The Russian language extends as a part of the country, spreading extensively across the entire Indian subcontinent.
Russian is now taught at over 40 universities across India, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia University, and educational institutions of local importance such as the universities of Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai, as well as in smaller cities such as Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Vadodara (Gujarat), Reba (Uttar Pradesh), and others. Russian is taught in schools throughout India. Russian Centres for Science and Culture (RCSC) in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Trivandrum, and Calcutta are important centres for Russian linguistics, with curricula based on Russian state education plans and textbooks. The training centre opened at the end of 2011 in New Delhi, and the RCSC monitors and ensures its efficiency so as to enable aspirants to learn Russian.
Russians have worked as teachers at the Russian language courses for the RCSCs, as evidenced by practice.
They are able to not only find jobs but also improve their qualifications through the Russian Language Federal Target Program, thanks to the Centres. We are extremely proud to have made a significant contribution to the promotion of the Russian language and culture outside of Russia. Students are not only taught the language but they are also exposed to the culture of the country. It is difficult to name all of the projects and clubs within the programme, so we will only mention a few. In New Delhi, the Movie Planet club, an art school, the Roerich Museum, and others have collaborated on a successful project called Modern Russia in Films.
The experiences of Russian centres in other Indian cities are also of interest.
The Russian language courses at RCSC in Trivandrum have been in operation for over 35 years and have educated several generations of Indians. Schoolchildren and university students, doctors, businessmen and tour guides, engineers from the Cundanculam nuclear power plant and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and navy officers are among the graduates.
As Russian-Indian cooperation grows, new career opportunities emerge for those who speak Russian.
Teachers at the Trivandrum centre developed special-purpose courses at the students’ request, including the Russian Language for Tourist Guides, Business Russian, Conversational Russian, and the most popular, Russian Language in Tourism and Russian for the Indian Navy in Cochin City. The Russian language specialists in Trivandrum make extensive use of cutting-edge technology. For example, they offer an interactive Russian language course via the Edusat satellite.
Nadezhda, a popular drama school run by Russians, is located in Chennai.
The Russian culture has long piqued the interest of Indians. However, there was a decline in language study in the 1990s, and this trend has not been reversed until recently. It is well known that in the 1990s, a number of Russian companies and state organisations that were once efficient providers of Russian cultural, educational, and scientific presence in India either reduced or completely ceased operations.
The first attempts to unite Russian and CIS citizens permanently residing in New Delhi were made in 2004.
There is currently an Association of Russian Compatriots in India, which brings together Russians from all over the country. It has completed a number of successful projects over the last three years. Every year, the winners of Rossotrudnichestvo’s “Hello, Russia” competitions have the opportunity to visit Russia; Russian children attend free weekend Russian language courses; and the Association’s youth department can now participate in international youth forums.
They encourage young people to study Russian, support teachers and promote the Russian language as a general means of international communication.
For this purpose, a variety of activities of various forms and methods are organised. For example, the Russian Language Institute at New Delhi RCSC organises regular Russian language competitions for schoolchildren and students, as well as quizzes on country studies and competitions in reading Russian poems, writing essays, and illustrating famous books. The RCSC’s Days of Russian Language, Literature, and Culture are well-attended by the people of New Delhi and have even become an annual festival attracting hundreds of participants. The significance of such events cannot be overstated.
The Association of Russian Compatriots in India actively participates in the organisation of Russian Language Days and other Russian culture-related events in Indian schools. Trips to Russia for schoolchildren and students have also proven to be an effective stimulant.
New ways to promote the Russian language and raise cultural awareness are being explored. The New Delhi RCSC opened a Sunday school for the children of its compatriots in 2012. Its main goal is to promote the Russian language and traditions in mixed families. The school currently serves children over the age of ten.
