Moscow: IV RAS, Nauka Publ., 2011, 295 p.

The book under review is devoted to a topic that has only recently become widely used in Russian research. For the first time, the authors analyze not so much Russian-Indian relations with all their problems and directions, but rather the peculiarities of the formation of the image of Russia in the mass consciousness of India in the XIX - early XXI centuries, which are closely related to the development of Russian-Indian contacts. Mutual perception, even if it does not always adequately reflect the actual situation or self-assessment of the other side, is a very important component of international relations and often significantly determines the success or failure in the development of bilateral political and economic relations. This is why this monograph is essentially a pioneer work.

The preface (authors - T. N. Zagorodnikova and T. L. Shaumyan) emphasizes that the subject of the book is complex and multi-layered, it can be studied from linguistic, philological, cultural, historical and, I will add from myself, psychological, sociological and political points of view. In their opinion, the positive image of Russia is not a permanent category, but one that changes over time along with the country and its environment. Moreover, its formation is extremely important as a tool for protecting the country's national and state interests on the world stage. Such a synthesis of different layers of the theme makes the book especially relevant and in demand today.

What is my most general impression after reading the monograph? First, I came in contact with the original author's approaches and thoughts on, it would seem, so

page 195
or in other words, the problem that has already been studied (if we keep in mind the works that are traditionally limited to the analysis of bilateral relations, although in all the variety of their areas). Secondly, I once again felt the admiration and wonder that filled me in the days of my first meeting with India many years ago. In addition, I learned a lot of interesting facts from the history of long-standing and rare contacts between Russia and India, their formation in the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods, and finally in today's times.

At the same time, there is a vague, underlying sense of uncertainty and curiosity - what will happen next, how will Russian-Indian relations develop in the historical perspective? Will the image of Russia change at the level of political elites or the leadership of India, a successful businessman or a simple Indian standing at the side of a gray-green street somewhere in Delhi or Allahabad behind a cart loaded with bright juicy fruits of this blessed country?

The collective research of famous indologists T. N. Zagorodnikova, V. P. Kashin and T. L. Shaumyan imperceptibly but naturally leads the reader to these difficult questions, to which everyone will find their own answer not only in its chapters, but also in their heart, memory and imagination. The authors conducted an interesting, one might even say careful, study of the features and stages of the development of Russian-Indian relations, but at the same time focused the reader's attention on how the overall positive perception of Russia in India and India in Russia developed-great states that never had any common borders or mutual claims, but had a strong sense of unity. there is rather little information about each other and contacts, whether they are cross-country or, as is now commonly said, "people to people".

The authors had a difficult task-to show the circumstances and factors that had a direct and indirect impact on the dynamics of their interactions. And they asked themselves this, perhaps, key question: "Can we say that the 'special' nature of Russian-Indian relations was both a cause and a consequence of the 'sharpened' and partial perception of Russia in India: its history, culture, traditions and politics, its attitude towards India as an important geopolitical ally, and towards Indians as close in spirit, sharing many of the moral, spiritual and cultural values of our compatriots" (p. 209). Throughout the book, the authors (each based on their own views, knowledge and feelings) searched and found the answer to this question, analyzing the historical ties between the two countries, the attitude of Indians to Russian politicians, cultural figures, scientists, ordinary people, and the perception of Soviet and Russian realities by prominent figures of the national liberation movement of India.

In Chapter I " Russia through the eyes of modern Indians "(author-T. L. Shaumyan) T. L. Shaumyan draws on the results of a sociological study of the image of today's Russia in the public consciousness of India, conducted and provided by the Indian " SUN Group "and its Russian partners from the IMA-DIALOG Center for International Projects with the participation of experts from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Chapter II, " The Formation of the Image of Russia in India in the 19th and early 20th centuries "(author T. N. Zagorodnikova), uses historically vivid material to tell about the main sources and channels for the formation of Indian ideas about the harsh Russian land and the mighty Russians living north of their homeland, beyond impassable mountains. The author justifiably dwells on the "role of the colonial authorities" in this process. First of all, they widely used the press ("The Englishman and Military Chronicle", "The Friend of India", "Basumaty", "Pioneer", "Mirror", etc.) to introduce the concept of the "Russian threat" into the minds of Indians, unjustified assessments of the activities of the battle artist V. V. Vereshchagin, the founder of the theosophical Society the H. P. Blavatsky Society, attempts by various societies created in India to expand information about nature, people and life in Russia. This was of greater interest (after England) to different strata of the Indian population.

