp in public

Bodily functions are considered extremely impolite in public, even if the sound is especially long and expressive, and the author is proud of it.

Moreover, if the incident happens (we're all human), don't apologize. By apologizing, you acknowledge your authorship, and attract more attention to the fact. Meanwhile, Russians, terrified by what just happened, pretend they didn't notice, or silently blame it on the dog. Obviously, these people are in denial. But if you don't want to be remembered predominantly for this incident, steer clear of natural bodily functions in public.

A clear view of Lake Baikal captured by SeaWiFS

2009-01-10T04:15:00.001+05:30

Russian Drinks – What Are They?

2008-10-02T19:00:00.000+05:30

The first thing that crosses one’s mind when speaking about Russian drinks is certainly vodka. Yet, as a matter of fact, long before vodka there were no less popular drinks in Old Rus. As for vodka, it came to Russia via Lithuania where it was brought by the Genoese from their colony in the Crimea. Actually it did not happen until the mid 14th century. So vodka is another story.

Initially these were only nonalcoholic liquids that were called drinks in Russia: they were invigorative and nourishing. Perhaps hence is the now archaic Russian expression translated as “to eat tea”.

The history of Russian beverages is rooted in hoary antiquity. Various kinds of rassol (brine), mors (berry or fruit drink), kvas, myod (drinking honey), vzvar (decoction), forest tea (of herbs and berries) have endured many centuries on their way to our table.
They are all different, each of them having its peculiar role and purpose.

V. Perov. Tea Drinking in MytishchiSome of them are good for their warming effect (such as spicy teas, myod, and sbiten’) and so were mainly used in wintertime, while others are splendid cooling tonics (birch sap, kvas, mors, and again teas) and are indispensable on a hot day; some are used for the purpose common for all strong drinks (beer, vodka, nastoyka (liqueur), and nalivka (fruit liqueur)), and others are of exceptional value as approved folk remedies mitigating the severe aftermath of immoderate vodka indulgence (these are cucumber and cabbage brines). However, Russian drinks have one common feature: always only natural raw stuff and high nutritional value. Some beverages are based on bread or flour, some on berry and fruit juices, and others on honey.
Mikhail Zabylin, the author of the book “Russian People” published in 1880 wrote that myod (honey beverage), a favorite Russian drink, was made so strong, that people got tight with it just like with wine.

MorsThe historic chronicles read, that the Princess Olga on her visit to the Drevlyan tribe in 945 ordered the natives to make drinking honey for her. There existed a wide variety of honey drinks: cherry, currant, juniper, red, white treacly, raspberry, ramson, old, vernal, and cloves myod, as well as those particularly made for princes and boyars.
Kvas can be considered a national Russian drink along with honey beverages. The first record of kvas dates back to 989, remarkable as the year when the Kiev Prince Vladimir converted his homage to Christianity. The chronicle reports on this as follows: “To hand out food, myod and kvas to the folk”. Kvas was used in banyas (bath-houses) to increase the vapour, whereas sour kvass was poured over oneself for better health. Kvass was made of grains of different processing grades and even from turnip and water-melon. Sorts of kvas differed from each other depending on malt brand, and on flavouring, that could be honey or berries. They also brewed beer, which was made strong and had a variety of brands according to its colour and quality.

Fruit Kvas. PosterPerevar, vzvar, and sbiten were popular in the early 20th century. They were made of honey seasoned with hypericum, sage, laurel leaf, ginger and capsicum. The drinks were served warm.
Tea was for the first time brought from China as a present to the Moscow tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich in 1638, yet was not commonly adopted till the early 18th century. Eventually tea drinking ritual became as popular among all circles of Russian society as in the native land of the drink. The scenes of prolonged tea drinking ceremonies with the traditional samovar have been recorded in numerous works of literature, depicted in paintings by lots of Russian artists and folk decorative art. Nowadays, however, one can hardly find a samovar in a usual modern household.

At the same time many people today tend to turn back to the fragrant and salutary teas of forest and field herbs, that had been enjoyed by the Russians long before they adopted “the Chinese herb”, coffee and cacao.

Georgi Vitsin. Shy Little Man Who Made the Country Laugh

2008-10-02T18:44:00.001+05:30

Throughout all his life Georgi Vitsin impersonated cowardly milksops, the characters which he surely was not in reality. What he really was it is one of the most brilliant and unique comedy actors of Russia. ad nothing in common with him personally.

Georgi Mikhailovich Vitsin was born in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg), or according to unofficial data, in Zelenogorsk (formerly town Terijoki of Finland) on 23 April 1917, just in between the two revolutions. In a children’s play he so emotionally and passionately was performing the dance of shaman that teachers advised him to go in for ballet in a serious way. Yet after finishing school Vitsin decided to go in for theatre “in a serious way” and entered Maly Theatre School. Soon, however, he was expelled reportedly “for careless attitude to classes”. Next autumn Vitsin decided to try his wings again and passed exams in three theatre studios at once. He chose to study in Theatre School of Vakhtangov Studio, MXAT-2 and was trained there from 1934 to 1935.

In 1936 Georgi Vitsin was admitted to the company of theatre studio under direction of the great actor Nikolai Khmelev. The studio was soon renamed into Yermolova Theatre, whereas Vitsin achieved an outstanding position in the troupe. Not infrequently theatre-goers inquired in the ticket office about who was playing on that day and if it was not Vitsin they could just turn around and go away. Critics loved writing about him, and one could hardly imagine that an actor of such brilliant onstage career could forever leave the theatre for the sake of cinematography.
For the first time he appeared on screen as a railroader in Sergei Yutkevich’ film Zdravstvuy, Moskva! (Hello Moscow!) (1945).

Georgi Vitsin started with films of various genres and gained fame as boxer Vasya in the film Zapasnoy igrok (The Reserve) (1954). Before playing in the film Vitsin had to work out for a whole month. Finally, when rehearsing a boxing combat he let himself go and attacked his partner in a real way. Pavel Kadochnikov, being a professional boxer reacted automatically; as a result Vitsin came to himself with a fracture in his rib, and yet the actor went on acting, his chest tightened with a towel.

