On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Embassy of India in the Russian Federation in collaboration with the Tolstoy Estate, the Institute of Oriental Studies and the Russian State University of Humanities will be organizing an Academic Conference and an exhibition dedicated to the deep friendship and mutual influences of Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy on each other’s work and philosophy. The Exhibition, curated by renowned Gandhi scholar, Dr. Birad Yajnik, will showcase the correspondence between the two great souls of the 20th century, tracing their relationship and the impact this had on their individual journeys. The Exhibition will be jointly inaugurated by the Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation, His Excellency, Mr. DB Venkatesh Varma and Ms. Ekaterina Tolstoy, Director of the Tolstoy Estate
The Academic Conference comprises of some of the leading scholars on Gandhi and Tolstoy from India and Russia, exploring themes such as the ‘moral and ethical conceptions in Gandhi’s and Tolstoy’s works’, ‘influence of Tolstoy on Gandhi’s passive resistance movement’ and ‘reflections of Gandhi in Soviet Russia.’ The Embassy will publish a book of papers presented at the Conference in honor of the 150th anniversary celebrations.
