Russia Day is one of the newest national public holidays in Russia, celebrated since 1992. Being a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia, Russia has a rich cultural history, strong traditions and influential arts, especially when it comes to literature, classical music, ballet, architecture, painting, and cinema.
The Russian Cultural Center in Colombo aka the Russian House plays a huge role in the development of Russia’s cultural and educational presence in Sri Lanka. The center allows Sri Lankan people to learn more about Russia, its customs and traditions, language and culture. The House is a very vivid center of attraction in the downtown Colombo offering various kinds of classes and hobby clubs for all ages – music, classical ballet, fine arts, chess, and the Russian language, of course. The place is especially popular among children who find its atmosphere very homelike and friendly.
The cultural center also boasts an impressive library where you can find books in Russian, English, Sinhala and Tamil. Fans of Russian classical literature will be sure to find the masterpieces of Russian literary greats like Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, Chingiz Aitmatov, the list goes on. Given the undying interest of Sri Lankans towards our writers, the Russian House has become a regular venue for the Annual Literature Festival gathering authors and poets from all over the island – the place where literary enthusiasts share their love for literature, present their new works, Russian books translated into Singhalese, and do some poetry reciting. We are proud to say that this April, together with the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka, we have launched a Russian Reading Corner at the Public Library of Colombo, to mark the 155th birthday anniversary of Maxim Gorky, one of our most prominent and treasured authors. It’s surprising to see how popular and famous Gorky is in Sri Lanka as we embark on his books translated into Sinhala and obviously devoured many times by local readers. Time and again, we meet people who cherish his works and know them by name and sometimes, by heart.
Hence the positive tendency towards learning our language – and today we see a rising demand in learning Russian. To satisfy the growing wait-list, a new spacious Russian Language class dedicated to Anton Chekhov, opened its welcoming doors in February, to admit more students. Our special guest at the opening ceremony, world-famous artist Chandraguptha Thenuwara, presented us a bronze bust of the legendary writer created especially for the occasion. We are so proud to admit that the Russian Language is expanding its geography in the island where Chekhov once found paradise! Thus June, we are launching a course in Galle, and by the end of July a separate Russian Language unit will be opened in Sri Lanka’s biggest University in Kandy.
Another important aspect of our work is promoting the Russian higher education. For decades, Russia has been considered one of the countries with the best quality of the mass education system in the entire world. Apart from top quality education, Russia offers huge diversity, boasting an impressive choice of schools and programs. The Russian House in Colombo is exclusively authorized to handle Russian state scholarships for Bachelors, Masters and PhD programs annually offered by the Russian government to Sri Lanka since 1960. This year the number of scholarships has been raised to 60. Anyone who wants to study in our universities, can get full information about the paperwork and application process at the Russian Center. It’s also worth mentioning that Russian graduates are holding top positions in Sri Lanka, especially in the government and medical spheres.
The Russian House in Colombo also contributes to early childhood education as another addition to our main list of activities. There is a game class in which kids can receive high-quality primary educational, a summer camp, and a wonderful art school in our premises. Our special source of pride is the Anatoly Karpov Chess Club headed by the Sri Lankan chess queen, the Olympiad Gold medalist and WFM title player, Suneetha Wijesuriya, who also happens to be an outstanding chess coach. Children of all ages regularly take part in tournaments, camps, and workshops featuring world-famous grandmasters. This year the Anatoly Karpov Chess Club proudly celebrates its 25th anniversary, and to mark this grand occasion we are opening a new, hi-end class for our talented chess players.
The Russian School of Music helps young Sri Lankans discover the magical world of classical music, offering piano, violin, vocal and guitar classes. We’re truly delighted to see some of our students become Sri Lanka’s big-name piano players. It’s obvious that Russian classical music, and specifically its 19th-century romantic period, is still relevant and resonates in all the most prestigious music halls of the planet. To keep this flame burning, the Russian House has hosted one of the most significant musical events of this spring, to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the outstanding composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff. Our ancient stage, meticulously decorated in crystals and flowers and soaking in the light from dozens of candlesticks, was turned into a magical background for the young Sri Lankan talents Pruthuvi Prabhashwara, Manoj Wijayawardena, Dhanika Wijesiri, and Navendra Marcelline, who performed Rachmaninoff’s signature pieces under the guidance of the lovely and incredible Saundarie Davis. That’s when we realized our auditorium had one of the best acoustics in the city. With this in mind, we’re planning to host more musical events honoring the talents of the many Russian composers.
Our highly prestigious Russian School of Ballet is open to students from 3 to 17 years old, introducing the elements of classical ballet, and holding regular classes, master classes, and concert performances. Special assessment reviews are held annually with the participation of ballet dancers from Moscow. This summer, we are excited to host Oksana Rozhok who is coming to share her graceful dance techniques and precise flowing movements with our dance students in an exclusive two-week ballet workshop.
Aside from that, our spacious auditorium has become a center of Colombo’s cultural life due to movie screenings, intellectual gatherings and festivals. We show classic and contemporary Russian films, and currently present a joint project with RT Documentary. All the information about the screenings, festivals and other cultural activities can be found in our social media.
Though there has been much debate on the subject, it is clear that Russia’s unique and vibrant culture cannot be cancelled. This is made evident by the fact that over the course of centuries, it has become an integral part of world cultural heritage.
