Scholar Update: Krupa Desai — Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Blog

Krupa Desai is a 2017 scholar who is pursuing a PhD in History of Art at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Below she share with us a blog inspired by her doctoral research on Indian photography in the decade after Independence

NEHRU IN SOVIET RUSSIA:

THE ILLUSTRATED STORY OF A DIPLOMATIC VISIT

A couple of years ago when I was visiting the Nehru Memorial Library in New Delhi looking for some official photographs of Jawaharlal Nehru from the mid-1950s as a part of my research, I came across a collection of photographs of Nehru in Soviet Russia. On enquiring further, a staff member showed me, not one, but three hard copies of a photo-album titled Jawaharlal Nehru in the Soviet Union published by the State Fine Arts Publishing House, Moscow.

This photo-album is a book with printed pictures that cover Nehru’s 17 day visit to the Soviet Union in June 1955. This visit was described by journalist Mr. G. K. Reddy, as the most popular “Public Festival of the Year in Soviet Union”. During his stay, Nehru travelled over ten thousand miles to see the ‘work of large industrial and construction projects, agricultural, educational and cultural establishments’[1] in Moscow, Stalingrad, Georgia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, as well as the autonomous Tartar Republic.

The photo-album begins with a long textual introduction outlining Nehru’s itinerary throughout the visit, followed by 70 captioned photographs. Starting from the official receptions in Moscow to the trip to the State Collective farm in Altai territory, along with the heavily industrialised lands of Magnitogorsk and Ural area, there are ample on-location photographs showing Nehru in different avatars. Sometimes a curious traveller, sometimes an hard boiled negotiator, sometimes a celebrity humbled by the love showered upon him, sometimes at home with his Russian friends!

One of the main features of the album is the collection of welcome/reception images. By looking at the photographs, one can easily figure out the rousing reactions of the Russian crowd as they welcome Nehru. Several newspaper accounts were unanimous in their description of the popular welcome Nehru received on this visit, a welcome that filled with a “wild, over-powering exuberance”[2] that was unmatched in Soviet history.

Source: Album 1094 A, Photo section, Nehru Memorial Library, New Delhi.

The photograph shown to the right is taken right outside the Simferopol airport. Nehru is waving at the crowd while the security officials around him struggle to manage the flower bouquets in the car. An interesting anecdote about this is the unforgettable “flowery” reception Nehru received during his trip to the Soviet Republic of Crimea. Stretching from Simferopol airport all through Yalta, which is around 120 kms, villagers lined up on the streets with large flower bouquets for Nehru who was seen as a spirited leader of a new ex-colonised nation. Bundles of flowers and garlands were flung from both sides of the road as his open car drove through the middle. Nehru seemed to enjoy catching bouquets tossed at him, while riding through the moving car. Security attendants who stood in the front seat of the car trying to catch the vaulting bouquets, were often hit by one full in their faces![3]

While the Soviet Government’s pre-visit propaganda was one reason for Nehru’s exuberant reception by soviet people, it was definitely not the only one. At the peak of of Cold War, India, with its pro-peace policy which was formulated later as Non-Aligned Movement, had a quaint appeal for the Russians who were tired of wars. This feeling was further reinforced by Bollywood movies like Awara, which had struck a chord with the Soviet people, making them more curious about India and its culture. It was no surprise therefore, to see almost all photos of Nehru surrounded and cheered by a huge Soviet crowd, like they thought of him as their close friend.

Another interesting aspect revealed by this photo-album is the educational nature of this diplomatic visit. Invested as he was in the nation building process back home, Nehru just could not leave without gathering some learnings from Russian developmental processes that he could bring back to India. In his visit to the Urals Factory [see the photograph on the left], we can see him inspecting and studying about the nature of production and output capacity of the factory from the workers and engineers. In Nehru’s own writings about this visit, there is a reflection on the working conditions in Soviet factories, impressive gender ratio in factory work and notes on learnings that could be of use in India[4]. The album offers us a glimpse of what it means to be a diplomatic traveller in the mid-1950s.

In an album that consists of photographs designed to perfect frames and intense diplomatic regulations, this one is a rare candid moment encapsulating diplomatic travel in its candour. The photograph to the right is one such rare moment. It captures a casual looking Nehru leaning on the railing inside the Moscow Metro, while Indira (who accompanies her father on the visit) curiously looks outside the window. The diplomatic entourage attending them in most other photographs seems to have left out from this particular frame. Unlike any other photograph in the album, this one captures Nehru and his daughter in a rare moment away from the public glare and heightened attention that was a mark of the visit. This photograph depicts them more as travellers, absorbing new information through curious eyes and finding a moment of repose in an otherwise tightly scheduled itinerary.

On the whole, this album is more than an ode to Nehru’s visit, and his surmounting popularity in Russia. It is also a visual memoir of a political diplomat’s life in the mid-twentieth century, when photography was not as ubiquitous as it is today.

Cover Image:- Source: Album 1094 A, Photo section, Nehru Memorial Library, New Delhi.

[1] Refer to the introduction of Album 1094A in NMML Library, photo section.

[2] REDDY, G.K., 1955, Jun 24. Moscow Gives Mr. Nehru A Touching Send- Off: VISIT WAS SOVIET UNIONS FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR. The Times of India (1861-current), 1.

[3] K. P. S. Menon, The Flying Troika: Extracts from a Diary by K. P. S. Menon, India's Ambassador to Russia, 1952-61. London: Oxford University Press, 1963. This book contains a section on Nehru’s June 1955 visit which describes the Simferopol incident in detail.

[4] Nehru’s essay on Impressions on my visit to USSR-I mentions the details of this visit and aspects he found interesting. The note covers his thoughts on industrialisation in the Soviet, the role of Planning in establishing soviet society and so on.