December 9: On the 200th birth anniversary of its greatest poet Alexander Pushkin, Russia is trying to rekindle cultural relations with India which have been on a downswing since the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991.

``It's our dream to use Pushkin to reawaken cultural ties between the two countries,'' Academician Eugeny P Chelyshev, the Moscow-based President of the Russia India Cultural Society told Express Newsline. Chelyshev who is preparing a plan for the restoration of Indo-Russian cultural relations was in the city recently.

Pushkin's bicentennial which falls on June 6, 1999, will be preceded by mass translation of the Russian authors works into various Indian languages. A Maharashtra Pushkin Committee has already been set up by the Russian cultural society to translate the author's works into Marathi.

On an invitation to attend a seminar in Delhi, Chelyshev stayed back to assess the state of cultural affairs between the two countries.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.