The process of overcoming misunderstandings and stereotypes of the image of Russia that developed in India (especially during the colonial period) developed as contacts between the countries strengthened, starting with the journey of the Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin and the frequent visits to India for various purposes by Russians (Professor I. P. Minaev, Staff Captain A. F. Hilferding, Prince A. D. Saltykov, etc.). and ending with the organization and operation of the first consulates, and then the embassy of the Russian Empire in India. In parallel, the process of familiarizing Indians with Russia was underway. As a result, as T. N. Zagorodnikova rightly points out, in the XIX - early XX centuries, India developed

page 196
mixed perceptions of Russia - from love and faith in its liberation mission to fear of invasion from the north, which was fueled by the colonial authorities of Britain, which, like Russia, participated in the" big game in Asia " and pursued its own interests.

A separate section of the chapter is devoted to the enormous role of Leo Tolstoy in the process of Indian knowledge of Russia. His name was well known in India, where he was considered close in spirit and life positions. The author makes extensive use of excerpts from Leo Tolstoy's correspondence with his Indian correspondence partners, which relate not only directly to his work, but also to his philosophical views, which were not always understood and even subjected to some criticism.

Chapter III "Indian scientists, thinkers and public figures of the first half of the XX century about Russia" (author - V. P. Kashin) intersects with this topic and, as can be seen from the title, explores the other side of the image of Russia as it was seen by prominent Indians. Based on little-known materials and documents, the author gives a comprehensive description of the Nobel Prize winner R. Tagore, a thinker, writer, poet, artist, and public figure. Russian readers will be particularly interested in his attitude to revolutionary Russia, facts from the biography of R. Tagore related to his visit to our country, his ambiguous assessments of the events taking place in Russia and the first stages of the formation of a new society. The great humanist outlined his rather harsh views on the negative aspects of Russian life in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, which was published only 58 years later. In the afterword to his book on Russia, R. Tagore denounced the authorities ' attempts to restrict the ability to express their views, the cultivation of class hatred, etc. His opinion about Russia was listened to both in India and around the world.

An essay about Mahatma ("the great soul") is dedicated to the champion of nonviolence, peacemaker, bearer of the great ideals of morality, tolerance, love and the desire for equality, recognized all over the world as a"man of the XX century". Gandhi. The author tells about his first steps as a political leader during his service in Pretoria, and the anti-colonial nonviolent political campaigns (Satyagraha)initiated by him on his return to his homeland, his courageous efforts to build tolerance between Hindus and Muslims, and his outstanding role in transforming the Indian National Congress into a grassroots democratic party. The reader will undoubtedly be interested in the pages where V. P. Kashin shows in detail, using examples from letters and articles, the great interest in Russian culture and history experienced by M. Gandhi throughout his life. He did not manage to visit Russia, unlike R. Tagore and J. R. R. Tolkien. Nehru. He has developed his own assessments and views on Russia. They are ambiguous and have evolved significantly-from a deep respect for L. N. Tolstoy (with whom he actively corresponded), sympathy for the Russians (as poor and disenfranchised as the Indians) to a wary attitude towards the practice of socialist construction in the USSR, distrust of its foreign and domestic policy, which remained until the end of his life.

V. P. Kashin comprehensively analyzed the invaluable role of the first Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of independent India, J. R. R. Tolkien. Nehru, who initiated the establishment of diplomatic relations with the USSR, is a supporter of mutually beneficial and equal Russian-Indian cooperation in trade, economic, cultural, scientific and other fields. He helped shape the image of Russia as a natural ally and an important partner on the world stage.

