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Russia to head off hostile takeover of Roerich estate in Indian Kullu Valley-ambassador

The district government demanded another time in a crude form that IMTR curator Alena Adamkova should leave the estate ground
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

CHENNAI, India, April 21 (Itar-Tass) — Russia will head off a hostile takeover by local authorities of the International Memorial Trust of Roerichs (IMTR) in the Kullu Valley in the Himalayas, Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin told reporters.

The district government demanded another time in a crude form that IMTR curator Alena Adamkova should leave the estate grounds. However, she refused to leave till the demands of the Russian side are met.

“We insist that before present IMTR curator Alena Adamkova leaves her post, a tripartite document between the Indian government, the IMTR trusteeship council and a Russian representative should be signed with a description and evaluation of museum exhibits at the Roerichs estate in Kullu,” Kadakin emphasized.

“The government of the Himachal Pradesh State where the estate is located, has completely disregarded our requests so far.”

According to the diplomat, Russia repeatedly called attention of the central Indian authorities to the need of raising the status of the Roerichs estate in Kullu. “The thing is that the Roerichs heritage is a subject of the national pride of Russia and India. Therefore, the centre should be preoccupied with it rather than local authorities,” he added.

The ambassador underlined that “Roerichs for Russia have the same civilized value as the “Bhadavad Gita” book for Indians, which authorities in Tomsk wanted to ban. “However, common sense and law prevailed in Russia,” the diplomat recalled a ruling of the Tomsk Regional Court that refused to recognize last March “Bhagavad Gita” as an extremist book, as it is.