The Reserve (1954)The viewers liked the character created by Vitsin – a shy but enthusiastic person who is involved in the success of his cause and capable of a noble deed. Hot on the heels of the first success and after the same pattern there was produced the film Ona vas lyubit (She Loves You) (1956), tackling on the theme of genuine and not showy heroism, and emotional exactingness that was capable of withstanding insolent pushiness.
In this film there was a hard trick scene on water skis. A stuntman was supposed to perform it, but the film director decided to embolden Vitsin to do it himself. Together with the scriptwriter they fabricated a letter as if from a certain “admirer Klava” informing that she would be watching him, the bravest actor, flying on water skis. In the end the letter was giving a hint at a possibility of close personal acquaintance. Vitsin read the letter and agreed to perform the stunt; he played the scene in a brilliant way but after it he said to the happy film director: “You could have invented a more interesting name for the girl”.

Operation Y (1965)Modest and sympathetic characters played by Vitsin evoked kindly feelings of viewers. At the same time the actor played in detective, historical and lyrical feature films. Film director Kozintsev was going to make of him a positive film hero “with a touch of slight irony”.
But there came about the second period of Vitsin’s acting – the epoch of Troos (translated as Coward). His frail and slender figure appeared side by side with Byvaly (Experienced) played by Morgunov and Balbes (Booby) played by Nikulin, the satirical trio ridiculing vices of society. Each of these characters was a personification and generalization.

Vitsin’s Coward in the comedies Pyos Barbos i neobychainy kross (Dog Barbos and the Unusual Race) (1961), Samogonshchiki (Bootleggers) (1961), Operatsiya Y i drugiye priklyucheniya Shurika (Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures) (1965),

Kidnapping Caucassian Style (1966)Kavkazskaya plennitsa, ili Novye priklyucheniya Shurika (Kidnapping Caucassian Style, or Shurik's New Adventures) (1966), Sem starikov i odna devushka (Seven Old Men and a Girl) (1968) was poetical, amative and hypochondriac, such an intellectual from a communal flat. All his later characters had the same features and were wearing the same mask, with his habitual sighs, distinctive gait and a stock of accessories, such as a briefcase, a tie, a bowler hat, and glasses.
Unexpectedly the actor appeared in the tragicomic role of a desperate criminal in the brilliant comedy Dzhentlmeny udachi (Gentlemen of Fortune) (1971). The sinister man with a barking voice and sentimental memories who attempts to hang himself – in this image Vitsin managed not only to tackle modern issues but also to find new colours for developing his “mask line”.

Unfortunately he was not offered many roles with “explosive” background, like that of the father from the popular comedy Ne mozhet byt! (Impossible!) (1975). The master of eccentricity, grotesque, and sidesplitting transformation, Vitsin was used purely as a comic actor, though in this aspect he was also underestimated. Though this habitual mask hampered Vitsin’s creative quest, viewers remember numerous works of the talented comedy actor who created portraits of his indecisive characters with subtle irony and grotesque.

Balzaminov's Marriage (1965)More than a hundred films featuring him are still watched and enjoyed by viewers. His unsurpassed characters go on making us laugh; among them is Balzaminov in Zhenitba Balzaminova (Balzaminov's Marriage) (1965) Tebenjkov in Opekun (Guardian) (1970), Khmyr/Sad Sack in Dzhentlmeny udachi (Gentlemen of Fortune) (1971), Tyutyurin in Neispravimyy lgun (Incorrigible Liar) (1973), Sir Andrew in Dvenadtsataya noch (Twelfth Night) (1955), Sam in Delovye lyudi (Business People) (1962) and certainly Coward in the perennial comedies by Leonid Gaidai.
Georgi Vitsin was a master of transformation. At the age of 48 he played the twenty-year old Misha Balzaminov, at 37 - the eighteen-year old Vasya Veshushkin in Zapasnoy igrok (The Reserve) (1954) and when he was only 36 he portrayed the old man Musij in Maksim Perepelitsa (1955).

For the Matches (1980)For the last time Vitsin put on the “mask” of Coward in Yuri Kushneryov’s film Komediya davno minuvshikh dney (Comedy of Bygone Days) (1980). The film director ventured to revive the legendary trio by uniting it with the no less famous Gaidai’s duet of Ostap Bender (Archil Gomiashvili) and Kisa Vorobyaninov (Sergei Filippov) from Twelve Chairs. Yet the result was rather poor: Nikulin at once rejected to partake in the project and the remaining “splendid four” though straining every nerve, did not contrive “to do something out of nothing”.
Georgi Vitsin played his last roles in 1994 in several films.

Apart from cinema, Georgi Vitsin was very much into dubbing animated cartoon films. Considering this aspect of creativity no less serious and important he approached his animated characters with Stanislavsky system.

Strange as it may seem, Vitsin who often played drunkards, was a total abstainer in real life. He did not smoke and practiced yoga all his life through. In those years hardly anyone in the USSR had clear understanding of what yoga was, while Vitsin practiced it on a regular and systematic basis.
In spite of the plenty of his characters Vitsin’s talent deserved something greater and he never played the major role of his life. “Vitsin is awfully gifted and both of us together are not worth his finger”, his partners Nikulin and Morgunov said about him.

During the last seven years of his Georgi Vitsin did not act in films and appeared only in comic concerts of Theatre of Film Actor.
On 22 October 2001 the People’s Artist of the Soviet Union passed away. Georgy Vitsin was laid to rest at Vagankovskoe Cemetery, Moscow.

In one of his last interviews Georgi Vitsin said: “Do not fuss, people. Life takes so much time!”

A monument to Georgi Vitsin has been set up in Zelenogorsk in 2008 marking the town’s 460th jubilee and the 90th anniversary since the actor’s birthday.

"Laughter for no reason is a hallmark of a fool" vs. "Keep smiling"

2008-10-02T18:26:00.000+05:30

When first in Russia you might be surprised why there are so few people laughing and smiling in the streets and in public places. The Russians are rather reserved in public: good manners here imply a quiet voice, calm looks and gestures and decent clothes. Subdued expression is far more common here than loud carefree merrymaking without excuse; the latter might even provoke some suspicious looks or growling of elderly people ("Have they nothing to think about?").

Please try not to take it personally if a shop-assistant or an attendant scowls at you instead of smiling helpfully: it only means that she/he is tired of carrying the burdens of this hard life, and you are here waiting for something.

The Russians can hardly adopt formal smiling at official receptions and similar occasions. If you want to see a smile, just try to be sincere and friendly.

