Festival “Roerichs’ Realm” in the Roerich Estate
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On May 1, 2024, the International Roerich Memorial Trust in Naggar held a children's paintings competition to commemorate the Roerich family anniversaries: the 150th birth anniversary of Nicholas Roerich, the 145th of his wife Helena Roerich, and the 120th of their younger son Svetoslav Roerich. The competition was attended by 87 children from 10 schools in the Kullu Valley and the Helena Roerich Academy of Art for Children of the IRMT. Suresh Kumar, Indian Curator of the IRMT, and Larisa Surgina, Russia Curator of the IRMT, welcomed the participants and guests of the competition. Galina Stepanova, a renowned Russian artist and proprietor of Museum and Exhibition Center "St. Petersburg Artist" (Russia), was the Guest of Honor and a member of the jury. An exhibition of her paintings will open at the IRMT on May 4.
The competition is a part of the International Children and Youth Art Festival “Roerichs’ Realm” organized by the International Centre of the Roerichs (ICR, Moscow), the International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT, Naggar, Kullu, HP), volunteers of the ICR with the support of the general public. The Festival will host exhibitions of drawings by Russian and Indian children dedicated to the life and work of the great Russian family in both India and Russia. These exhibitions will include works by young artists of the Kullu Valley, who gathered at the Roerich Estate on May 1 to demonstrate their artistic skills, originality of idea, and depth of elaboration of the theme.
The theme of the competition was "Roerichs: Heralds of Culture." This is also the name of this year's traditional spring Roerich Festival, which opened with a children's drawing contest and will continue on May 4 and 5.
On May 4, during the festive program at the Green Theatre of the IRMT, the authors of the most intriguing and accomplished works will be honored. These winning works will proceed to the concluding stage of the "Roerichs' Realm" Festival in Moscow. Some of the young artists of the Kullu Valley may be bestowed with the main prize. Nevertheless, this is not the primary focus. The most significant outcome of these contests is the opportunity for participating artists to engage with the work of the great people, gain insight into the world through their perspective, and be inspired by their artistic creations. Additionally, these events facilitate an understanding of the profound humanistic ideas espoused by the Roerichs.
