Top 10 Indians whom Russians admire

New Delhi: Indians and Russians have been friends for centuries. The relationship between both the countries was deepened soon after India's independence. Raj Kapoor's film Awara, was, and is, still a rage among Russians. We give you below a list of 12 such Indians who are famous in Russia: 1. Mahatma GandhiThe man, who led the freedom struggle of India, is famous in Russia. When speaking about Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, Russian people like to draw parallels with their great writer Leo Tolstoy. There is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Moscow. The sculpture itself, the work of Gautam Pal, was presented to the city as a gift from the government and people of India. 2. Indira Gandhi India's Iron Lady had captured the hearts of many Russians. Indira Gandhi visited USSR several times, and it was she who signed the Indo-Soviet friendship Treaty in 1971, just before the Bangladesh War. Indira Gandhi continues to be the inspiration for Russian women. Moscow was the first international city to erect a monument in honour of Indira Gandhi. The statue was installed in 1987 at the Gandhi Square (next to Mahatma Gandhi's statue) at the intersection of Lomonosovsky and Michurinsky avenues near the Moscow State University and was a Soviet tribute to the leader in the wake of the assassination. The statue was the work of Oleg Komov, a famous Soviet sculptor. 3. Jawahar Lal Nehru Just like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was loved by Russians, when he laid the foundation of a deepening relationship between India and the then Soviet Union. Nehru has a square named after him in Moscow at the intersection of Vernadsky and Lomonosov Avenues. A monument to him was erected here in 1996. This was the work of the sculptor D.B. Ryabichev. Nehru stressed to build ties with USSR. His deep conviction that the Soviet experience could be useful for India in solving most of its socio-economic problems became an integral part of his policy as Independent India's first Prime Minister. 4. Manmohan Singh Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is an ardent believer in Indo-Russian friendship. Though there have been quite a few diplomatic glitches between India and Russia, especially over the delay and price hike of several Russian weapons to be delivered to India, relations between the two remain strong with India and Russia signing various agreements to increase defense, nuclear energy and space cooperation.Singh has been to Moscow several times. The Prime Minister described India's partnership with Russia as “one of the fundamental foundations of India's foreign policy”. 5. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, famous worldwide as the founder of transcendental meditation, was famous in Russia. Russians met with the great guru at a somewhat unconventional international project: six Russian architects were invited to Maharishi's Dutch residence to work on a project for creating a Vedic park and centre of transcendental meditation (observing all Sthapatya Veda principles of course) on the banks of the Niagara falls in Canada.6. Sathya Sai Baba Sathya Sai Baba ashram was popular with Russian tourists. In his message of condolences following Sai Baba's death A. Kadakin, the Russian ambassador to India, said: "Sri Sai Baba and his selfless service have become an integral part of India's identity. His ideas have resonated in the hearts and minds of thousands of Russians, who will forever remember his spiritual guidance, wisdom and infinite devotion to his country and the world at large." Sai Baba centres and groups of his followers are in nearly all Russian cities. 7. Raj Kapoor One of the most popular personalities in Russia, Raj Kapoor was an icon in Soviet Union. His films like ‘Awara' and ‘Shree 420' are popular in Russia.Even to this today, Russians hum the tunes of Main Awara Hoon. Raj Kapoor became a symbol of optimism for the Soviet people. His films were screened in Russia and they were based on the happenings in society at that time (during World War II). 8. Zubin Mehta The Indian Parsi conductor of Western classical music. Zubin Mehta first ended up in Russia, or the Soviet Union to be precise, in 1962 as the leader of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, playing the music of the Russian émigré to the USA, Igor Stravinsky. Since then his life journey has bought him in contact with Russia many times. For example he was the first conductor who worked with the American Russian Youth Orchestra, which was created in the 1980s. He performed at the Festival of the World's Symphony Orchestras, which was timed to coincide with Russia Day. 9. Pandit Ravi Shankar The Sitar maestro, was the music icon of the world. Ravi Shankar first did concerts in the USSR in 1954. But his visit in 1988 is probably of greater significance, when he performed on the stage of the Bolshoi theatre accompanied by Russian ballet dancers. The recording of this concert became one of the musician's most successful albums. Ravi Shankar's third and final visit to Russia, to St. Petersburg, was in 2005 as part of his European tour with his daughter Anoushka Shankar. 10. Viswanathan Anand In Russia, people are fond of chess and not cricket surprisingly. The chess champion, Viswanathan Anand, became immensely popular. He was the man who stole the leadership crown from a whole dynasty of Soviet chess-players, who had been world champions for fifty years, only once and for a short time yielding their place to the American player, Robert Fisher.