The American 'keep smiling' manner, manifesting one's permanent good spirits and humorous outlook is at risk of being misunderstood. You have to remember the Russian saying: "Laughter for no good reason is a hallmark of a fool". The affected demonstration of happiness and successfulness might be perceived as a sign of one's tactlessness or hard-heartedness (it is unnatural to be always happy while there are so many grieves in the world, the Russians believe at heart). In Russia you can be less secretive about your problems than it is customary in your country: you will most probably meet compassion and help.

Russian Avant-garde Art

2008-10-02T18:21:00.001+05:30

Russian avant-garde is a common term denoting a most remarkable art phenomenon that flourished in Russia from 1890 to 1930, though some of its early manifestations date back to the 1850s, whereas the latest ones refer to the 1960s.

The phenomenon of Russian avant-garde does not correspond to any definite artistic program or style. This term was assigned to radical innovative movements that started taking shape in the prewar years of 1907–1914, came to the foreground in the revolutionary period and matured during the first post-revolutionary decade.

Various trends of avant-garde art were united by an emphatic breaking-off not only from academic traditions and eclectic aesthetics of the 19th century, but also from the new art style of modern, which at that time was upmost in all the art spheres from architecture and painting to theatre and design. Russian avant-garde discarded the cultural heritage of the past and rejected continuity in artistic creation. At the same time it combined both destructive and constructive urges: the spirit of nihilism and revolutionary aggression along with ground-breaking energy targeted at creation of something totally new in art and other spheres of life.

K. Malevich "The Mower"In different stages these innovative tendencies were referred to with a variety of terms, such as “modernism”, “new art”, “futurism”, “cubo-futurism”, “suprematism”, “constructivism”, “left art”, etc. Just a few years before that nothing in Russian art heralded such a dramatic switcheroo: in the late 19th century Russian official fine arts remained within academic frames. It probably accounts for the fact that such artists as Borisov-Musatov (1870—1905), Valentin Serov (1865-1911) and Konstantin Korovin (1861-1939), though rather traditional by Western standards, were considered quite innovative in this country.
The direction of avant-garde movement, i.e. transition from natural to notional, from sophistication to simplification and pruning, from modernist refinement to primitivism, was similar to that in European art. Analysis reveals that the sources of this tendency lie beyond the Russian art tradition. Unlike in France or Germany, where the avant-garde art development was backed up and encouraged by various philosophical, aesthetic and psychological theories, in Russia it was prompted by the pre-revolutionary atmosphere and the activities of patrons of art and enthusiasts who steered the national art life into the tide of European culture (like Sergei Diaghilev with this Ballets Russes, for instance).

V. Sidur "Operation On Heart"The pioneers of Russian avant-garde, such as for example Natalya Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov, by 1910-1911 already found themselves in the tideway of the most novel European currents, on the level of the most daring and ground-breaking approaches in painting. The most innovative “peasant” canvasses of Natalya Goncharova came concurrently with or right after the famous “negro” works by Picasso. By the mid 1910s the role of avant-garde in art passed on to Russia. From that time everything most pioneering was created in Russia or by natives of Russia.
The connection between the aesthetic revolution and social upheavals of the 20th century is obvious. Russian avant-garde which did not outlast long the Social revolution, was undoubtedly one of its ferments. On the other hand, the firstling of the normative ideological art, Soviet realism, was a direct outcome of this revolution.

Russian Easter Recipes

2008-10-02T18:16:00.000+05:30

Paskha

Russian Easter feast is paskha made of curds and shaped as a truncated pyramid, which symbolizes the Holy Sepulchre. A special sectional wooden mould was traditionally used for cooking this rich festive dish. Don’t get upset if you have no such a mold – just use whatever mold you can get or an ordinary colander. Paskha must be made of curds of the highest quality; home-made curd is best of all. It is rather an expensive and time-taking dish, yet in the face of the great holiday of Pascha a housewife would cope with any difficulties. Modern cooks might as well use a mixer to whisk curd thoroughly to make it airy and delicate in a simpler way. There are two major types of paskha: unboiled and scalded ones.

Unboiled Paskha

Ingredients: 2,5 kg curd, 200g butter, 200-300 g granulated sugar, 250 g sour cream, salt to taste, candied fruit, raisins and nuts (optional).

Instructions: Thoroughly rub curd through a sieve twice. Mash butter with sugar till the mass is white; add sour cream to it and go on mashing it till the granules of sugar completely disappear. Mix the creamy stuff with curd, add salt, candied fruit, nuts and raisins if you have decided to use them. Fill a mould with the paste, put it under a small press and leave in a fridge for 12 hours.

Scalded Paskha

Ingredients: 2 kg curds, 200-400 g butter, 400-800 g sour cream, 6-10 eggs, 300 g sugar, salt to taste, candied fruit, raisins, and nuts (optional).

Instructions: Rub curds and butter through a sieve twice, add sour cream, eggs, and sugar and mix very well to creamy paste. Put it on the stove and slowly bring to boil, while stirring it slowly with a wooden stick to not let it burn. Once it starts boiling, put it off immediately and cool it down as fast as possible, also stirring it all the time. When the paste is cool, mix in candied fruit, raisins, and nuts, a bit of salt and some vanilla powder if you wish. If you don’t have a special mould, take a colander, line it with slightly moist cheesecloth, fill with the prepared stuff and cover it with a plate. Put a small press on it and leave in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Keep in mind that moist will trickle down from the colander, so put something under it. When your paskha is firm enough take it out of the mould and serve.

Indian-Russian fighting jet of the 5th generation will have two versions

2008-10-02T18:12:00.001+05:30

India and Russia are working out two versions of the fighting jet of the 5th generation simultaneously.

The state corporation Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Russian partner, will work out a twin-seater, while the Russian side will produce a single-seater. The jets will have different wings, radars and steering systems.

The India and Russia have already divided duties in construction. India is known for its strong side in the sphere of composite materials for jet production.

The new fighting jet will be ‘invisible’; it will be able to attack several targets simultaneously. The pilots will have the opportunity to keep in touch other pilots and land services.

HAL is also producing Su-30MKI on the license.