In an essay on J. R. R. Tolkien Nehru, as a charismatic personality, a passionate fighter for peace and social justice, reveals the versatility of the "architect of the new India": "He was a world-class politician, reformer, philosopher, publicist who believed in the power of reason, unlimited possibilities of understanding the world and social progress" (pp. 113-114). V. P. Kashin tells Also about his interest in Russia, his desire to understand the zigzags of Russian history (the Soviet-German non-aggression pact, the war with Finland, etc.). At the same time, as the author notes, J. Nehru in his book "The Discovery of India" points to the imperial ambitions of the Soviet Union. After a trip to the USSR, he was attracted to the model of socialism, which he called the key to solving world problems and India's problems, seeing in it an approach to solving social and economic problems and rejecting certain dogmas and schemes. He dominated the minds of his countrymen for many years, remaining at the helm of power in India for the rest of his life. He managed to achieve major successes, survive moments of disappointment and failure, leaving behind the "Nehru Course", which always maintained friendly relations with the Soviet Union.

page 197
It seems that a section on Indira Gandhi, a significant figure in the history of India, her wisdom and love for the motherland, her ability and desire to protect the interests of the Indian people, would be appropriate in this chapter. It has undoubtedly made a huge contribution to strengthening India-Russia relations, without changing its principled positions for the benefit of India.

In chapters IV, " Shaping the image of the USSR/Russia in Independent India, "V" Economic, scientific, technical and military cooperation as a factor in shaping the image of the USSR/Russia in India" and VI " Cultural and social ties as a factor in shaping the image of the USSR/ Russia in India "(author T. L. Shaumyan) objectively examined both the" pitfalls " that arose between the two states, and all the nuances in the parallel process of creating a favorable vision of each other.

Thus, the author did not paint reality and did not try to avoid inconvenient facts in the relations of our country with India, which had just gained independence, during the period of Stalinist Russia or at the beginning of Khrushchev's rule. This period was characterized by a high degree of misunderstanding and underestimation of each other, which often resulted in an open exchange of sometimes offensive remarks and arguments, which was compounded by the "free" interpretation of local media.

Very advantageous in this regard are those pages of the monograph, where the author pointed out a more objective coverage of the situation in India and a high assessment of the political role of the leader of the national liberation movement and the first Indian Prime Minister, J. R. R. Tolkien. Nehru thanks to the courageous act and professional flair of the first USSR Ambassador to India K. V. Novikov. Similar facts were discovered by indologist-historian V. P. Kashin in the Russian Center for the Storage and Study of Documents of Modern History (RTSHIDNI). This, without a doubt, is a great success of the scientist.

So even in the difficult times of Stalinism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR had employees who provided a real assessment of the situation in the young state in the very first years after independence. In the report of the ambassador, which K. V. Novikov delivered at a meeting of the Foreign Policy Commission of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) on July 5, 1949, it was noted: "Before leaving for India, I was instructed by Comrade Stalin to remember that the Indian government came to power on August 15, 1947 as a result of a deal between the Indian national bourgeois-feudal-landlords the struggle against British imperialism " (p. 142). Having dealt with the situation in India on the spot, K. V. Novikov draws a different conclusion: after the declaration of independence, all power in the country passed into the hands of the national bourgeoisie, which could decide certain political, state and other issues at will.

You can not review all the interesting stories and topics of chapters written by T. L. Shaumyan. There are many of them, they introduce a wide range of monographs, archival data, memoir literature, statements of well-known experts-Indians and Russians, and the media, which encourages you to read these pages with double attention. I will highlight only a few of the most significant ones.

- The Kashmir problem. It is a complex and one of the most long-standing conflicts in the history of modern Asia. But thanks to the support of the USSR since the 1950s in the UN and in various international forums for India's interests, the ideas of peaceful political settlement of conflicts and disputed issues have found wide understanding both in the government and in public circles of India. The Soviet Union played an equally important positive role during the Indo-Pakistani armed conflict of 1971. In the same year, the Soviet-Indian treaty was signed, which undoubtedly strengthened not only India's international position, but also the image of Russia as a friend and ally.

- The need to choose between "Chinese brothers" and "Indian friends" in conditions burdened by many factors: the events in Tibet in 1959 and border disputes over territories, the distribution of forces in the region into "enemies" and "friends", which resulted in the collapse of Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh, ideological differences between China and the Soviet Union. T. L. Shaumyan showed the changes in the world, the region, and Russia by the end of the 1980s, which led to a mutual interest in reducing confrontation in general and normalizing relations after the end of the Cold war, both Russian-Indian and Russian-Chinese relations in particular.

