Online Russian language course for learners from India to be developed at UNN

Ratish Nair, Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation and Director of the Russian House in Trivandrum, India, visited Lobachevsky University on 30 August 2024. Alexander Bedny, UNN Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Networking, introduced the guest to the history of the university and  informed him about the main areas of training and research projects. During the meeting they agreed to organise an online course in the Russian language.

"These talks were very fruitful and substantive. We gave detailed information about our university, including international activities and our work related to the promotion of the Russian language and culture, which is of great interest to our guest. We outlined concrete steps related to cooperation between Lobachevsky University and the Russian House in Trivandrum, which Mr. Ratish Nair is heading. Thanks to our joint work, we will be able to tell more about the history of Russia, about Nizhny Novgorod and about the opportunities that are available here for students from India,"  Alexander Bedny pointed out.

The Vice-Rector noted that currently students from India enrolled at Lobachevsky University mainly choose economics, IT and international relations as their majors. He expressed hope that cooperation in this area will be expanded and the number of students from India will grow.

"In my opinion, the friendship between Russia and India is a model for other countries. One of the main pillars of our friendship is people-to-people diplomacy. Education plays a big role in this, because it is about working with the new generation, the future is theirs. Students from India who come here to study not only pursue their studies, but also learn about Russian culture and traditions. They become real public diplomats. I believe that every foreign student who studies here should become a public diplomat. For this purpose, it is necessary to promote Russian language and literature. Tentatively, we have agreed with Lobachevsky University to organise an online Russian language course for one of India’s regions," said Ratish Nair.

The guest was given a tour of the Lobachevsky University campus, including the House of Friendship and Cultural Diversity of UNN students and the Centre for Public Diplomacy of the Nizhny Novgorod region based at the university.

Ratish Nair is the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Trivandrum, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. He was appointed to this post in 2008. He has headed the Russian House in Trivandrum for almost a quarter of a century. He has been awarded the Russian Order of Friendship and the Pushkin Medal.