Пять взрывов в столице

2008-09-13T22:34:00.000+05:30

В субботу вечером в разных частях Нью-Дели прогремели взрывы
13 сентября 2008, 19:10
Фото: Reuters
Текст: Мария Иванова

Неизвестные террористы для проведения серии диверсий выбрали самые людные места индийской столицы: все бомбы взорвались в оживленных торговых кварталах с разницей в несколько минут. По предварительным данным, в результате взрывов погибли 18 человек, более 100 пострадали. Число жертв и раненых уточняется. Жителей просят проявлять бдительность и без особой необходимости не покидать дома.

Две бомбы взорвались в райне «Коннот Плейс», одна из них была заложена в уличную урну.

Еще два взрыва произошли на торговой улице в районе «Грейтер Кайлаш» на юге Дели. Пятое взрывное устройство сработало неподалеку от торгового квартала «Карол Баг», сообщает РИА «Новости» со ссылкой на местные СМИ.

Шестую бомбу удалось обезвредить неподалеку от монумента «Ворота Индии». Седьмую - у входа в кинотеатр в торговом квартале «Коннот Плейс».

«Бомбу заметили сотрудники полиции, когда сборщик мусора достал из урны рядом со входом в кинотеатр сверток с часовым механизмом», - приводит РИА «Новости» слова сотрудника администрации кинотеатра Денеша Бхаратнагара.

По его словам, постовой выхватил адскую машину из рук сборщика, оторвал часовой механизм, положил бомбу на асфальт и накрыл мешками с цементом.

На кадрах, распространенных индийским телевидением, видны лужи крови посреди искореженных автомобилей.

По предварительным данным, в результате взрывов погибли 18 человек, более 100 пострадали. Эти цифры озвучил первый заместитель министра внутренних дел Индии Шри Пракаша Джайсвал, прибывшщий на место происшествия.

Однако общий итог трагедии может быть еще тяжелее: судя по поступающим сообщениям, машины скорой помощи все еще продолжают доставлять десятки пострадавших в ближайшие больницы, уточняет ИТАР-ТАСС.

Взрывы, которые произошли в промежуток с 18.30 до 19.00 часов по местному времени (17.—17.30 – по Москве), следовали один за другим с разницей в несколько минут.

Их причина пока выясняется. Однако власти страны склонны думать, что сработали взрывные устройства, заложенные террористами, передает BBC.

Уточним, что в последнее время несколько городов Индии подверглись нападениям со стороны исламистских боевиков, которые применяют самодельные взрывные устройства. Ответственность за это преступление, по предварительным данным, взяла на себя радикальная исламская группировка «Индийские моджахеды».

Места происшествия оцеплены полицией.

Властями объявлено о введении усиленных мер безопасности, жителей предупреждают о необходимость сохранять бдительность и без особой необходимости не покидать дома.

Russian Cuisine

2008-08-21T22:43:00.001+05:30

Christmas Goose

1 goose, 10 cooking apples,
5 slices white bread, cinnamon,
1/2 glass (1/2 cup) cream, 1 tbsp salt

Peel the apples, remove seed coats and dice the apples. Spread over the diced apples the white bread soaked in cream, as well as cinnamon and salt at the edge of a knife. Mix the filling. Fill the goose well washed and rubbed with salt and pepper both inside and outside. Sew the bird up, butter it and put into the oven to roast for 30 minutes at 220°C (428°F) then reducing the heat to 150°C (300°F). Roast the goose until tender (approximately for 3 hours) often pouring it with the drippings of boiling water.

По щучьему веленью- Русская народная сказка

2008-08-21T01:52:00.000+05:30

Жил-был старик. У него было три сына: двое умных, третий - дурачок Емеля.
Те братья работают, а Емеля целый день лежит на печке, знать ничего не хочет.
Один раз братья уехали на базар, а бабы, невестки, давай посылать его:
- Сходи, Емеля, за водой. А он им с печки:
- Неохота...
- Сходи, Емеля, а то братья с базара воротятся, гостинцев тебе не привезут.
- Ну ладно. Слез Емеля с печки, обулся, оделся, взял ведра да топор и пошел на речку.
Прорубил лед, зачерпнул ведра и поставил их, а сам глядит в прорубь. И увидел Емеля в проруби щуку. Изловчился и ухватил щуку в руку:
- Вот уха будет сладка!
Вдруг щука говорит ему человечьим голосом:
- Емеля, отпусти меня в воду, я тебе пригожусь. А Емеля смеется:
- На что ты мне пригодишься? Нет, понесу тебя домой, велю невесткам уху сварить. Будет уха сладка. Щука взмолилась опять:
- Емеля, Емеля, отпусти меня в воду, я тебе сделаю все, что ни пожелаешь.
- Ладно, только покажи сначала, что не обманываешь меня, тогда отпущу.
Щука его спрашивает:
- Емеля, Емеля, скажи - чего ты сейчас хочешь?
- Хочу, чтобы ведра сами пошли домой и вода бы не расплескалась...
Щука ему говорит:
- Запомни мои слова: когда что тебе захочется - скажи только:
По щучьему веленью, По моему хотенью.
Емеля и говорит:
- По щучьему веленью, По моему хотенью - ступайте, ведра, сами домой...
Только сказал - ведра сами и пошли в гору. Емеля пустил щуку в прорубь, а сам пошел за ведрами. Идут ведра по деревне, народ дивится, а Емеля идет сзади, посмеивается...

Зашли ведра в избу и сами стали на лавку, а Емеля полез на печь.
Прошло много ли, мало ли времени - невестки говорят ему:
- Емеля, что ты лежишь? Пошел бы дров нарубил….

…Невестки ему говорят:
- Что ж ты, дурень, сел в сани, а лошадь не запряг?
- Не надо мне лошади.
Невестки отворили ворота, а Емеля говорит потихоньку:
- По щучьему веленью, По моему хотенью - ступайте, сани, в лес...
Сани сами и поехали в ворота, да так быстро - на лошади не догнать…

…Долго ли, коротко ли - услышал царь об Емелиных проделках и посылает за ним офицера: его найти и привезти во дворец…

…- Емеля, Емеля, царь тебе красный кафтан подарит, шапку и сапоги.
Емеля подумал-подумал:
- Ну ладно, ступай ты вперед, а я за тобой вслед буду.
Уехал вельможа, а Емеля полежал еще и говорит:
- По щучьему веленью, По моему хотенью - ну-ка, печь, поезжай к царю...
Тут в избе углы затрещали, крыша зашаталась, стена вылетела, и печь сама пошла по улице, по дороге, прямо к царю.
Царь глядит в окно, дивится:
- Это что за чудо?
В это время в окно на него глядела царская дочь - Марья-царевна. Емеля увидал ее в окошке и говорит потихоньку:
- По щучьему веленью, По моему хотенью - пускай царская дочь меня полюбит...
И сказал еще:
- Ступай, печь, домой...

