The Hindu : `Roerich wished to be buried in Russia'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 22, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

`Roerich wished to be buried in Russia'

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore June 21. The Russian Ambassador to India, Alexander M. Kadakin, said here on Friday that the late artist, Svetoslav Roerich, wanted to be buried in his hometown St. Petersburg, in the cemetery of the cathedral there.

``It is the fond hope of the Russian people that this can happen before the great artist's birth centenary in 2004, but we don't want any controversy, only the consent of our Indian friends, because he belonged equally to India,'' Mr. Kadakin said.

The Russian Ambassador and the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, earlier paid tributes at the graves of Roerich and his wife, Devika Rani, in their Tataguni Estate, 20 km. from here on Kanakapura Road. They also laid the foundation for a memorial planned for the couple.

Referring to the litigation about the estate, Mr. Kadakin hoped it would be solved soon, and the Karnataka Government would take possession and build a suitable memorial for the Roeriches there, as a heritage site. Russia was grateful to the State Government for the efforts taken to preserve the buildings used by Dr. Roerich, including his studio, and the collection of his paintings, he said.

Mr. Krishna explained the Government's plans to restore the buildings and studio in the estate as a heritage left behind by the great artist. There was serious concern about encroachments on the estate, "which really belongs to the people of not just Karnataka but all of India,'' he said.

The Government was determined to remove all encroachments, recover the encroached land, and preserve the estate's scenic beauty, turning it into both a large park and a centre for art, Mr. Krishna said. Recollecting his meetings with the great artist since the early 1970s, he said the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat owed a lot to his generosity.

The Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, Rani Satish, the Revenue Minister, H.C. Srikantaiah, and the Chief Secretary, A. Ravindra, were among those present.

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