Date:04/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110458260200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

All about a dreamer, an achiever

Staff Reporter

— Photo: S.R.Raghunathan

Informative: (From left) Stanislav Simakov, Director, Russian Centre of Science and Culture, poet Thamizhachi Thangapandian and Svetlana Shedrakova, Director, Moscow State Sergei Esenin Museum at the inauguration of an exhibition at the Centre in Chennai on Monday.

CHENNAI: “Space will be conquered… and humanity will be in conversation not just with nearby planets and their moons, but the entire universe in its infinity.”

These words may not seem revolutionary today, but at a time when space travel was unheard of, these were the imaginings of an intuitive genius Sergei Esenin. A world renowned Russian poet, Esenin’s verse inspired someone who proved to be inspirational to millions – Yuri Gagarin.

To know more about these two remarkable individuals, visit an exhibition organised by Russian Centre of Science and Culture jointly with Moscow State Sergei Esenin Museum. Titled ‘Captain of the Earth — Poetry of Space,” it is about Sergei Esenin and Yuri Gagarin. It was inaugurated at the Russian Cultural Centre on Monday.

Many cosmonauts trained for the first travel. A unique method of selection was used in which everyone was asked whom they would recommend and 60 per cent chose Gagarin. And, that is how he became the first human to explore space, said a visitor to the inauguration, sharing some trivia about the historic travel. Writing poetry and exploring the space are similar; one is about exploring human attitudes and the other is about altitudes, said poet Thamizhachi Thangapandian, who was the chief guest at the occasion. Even though there are superficial divisions in India, we are inexorably united by literature, she said, speaking about the power of the written word to connect different cultures. The exhibition will be on from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. till November 5.