…Марья-царевна с Емелей вошли во дворец, сели у окошечка.
- Емелюшка, а нельзя тебе красавчиком стать?
Тут Емеля недолго думал:
- По щучьему веленью, По моему хотенью - стать мне добрым молодцем, писаным красавцем... И стал Емеля таким, что ни в сказке сказать, ни пером описать...

…- Женись на моей дочери, Емелюшка, бери мое царство, только не губи меня!
Тут устроили пир на весь мир. Емеля женился на Марье-царевне и стал править царством.
Тут и сказке конец, а кто слушал - молодец.

Visitors throng a Russian book stall at the 18th World Book Fair

2008-02-04T14:56:00.000+05:30

Visitors throng a Russian book stall at the 18th World Book Fair, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. Russia is the guest of honor at this eight day book fair, where 23 countries including Germany, Pakistan, Iran and Vietnam will present their products.

NEWS

2008-01-30T10:58:00.000+05:30

Russian tobacco industry in panic over ban on Indian imports
Vinay Shukla

Moscow, Jan 28 With the ban on the import of plant products from India coming into force from today, the Russian tobacco industry is in panic at the prospect of suspending the production of several favourite brands of cigarettes.

Russia's phytosanitary watchdog -Rosselkhoznadzor-- has suspended the import of all plant products from India after a dangerous grain pest Khapra beetle was allegedly found in a consignment of Indian sesame seeds at the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk.

Later on Friday under the pressure of powerful tea lobby it relaxed the ban on import of bulk tea.

Tobacco is one of the crucial commodities hit by the ban, although the share of Indian leaf is about 10-12 percent of Russia's total imports. Russia imports 300 thousand tonnes of bulk tobacco annually of which India's share is about 30-45 thousand tonnes.

"The issue is not about quantity. India tobacco is a major and at times irreplaceable component of blends of many favourite brands of cigarettes," Director General of "Tabakprom" tobacco corporation Vadim Zhelnin was quoted as saying by leading business and political daily Kommersant.

The existing stocks will last for about a month, after which many popular cigarette brands in the medium and low price range will disappear from the market, Zhelnin warned.

The new ban came into force even as the situation with the supply of Indian basmati rice was yet normalise after a similar ban was clamped last year. (Agencies)
Published: Monday, January 28, 2008

Indian students to address Russian forum

2007-08-27T00:43:00.000+05:30

From correspondents in Moscow, Russia, 02:00 PM IST
Two Indian female students will address an international educational forum that started in the Altai republic in Siberia in Russia Tuesday, reports RIA Novosti.
Dhankar Neeraj and Manu Radha, from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, will share their opinion on Russia's contemporary history and talk about the youth movement in India, the news agency said.
It will be the first appearance of any Indian student at the annual Russian international youth educational forum.
The forum, titled 'Generation Seeking Its Self-Identity', is organised by the Russian Centre of National Glory (RCNG), an NGO working for spiritual and cultural renaissance of Russia.
The students are studying the Russian language, literature and history at JNU.
'We are going to share our views with Russian students and try to understand what kind of problems young people face in Russia and India. We'll get to know if we have common problems,' said Manu Radha.
The forum will last till Aug 26. Seventy-five young scholars, journalists, students and post-graduates from different countries are attending.

RUSSIAN LANGUAGE ESSAY COMPETITION

2007-05-29T19:36:00.000+05:30

News and Events /RUSSIAN LANGUAGE ESSAY COMPETITION: MODALITIES DECIDED
New Delhi, April 2, 2007: Modalities on holding the Russian Language Essay Competition, dedicated to the "Year of Russian Language the World Over", "Russian Language-Language of Indo-Russian Friendship & Strategic Cooperation" was resolved with the participation of representatives from the Institute of Russian Language (RCSC), Indian Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (INDAPRYAL) and Indian Universities at RCSC, 24, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi, on March 30, 2007.

The participants at the function included Prof. R. Kumar, President, INDAPRYAL, Prof. R. N. Menon, Chairperson, Centre for Russian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof. S. K. Vij, Head, Department of Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies, Delhi University, Prof. Rashmi Doraiswamy, In-Charge of Russian Language Department, Jamia Milia Islamia, Ms. Rita Swamy, Director, Institute of Russian Language, RCSC, and representative from University of Agra, etc.
In his welcome address, Dr. Sergey V. Cherkas, Deputy Director, RCSC, described this venture will ardent interest in the Russian language among the Indian people at large.
In her address, Mrs. Maria B. Pavlova, Senior Executive & Programme Coordinator, RCSC, explained the stages and schedule of the essay competition being held on the national level.
Basically, the students should send their essays to the Regional Committee, constituted under the aegis of the four RCSC in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, comprising qualified Russian language experts. And the last date of submission of the essay to the Regional Committee is July 1, 2007. The Regional Committee has to select three best essays and send them to the Central Committee in Delhi, headed by H. E. Mr. Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to India, The Committee consists of representative Russian language experts from Indian Universities, INDAPRYAL and Institute of Russian Language, RCSC. The essays from the Regional Committees should reach the Central Committee by August 1, 2007.
The name of the winner will be announced by September 20, 2007. It is necessary that the authors of 12 selected essays have to face the Central Committee in Delhi in person. The winner gets a free tip to Moscow for participation in the Final Closing Ceremony dedicated to the "Year of Russian Language the World Over". Two consolation prizes will go to the second and the third best essay.

NIHILISM

2007-04-02T13:07:00.000+05:30

Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy. While few philosophers would claim to be nihilists, nihilism is most often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche who argued that its corrosive effects would eventually destroy all moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions and precipitate the greatest crisis in human history. In the 20th century, nihilistic themes--epistemological failure, value destruction, and cosmic purposelessness--have preoccupied artists, social critics, and philosophers. Mid-century, for example, the existentialists helped popularize tenets of nihilism in their attempts to blunt its destructive potential. By the end of the century, existential despair as a response to nihilism gave way to an attitude of indifference, often associated with antifoundationalism.

