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The Organising Committee, Centre of Russian Studies,
School of Language, Literature & Culture Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 110067, India

1st August, 2005
Dear Sir/Madam,

I have the pleasure to inform you that the Centre of Russian Studies, 
SLL&CS, JNU is completing its 40th year in November, 2005.  Forty years is a 
milestone in the path of any educational institution.  CRS has played a 
major role in spreading knowledge about the Russian language, literature and 
culture in India.  On this memorable and historic occasion, we, at CRS are 
planning to organize an international seminar-cum-workshop to assess the 
role of Russian language and literature in India as well as the role of 
Russian globally.

Our seminar-cum-workshop ‘Russian Through the years: A Mosaic of Language, 
Literature and Culture’ will be held from November 8-10, 2005.  We would 
like to examine the rich heritage of Russian language, literature and 
culture and the fascinating pattern it has set on the world scene. We hope 
that this seminar will be both deeply engaging and thought provoking, as we 
look back at the different processes and moments that have marked the 
changing field of Russian studies in these last two decades, and ahead into 
a future that promises to be both challenging and exciting.

In this seminar we hope to bring together scholars and experts who have been 
associated with Russian philology and Russian studies in varied aspects, 
from Russia, the CIS and other countries as well as India. We look forward 
to stimulating discussions and lectures in the fields of language, 
literature and culture studies. A detailed outline of the theme of this 
seminar is given in the Concept Note.

The working languages of the Seminar would be Russian and English. We look 
forward to your confirming your participation in the seminar.  Participants 
are requested to send the title of their paper along with a brief abstract 
(not more than 300 words) to [log in to unmask] latest by September 7th, 
2005 or by post (preferably on a floppy) to The Organising Committee, Centre 
of Russian Studies, School of Language, Literature & Culture Studies, 
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 110067, India. Local hospitality 
will be provided by the Organiser.  Participants will have to bear their 
travelling expenses for attending the seminar.

Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Sd/-
(Prof. Sankar Basu)


Centre of Russian Studies
International Seminar cum Workshop:
Russian through the Years: A Mosaic of Language, Literature and Culture
November 8 – 10, 2005

Concept Note


History is a map of the past, which enables us to locate ourselves in the 
present and to find a way into the future. One cannot approach the future 
without looking at the present, and the present cannot be divorced from the 
past. The seminar Russian through the Years: A Mosaic of Language, 
Literature and Culture would look at the past, interrogate the present and 
try and provide a direction for the future of Russian studies in India.

Russian Civilization & Culture has passed through drastic, dramatic and at 
times devastating changes, ups & downs during the last few centuries. It is 
fascinating to study these developments and see their reflection on Russian 
philology and culture. Our seminar cum workshop while reviewing the vast 
panorama of Russian language and literature in the past, will also give 
scholars an opportunity to assess the changing nature of language, 
literature and culture with the changing life style in ‘new’ Russia.

It is important to recollect the Golden Age of Russian literature and 
culture of the 19th century, the new experimentation during the Silver age 
of Russian culture at the beginning of the 20th century. The Soviet period 
presented a totally new path, approach, way of life.  Soviet literature 
emerged and continued with variations of rigidity and control for over 70 
years. At the turn of the 20th century Russia acquired a newly found freedom 
and at same time faced one of the worst economic crises that led to 
deprivation, uncertainty, impoverishment and a resultant moral crisis. The 
end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century saw a shift in priorities 
of the Russian Government. This shift has impacted not only the life style 
but also the literature & culture of the people. The language itself (in 
newspapers, radio, TV etc.) has undergone qualitative changes in its 
lexicon, syntax, morphology and style. Scholars are engaged in still 
assessing the impact of these changes on the Russian language, on literature 
and culture. Our seminar will be a step in this direction.



We invite papers that remember and look back to the motivations of Russian 
studies of the past; papers that recall the ideological and cultural space 
afforded to Russian in our Indian context, the texts, moments and histories 
that spurred former generations of students and teachers to dedicate their 
lives to studying and understanding more about the complex phenomenon that 
was the USSR.; papers that talk about the Soviet approach to the study of 
language both in terms of it being a science and in terms of teaching 
methodologies.

We also invite papers that interrogate today; papers that attempt to analyse 
and understand the changes and challenges transforming not only Russia, but 
also the whole world of which we are a part. We would like to hear current 
scholars debate the issues that seem to be preoccupying the Russian stage 
today, issues of questioned ideologies, renewed faiths and new cultural 
icons.  We call for papers that deal with the rapid changes in the language 
and new approaches to language teaching and linguistics. When a society goes 
through changes and poses new questions to itself, it often formulates a new 
language to pose those debates in. What are these changes in the language 
and culture of Russia today? What do they mean for us?

We also invite papers that look forward into the future. This future seems 
bleak to some, but promising to others. We hope to gain a wide-ranging 
perspective on the options open to us in Russian Studies in India, and 
indeed, to Russian Studies globally; to gain an understanding that might 
enable us to choose and direct the path of this discipline, rather than be 
swept along in a tide that seems beyond control.



Centre of Russian Studies
International Seminar
‘Russian Through the years: A Mosaic of Language, Literature and Culture’
November 8-10, 2005

Registration Form

1.                 Full Name (Surname 
First)__________________________________________
2.                 Name of the 
Institution/Affiliation____________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________
3.                 Centre/Department 
_______________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________
4.                 Nationality 
______________________________________________________
5.                 Address (with postal 
code)_________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________
6.                 E 
mail:_________________________________________________________
7.                 Telephone (with STD/Area 
Code)____________________________________
8.                 Title of 
paper____________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________
9.                 Language of 
presentation__________________________________________
10.             Whether accommodation required in Delhi or not: 
Yes/No________________


Date __________________ 
________________________
                                                                             
                    Signature