When I entered the Kazansky railway station after the check-in process, a security officer stopped me and asked: "Are you from India?" I nodded in affirmation and tried to take my passport from the bag, but he gestured it was not required. I thought he would let me go, but he opened the Google Translate app on his mobile phone and started talking to me. His name was Albert, who hailed from Altai Krai, a border region in southwest Siberia and the birthplace of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the man who invented the iconic AK-47 automatic rifle.
Piquing my curiosity, Albert revealed that he shared a special bond with India. It turned out that his father was an employer with the India Magazine published from Moscow when the diplomatic relation between India and Russia was at its peak. The magazine was something similar to the Illustrated Weekly of India, offering authoritative insight and opinion on Indian politics, current affairs and movies.
Albert showed me some of the magazine covers – featuring the likes of Lakshmi Devi and Indira Gandhi - stored on his mobile phone. 'India' ceased publication long back, but the country still holds a special place in his father's heart. He passed his love for India on to Albert as well.
Albert is a great fan of Indian cinema. Theatres across Russia used to screen Indian movies, but the numbers have dwindled considerably of late. However, Albert never misses a chance to watch Hindi films on television.
When I told him about Rajinikanth's latest flick Kaala which was released in a theatre in Moscow, he was seemingly disinterested. He revealed to me that his all-time favourite heroes in Indian cinema are Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty. "So who are your favourite actresses?", I asked him. All those who were paired opposite Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty, pat came the reply.
The train I was waiting for was about to come when I realised that my water bottle was empty. Albert went to his room and brought a bottle of water. I offered him the money, but he refused to take it. Then he smilingly asked me whether I had Indian currencies with me so that he could gift it to his father. When I handed him a rupee note, he put it in his shirt's left pocket and placed his hand on the chest for a moment and closed his eyes. The Russian way of expressing gratitude and appreciation!