KATYUSHA

2007-03-29T11:25:00.000+05:30

Katyusha (song)
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Katyusha (Катюша) is a Russian Soviet wartime song about a girl longing for her beloved, who is away on military service. The music was composed in 1938 by Matvei Blanter and the lyrics were written by Mikhail Isakovsky. It was first performed by the celebrated folk singer, Lidiya Ruslanova. Some critics believe that Katyusha was not a Blanter composition, pointing out that a similar tune was used by Igor Stravinsky in his opera Mavra (1922) which he later adapted to Chanson Russe (1937).
Katyusha is a tender diminutive from the female name Ekaterina (Catherine). In Russian, many names have diminutives (besides nicknames). For example, the diminutive for Natalia is Natasha, and the tender diminutive for Natasha is Natashenka. In the case of Ekaterina (Catherine), Katya is the nickname and Katyusha, a tender diminutive.
The Russian song also gave name to the BM-8, BM-13, and BM-31 "Katyusha" rocket launchers that were built and fielded by the Red Army in World War II.
Contents[hide]
1 Japanese version
2 Lyrics
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 External links
//

[edit] Japanese version
In addition to the Soviet version, there was another, apparently quite separate, "Katyusha's song" that became highly popular in early 20th century Japan. Rendered into Japanese as カチューシャの歌 (Kachūsha no uta, Katyusha's Song), it was composed in the major pentatonic scale by Nakayama Shimpei. It was sung by Matsui Sumako in a dramatization of Tolstoy's Resurrection, put on in 1914 in Tokyo. The song was a huge hit, selling large amounts of records and was taken on by street corner musicians throughout the Japanese empire. It is considered by some music historians as the first example of modern Japanese popular music.

[edit] Lyrics
The original lyrics in Russian, Latin transliteration, and translated into English by Anastasia I-Morn-Gwathren (2002).
Катюша
Расцветали яблони и груши,Поплыли туманы над рекой;Выходила на берег Катюша,На высокий берег, на крутой.
Выходила, песню заводилаПро степного, сизого орла,Про того, которого любила,Про того, чьи письма берегла.
Ой, ты песня, песенка девичья,Ты лети за ясным солнцем вслед,И бойцу на дальнем пограничьеОт Катюши передай привет.
Пусть он вспомнит девушку простую,Пусть услышит, как она поёт,Пусть он землю бережёт родную,А любовь Катюша сбережёт.
Расцветали яблони и груши,Поплыли туманы над рекой;Выходила на берег Катюша,На высокий берег, на крутой.
Katyusha
Rastsvetali yabloni i grushi,Poplyli tumany nad rekoy;Vykhodila na bereg Katyusha,Na vysokiy bereg, na krutoy.
Vykhodila, pesnyu zavodilaPro stepnogo sizogo orla,Pro tovo kotorogo lyubila,Pro tovo chyi pisma beregla.
Oy, ty pesnya, pesenka devichya,Ty leti za yasnym solntsem vsled,I boytsu na dalnem pogranichyeOt Katyushi pereday privet.
Pust on vspomnit devushku prostuyu,Pust uslyshit, kak ona poyot,Pust on zemlyu berezhyot rodnuyu,A lyubov Katyusha sberezhyot.
Rastsvetali yabloni i grushi,Poplyli tumany nad rekoy;Vykhodila na bereg Katyusha,Na vysokiy bereg, na krutoy.
Katyusha
Apple trees and pears were in blossomOn the river hung the morning mistYoung Katyusha stepped up on the high bank,Of the river steep bank in the mist.
On the bank Katyusha started singingOf a proud grey eagle of the steppe,Of the one Katyusha loved so deeply,Of the one whose letters she has kept
Oh, you song, you bright song of a maidenFly you by the sun, fly like a birdTo the soldier on faraway borderFrom Katyusha bring a greeting word.
Let him think of simple native maiden,Let him hear Katyusha's clear songHe will guard the land of dear homelandAnd their love Katyusha will keep strong.
Apple trees and pears were in blossomOn the river hung the morning mistYoung Katyusha stepped up on the high bank,Of the river steep bank in the mist

[edit] Trivia
Katyusha is often sung by Russian football (soccer) fans at the stadium to support Spartak Moscow.

[edit] See also
Information about the Japanese "Katyusha": [1]

[edit] External links
Mp3 recording of "Katyusha"
http://www.sovmusic.ru/download.php?fname=katyush2 [from a large collection of traditional Soviet music, site also in English]
http://www.russia-in-us.com/Music/Collections/Ofman/russianestrada/
http://www.russmus.net/bands-traditional.htm [lyrics and translation taken from this site]
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyusha_%28song%29"
Categories: 1938 songs Russian songs

2007-03-16T17:29:00.000+05:30

Proverb of the day

Рыбак рыбака видит издалека.
Birds of a feather flock together.

2007-01-10T14:21:00.000+05:30

Russian language
Russian Русский язык
Russia, former Soviet republics, Mongolia, Svalbard, and Israel.
Total speakers:
primary language: about 145 million secondary language: 110 million (1999 WA, 2000 WCD)
Ranking:
8 (native)
Language family:
Indo-European Balto-Slavic Slavic East Slavic Russian
Writing system:
Cyrillic alphabet
Official status
Official language of:
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, and Gagauzia.
Regulated by:
Russian Academy of Sciences