- The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 is yet another test of Soviet-Indian relations. Each side has its own understanding and explanations of the reasons for the entry of the Soviet contingent. As T. L. Shaumyan rightly notes, " Indira Gandhi considered the Afghan crisis in its regional dimension, taking into account the expansion of the region-

page 198
Russian-Pakistani military cooperation" (p. 162), thus condemning any foreign interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and negatively evaluating American military assistance to Pakistan. In September 1980. Indira Gandhi, during meetings with the Soviet leadership in Moscow, repeated that Soviet troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan. But this point was removed from both the text of the joint communique and the TASS report.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, during the transition period, the Indian leadership expressed great concern and regret over the changes in our country, which could not but make negative adjustments to Russian-Indian relations. The author reveals their painful problems, explains the reasons for the curtailment of certain areas, at the same time gives examples not only of the decline in the level of mutual trade, but also of the search for joint high-tech areas of cooperation, such as the Sarae-Duet project, the successful creation of the BrahMos anti-ship missile, etc.

The pages in the book, where T. L. Shaumyan gives direct impressions and notes about short or long visits to India of our colleagues-indologists-P. M. Shastitko, E. N. Komarov, E. S. Yurlova, etc. - were very lively and humanly attractive. Each of them not only saw their own India and their own Indians, but also tried as much as possible to convey to their interlocutors in private meetings or listeners during public speeches comprehensive and balanced information about Russia, its problems, mistakes, its positive and negative experiences, etc.

Thus, in her conversations with Indians, E. S. Yurlova rightly noted that " everything cannot be just one bright and beautiful thing. There have been and still are many dark spots in our lives " (p. 203). Only such frank and honest contacts could contribute to an objective perception of the image of Russia, and touch the deeper strings of the soul of Indians. It is a pity that the authors of the book, who have repeatedly visited different parts of India, met with representatives of different strata of Indian society, did not share with readers their (I think interesting) observations and sketches.

The book is enriched by extensive appendices in the form of tables with statistical materials and elegantly executed color diagrams of many surveys on various topics. The most interesting ones are: Who among the Russians of the past and present would you call a friend of India? Is it profitable for India to cooperate with Russia in the economic and military-technical sphere, or in the field of science and education? What works of Russian literature do you know? What advice do you give your relative if she decides to marry a Russian? As can be seen from the painstakingly collected data, the range of respondents is very wide in terms of gender, age, educational and other indicators. The answers received provided invaluable assistance to the authors in supporting various positions and developments that demonstrate all the pros and cons of the current state of contacts between our countries - in foreign policy issues, in the field of economy, military and dual-use technologies, education, culture, etc.

Unfortunately, the authors rightly conclude that Russia's importance to India has declined in some of the indicators compared to the best years of our cooperation in Soviet times. Since then, the world has changed, India has changed, and Russia is changing for the better. But you can't enter the same river twice. After a long period of failure and a breakdown in relations not only with India, we realized that it was necessary to collect stones. The authors of the monograph show the reader in detail the measures and directions that can change the image of Russia as a "catching-up country" into an equal and competitive partner.

There are a number of difficulties on this path: lack of adequate information about promising opportunities for military-strategic and trade-economic cooperation, new rules and regulations of the Russian market, problems of economic growth in Russia; weak development of cultural and personal contacts, a decrease in interest in each other in the media; generational change in the Indian elite and society, which can blur their positive assessments towards market pragmatism, reorientation towards interaction with developed countries, etc.

Because of this, it is much more difficult to "reach out" to Indian youth who are entering active life, who are an increasingly important part of Indian society and, according to my recent impressions, do not always adequately understand the winning facts from the history of long-term and multilateral friendship between our countries.

Yes, we still have a strategic partnership and the possibility of cooperation on global issues (building a multipolar world, fighting terrorism, preventing the proliferation of WMD with different approaches, interaction in the SCO, BRICS and other formats).

page 199
Russia supports India's aspiration to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. But it is impossible not to state the objective reality that India is significantly ahead of Russia in terms of growth rates and is boldly moving by leaps and bounds towards the status of a great power. Apparently, it will be difficult to preserve the old image of Russia in the eyes of Indian society. Time will show how this image will change.

page 200

Permanent link to this publication: