IS SHE NOT BEAUTIFUL?

                                          

       

“Is she not beautiful?” I asked my friends who were spread out in the front hall of my house. I was holding the photo of the girl in my hand. My friends had come to my house with their families for a get together.

“She is beautiful” replied Ram. “ She is one of the most beautiful women in the world” I added with a smile . Ram replied “ I don’t think so. There are so many other women looking better”.

At this moment my wife entered the dialogue and said “ You know Ram why he is saying so? It is because she is a Russian”. Ram looked at me and I smiled.

Sujan Chandy who was sitting next to Ram added “Now I know Mr. Lenin why you like her. Guys, as far I remember our friend has been a great fan of anything that is Russian”.

I corrected him “She is a soviet girl and we all grew in an era wherein India was the closest ally of the Soviet Union. I still remember the years in early eighties when we used to get very good quality USSR books at very less expensive prices. We have grown up reading those books ”.

I got a call on my mobile and went out and attended the call. Once the call was over, I leaned on the wall of the house and started thinking.

When we were kids we used to listen to BBC and Radio Moscow in our huge radio sets. There were no television sets in our houses. The friendship was deep and Soviets loved our film legends like Raj Kapoor very much. Our first and only cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma went to space from Baikanur Cosmodrome on 2^nd of April 1984.Our factories had huge Russian boilers and equipments which were sturdy and rugged. The administrative buildings in most of our Public Sector Units and other important places had a startling similarity to Soviet buildings.

 The iron wall no more exists and Soviet Union is a matter of the past.Germans from the Eastern and Western parts  have come together and have built a very impressive united and  strong Germany. The Berlin wall is in  museums and in the houses of people as souvenirs. The Baltic states are free and so are the central Asian countries belonging to Kazakhs and Uzbeks.

  50 % of Indian population are below 25 years of age and 65 % of the population are below 35 years of age. Effectively 50 % of Indian population were born after the dismantling of Soviet Union and 65 % of the population have nothing to remember about it. 25 years have passed and there is such a huge shift in way Indians look at the world. We are now more tilted towards the west as east effectively does not exist as a formidable bloc anymore. The USA is a very important partner of ours though Russia remains one of our close friends. We have become important in Asia Pacific region and have strong ties with far east also.

“Hey man, come inside” Ram shouted. I smiled and went into the hall and sat on the chair.

“We have been going to many places in India together but this time shall we go to some good foreign destination for holidays?” Ram’s wife asked.

Sujan Chandy adjusted his position on the chair and leaning forward commented “ I think we should go to a very beautiful foreign city with exotic and historic locations. How about visiting Moscow and taking a tour of the Kremlin? We shall take a train to St. Petersburg and see one of  the most beautiful places on earth”.

I jumped from my chair. I was thrilled and immediately looked at my wife and said “ I have been telling you. One should not miss a destination like Moscow. Imagine we walking in the Red Square together. We shall see St. basil’s cathedral, Kazan cathedral, the Kremlin wall, Lenin mausoleum, the statue of Minin and Pozharsky and lot more. We shall visit St. Petersburg which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world”.

Sujan laughed and looked amused. He added “ My friend I was joking. I wanted to see your spontaneous reaction to my suggestion. I can now declare to the gang that our friend who was once Mr. Lenin  will always remain Mr. Lenin”.