Countries of the world where Russian is spoken.
Russian (Russian: русский язык, russkiy yazyk, [ˈru.skʲɪj jɪˈzɨk] listen (help·info)) is the most widely spoken language of Eurasia and the most widespread of the Slavonic languages.
Russian belongs to the family of Indo-European languages. Within the Slavic branch, Russian is one of three living members of the East Slavic group, the other two being Belarusian and Ukrainian.
Written examples of East Slavonic are attested from the 10th century onwards. While Russian preserves much of East Slavonic synthetic-inflectional structure and a Common Slavonic word base, modern Russian exhibits a large stock of borrowed international vocabulary for politics, science, and technology. A language of great political importance in the 20th century, Russian is one of the official languages of the United Nations.
NOTE. Russian is written in a non-Latin script.
Classification
Russian is a Slavic language in the Indo-European family. From the point of view of the spoken language, its closest relatives are Ukrainian and Belarusian, the other two national languages in the East Slavic group. (Some academics also consider Rusyn an East Slavic language; others consider Rusyn just a dialect.) In many places in Ukraine and Belarus, these languages are spoken interchangeably, and in certain areas traditional bilingualism resulted in language mixture, e.g. Surzhik in central Ukraine.
The basic vocabulary, principles of word-formation, and, to some extent, inflections and literary style of Russian have been heavily influenced by Church Slavonic, a developed and partly adopted form of the South Slavic Old Church Slavonic language used by the Russian Orthodox Church. Many words in modern literary Russian are closer in form to the modern Bulgarian language than to Ukrainian or Belarusian. However, the East Slavic forms have tended to remain in the various dialects that are experiencing a rapid decline. In some cases, both the East Slavic and the Church Slavonic forms are in use, with slightly different meanings. For details, see Russian phonology and History of the Russian language.
Russian phonology and syntax (especially in northern dialects) have also been influenced to some extent by the numerous Finnic languages of the Finno-Ugric subfamily: Merya, Moksha, Muromian, the language of the Meshchera, Veps etc. These languages, some of them now extinct, used to be spoken right in the center and in the north of what is now the European part of Russia. They came in contact with Eastern Slavic as far back as the early Middle Ages and eventually served as substratum for the modern Russian language. The Russian dialects spoken north, north-east and north-west of Moscow have a considerable number of words of Finno-Ugric origin. [1] [2]
Outside the Slavic languages, the vocabulary and literary style of Russian have been greatly influenced by Greek, Latin, French, German, and English. Modern Russian also has a considerable number of words adopted from Tatar and some other Turkic languages.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Russian is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers,[3] requiring approximately 780 hours of immersion instruction to achieve intermediate fluency. It is also regarded by the United States Intelligence Community as a "hard target" language, due to both its difficulty to master for English speakers as well as due to its critical role in American foreign policy.
Geographic distribution
Russian is primarily spoken in Russia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics of the USSR. Until 1917, it was the sole official language of the Russian Empire. During the Soviet period, the policy toward the languages of the various other ethnic groups fluctuated in practice. Though each of the constituent republics had its own official language, the unifying role and superior status was reserved for Russian. Following the break-up of 1991, several of the newly independent states have encouraged their native languages, which has partly reversed the privileged status of Russian, though its role as the language of post-Soviet national intercourse throughout the region has continued.
In Latvia, notably, its official recognition and legality in the classroom have been a topic of considerable debate in a country where more than one-third of the population is Russian-speaking, consisting mostly of post-World War II immigrants from Russia and other parts of the former USSR (Belarus, Ukraine). Similarly, in Estonia, the Soviet-era immigrants and their Russian-speaking descendants constitute about one quarter of the country's current population.
A much smaller Russian-speaking minority in Lithuania has largely been assimilated during the decade of independence and currently represent less than 1/10 of the country's overall population. Nevertheless, around 80% of the population of the Baltic states are able to hold a conversation in Russian and almost all have at least some familiarity with the most basic spoken and written phrases. The Russian occupation of Finland in 1809-1918, however, has left few Russian speakers to Finland. There are 33400 Russian speakers in Finland, amounting to 0.6% of the population. 5000 (0.1%) of them are late 19th century and 20th century immigrants, and the rest are recent immigrants, who have arrived in the 90's and later.
In the twentieth century it was widely taught in the schools of the members of the old Warsaw Pact and in other countries that used to be satellites of the USSR. In particular, these countries include Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Albania. However, younger generations are usually not fluent in it, because Russian is no longer mandatory in the school system. It was, and to a lesser extent still is, widely taught in Asian countries such as Laos, Vietnam, and Mongolia due to Soviet influence. Russian is still used as a lingua franca in Afghanistan by a few tribes. It was also taught as the mandatory foreign language requisite in the People's Republic of China before the Sino-Soviet Split.
Russian is also spoken in Israel by at least 750,000 ethnic Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union (1999 census). The Israeli press and websites regularly publish material in Russian.
Sizable Russian-speaking communities also exist in North America, especially in large urban centers of the U.S. and Canada such as New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Baltimore, Miami, Chicago, and the Cleveland suburb of Richmond Heights. In the former two Russian-speaking groups total over half a million. In a number of locations they issue their own newspapers, and live in their self-sufficient neighborhoods (especially the generation of immigrants who started arriving in the early sixties). It is important to note, however, that only about a quarter of them are ethnic Russians. Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the overwhelming majority of Russophones in North America were Russian-speaking Jews. Afterwards the influx from the countries of the former Soviet Union changed the statistics somewhat. According to the United States 2000 Census, Russian is the primary language spoken in the homes of over 700,000 individuals living in the United States.
Significant Russian-speaking groups also exist in Western Europe. These have been fed by several waves of immigrants since the beginning of the twentieth century, each with its own flavor of language. Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Brazil and Turkey have significant Russian-speaking communities totaling 3 million people.
Two thirds of them are actually Russian-speaking descendants of Germans, Greeks, Jews, Armenians, or Ukrainians who either repatriated after the USSR collapsed or are just looking for temporary employment.
Earlier, the descendants of the Russian émigrés tended to lose the tongue of their ancestors by the third generation. Now, when the border is more open, Russian is likely to survive longer, especially when many of the emigrants visit their homelands at least once a year and also have access to Russian websites and TV channels.
Recent estimates of the total number of speakers of Russian:
Source
Native speakers
Native Rank
Total speakers
Total rank
G. Weber, "Top Languages",Language Monthly,3: 12-18, 1997, ISSN 1369-9733
160,000,000
8
285,000,000
5
World Almanac (1999)
145,000,000
8 (2005)
275,000,000
5
SIL (2000 WCD)
145,000,000
8
255,000,000
5-6 (tied with Arabic)
CIA World Factbook (2005)
160,000,000
8

Official status
Russian is the official language of Russia, and an official language of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the unrecognized Transnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Education in Russian is still a popular choice for many of the both native and RSL (Russian as a second language) speakers in Russia and many of the former Soviet republics.
97% of the public school students of Russia, 75% in Belarus, 41% in Kazakhstan, 25% in Ukraine, 23% in Kyrgyzstan, 21% in Moldova, 7% in Azerbaijan, 5% in Georgia and 2% in Armenia and Tajikistan receive their education only or mostly in Russian, although the corresponding percentage of ethnic Russians is 78% in Russia, 10% in Belarus, 26% in Kazakhstan, 17% in Ukraine, 9% in Kyrgyzstan, 6% in Moldova, 2% in Azerbaijan, 1.5% in Georgia and less than 1% in both Armenia and Tajikistan.
Russian-language schooling is also available in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, despite the government attempts to reduce the number of subjects taught in Russian.
Russian has co-official status alongside Romanian in seven Romanian communes in Tulcea and Constanţa counties. In these localities, Russian-speaking Lipovans, who are a recognized ethnic minority, make up more than 20% of the population. Thus, according to Romania's minority rights law, education, signage and access to public administration and the justice system are provided in Russian, alongside Romanian.

