Photo credit: rs.gov.ru
The project, dedicated to the anniversary of the Russian merchant Afanasy Nikitin’s journey, was presented in the Indian parliament, the Rossotrudnichestvo website reports. Its initiators and organizers were the Russian Friendship with India Society, the Indian-Russian Fund, the Russian Association for International Cooperation (RAMS).
In the middle of the 15th century, the Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin set off for commercial purposes on a six-year journey to Persia, India and the Turkish state. Nikitin conveyed his impressions of what he saw in his notes Walking Over Three Seas, which became a masterpiece of Russian literature. 550 years have passed since his journey.
The rally, which will follow the route of Afanasy Nikitin, is set to honor this date. Six cars will set off from Tver. Then the route will be laid down the Volga with stops in Uglich, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and other cities to Derbent. From there, participants will pass through the territory of Azerbaijan and Oman.
After that, the rally route will turn to Mumbai and finish in Vijayawada, where the participants will become honored guests in the opening of the monument to the Russian traveler. It will be established as a symbol of centuries-old friendship between the two countries. It is also planned to shoot a documentary during the rally.
At the moment, the authorities of New Delhi study the possibility of assigning the name of Afanasy Nikitin to one of the city streets. This initiative was made by Indian and Russian public organizations.
Indian parliamentarians also presented a calendar based on paintings by artist Lyudmila Yugi. The first copy of the calendar called Walking Over Three Seas. Afanasy Nikitin was presented to the Speaker of the Lower House of the Indian Parliament Om Birla.
Russkiy Mir