2007-01-04T15:48:00.000+05:30

In order help students who are learning Russian language we are providing here the "The Classes of Pronouns"

Classes of Russian pronouns
Personal
1st person
я, мы
I, we
2nd person
ты, вы
you (sing), you (plural)
3rd person
он, она, оно, они
he, she, it, they
Reflexive
себя
myself, oneself
Possessive
мой, твой, наш, ваш, свой
my, your (familiar), our, your (polite/plural)
Demonstrative
тот, та, то, те; этот, эта, это; эти; такой, такая, такое, такие; столько
that; this; these; such; so much/many
Interrogative
кто, что, какой, чей, который, сколько, насколько
who, what, what/which, whose, which, how much/many, to what extent
Indefinite
некто, нечто, некоторый, несколько;кто-то, кто-нибудь; что-то, что-нибудь; какой-то; кое-кто
someone, something, some, some;somebody, something; some; someone
Relative
кто, что, какой, который, чей, сколько, насколько
who, what, what/which, which, whose, how much/many, to what extent
Negative
никто, ничто, некого, нечего, ничей, нисколько; никакой
nobody, nothing, there's nobody to, there's nothing to, nobody's, to no extent
Determinative
сам, весь, всякий, каждый, иной, другой, любой
oneself, all, everybody, each/every, other/some, another, any

2007-01-04T15:42:00.000+05:30

Proverb of the Day
Конец -- всему делу венец.
The end crowns the work.

2007-01-04T15:30:00.000+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY
Word: Запретить Meaning: To forbid, prohibit, ban Pronunciation:zah-pree-teet' Example: Ему запретили пользоваться доской объявлений.Translation: He was banned from the bulletin board. Notes: Запретить (perfective aspect); Запрещать (imperfective aspect).

2006-12-04T11:47:00.001+05:30

Proverb of the Day

Что посеешь, то и пожнёшь.
As a man sows, so shall he reap.

2006-12-04T11:47:00.000+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY

Word: Найти
Meaning: To find
Pronunciation:
nigh-tee
Example: Где ты нашёл эту книгу.
Translation: Where did you find this book?

2006-11-23T13:07:00.000+05:30

Proverb of the Day
Нет худа без добра.
Every cloud has a silver lining.

2006-11-23T13:05:00.000+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY
Word: Развивать Meaning: To develop Pronunciation:rah-zvee-vaht' Example: Россия развивает экономику страны. Translation: Russia develops the economy of the country. Notes: imperfective aspect (развивать); perfective aspect (развить)";

2006-11-17T12:45:00.000+05:30

Proverb of the Day
Все дороги ведут в Рим.
All roads lead to Rome.

2006-11-17T12:41:00.000+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY
Первый раз Meaning: The first time Pronunciation:pyehr-viy rahz Example: Она влюбилась первый раз в жизни. Translation: She fell in love for the first time in her life.";

2006-11-02T15:41:00.000+05:30

Proverb of the Day
Друзья познаются в беде.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.

2006-11-02T15:37:00.000+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY
"Word: Запретить Meaning: To forbid, prohibit, ban Pronunciation: zah-pree-teet' Example: Ему запретили пользоваться доской объявлений. Translation: He was banned from the bulletin board. Notes: Запретить (perfective aspect); Запрещать (imperfective aspect)".

2006-11-01T10:43:00.001+05:30

Proverb of the Day
Не по словам судят, а по делам.
Actions speak louder than words.

2006-11-01T10:43:00.000+05:30

Word of the Day
"Word: Давай Meaning: Let's Pronunciation:dah-vighExample: Давай сходим в кино! Translation: Let's go to the movies. Note: Let's is only one meaning of the word 'давай'. It might also be the imperative of the verb 'давать' (to give)."

2006-10-25T14:06:00.002+05:30

All of you are invited to give your views on the character Bazarov who is the main character of the novel "Fathers and Sons" written by Ivan Turgenev.Did u like him?if yes then why? Did u dislike him? why? Do u have sympathy for him? why?

2006-10-25T14:06:00.001+05:30

PROVERB OF THE DAY
Москва не сразу строилась.
Rome was not built in a day.

2006-10-25T14:06:00.000+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY
Word: Вино Meaning: Wine Pronunciation:vee-no Example: Французские вина известны во всём мире. Translation: French wines are famous all over the world. Notes: Вино is a singular noun; Вина is its plural form, and should be stressed on the letter 'и'. When stressed on 'a' it means 'fault, guilt'";

.

2006-10-23T14:26:00.000+05:30

Proverb of the day
Не всё то золото, что блестит.
All that glitters is not gold.

2006-10-23T14:12:00.000+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY

Word: Расписываться Meaning: To sign Pronunciation:rahs-pee-si-va -tsah Example: Распишитесь здесь, пожалуйста. Translation: Please, sign her .Notes: Расписаться (perfective aspect); Расписываться (imperfective aspect)";

2006-10-20T11:41:00.002+05:30

proverb of the day
Всё хорошо, что хорошо кончается.
All's well that ends well.

2006-10-20T11:41:00.001+05:30

WORD OF THE DAY
Word: Завтра
Meaning: Tomorrow
Pronunciation:zahv-trah
Example: Увидимся завтра!
Translation: See you tomorrow!

2006-10-19T17:57:00.000+05:30

Proverb of the day:
В гостях хорошо, а дома лучше.
There is no place like home.

2006-10-19T17:52:00.000+05:30

Word of the day: Достать Meaning: To buy, get Pronunciation:dah-staht' Example: Андрей достал билеты на концерт. Translation: Andrey bought tickets to a concert.

2006-10-17T18:29:00.000+05:30

welcome everyone .lets create a new world of knowledge.