Култура

The Art Gallery in Velingrad from 2 February hosts an extraordinary exhibition. Not just an exhibition of paintings, but an opportunity for a spiritual encounter with the universe Nicholas Roerich and his family.
For the first time in years of an official opening of an exhibition in the gallery in Velingrad gathered so many people from Velikograd. A fact that in itself shows how many people today are interested in the ancient wisdom of Shambala, Tibet and Roerich. For all of them, the exhibition, which will visit our gallery until the end of March, is a dream come true to touch the spiritual dimensions they are looking for.
The exhibition was visited in Velingrad thanks to the Bulgarian company Friends of Roerich. Its chairman Todor Yalamov, who also heads the Institute for Ancient Civilizations, presented the exhibition. Also present was the secretary of Friends of Roerich Simeon Neychev, as well as the deputy mayor of the municipality of Velingrad Milian Arsov.
The arranged in Velingrad "Roerich's family and Bulgaria" is the third part of a series of exhibitions prepared by the company "Friends of Roerich". She has already visited more than 20 cities in Bulgaria and everywhere she was welcomed with a marked interest, Mr. Neychev said. On the occasion of the centenary of Svetoslav Roerich's birth, the exhibition "Svetoslav Roerich - herald of the wonderful" was organized, and on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Roerich Pact, an exhibition "Nikolai Roerich and the Pact of Peace" was prepared. There is a chance that these exhibitions will be shown in Velingrad as well.
In the hall of the Art Gallery visitors can trace the main moments of the extremely large-scale activity of the Roerich family - the spouses Nikolai and Elena and their two sons Yuri and Svetoslav. Photos tell about the founded by Nikolai and Elena Roerich Institute for Himalayan Studies "Urusvati" - a prototype of a temple of art and science. "Urusvati" means Morning Star and has the vocation of being a abode of knowledge in which the "laws of beauty" operate. If the phrase "by the laws of beauty" sounds familiar, then part of its popularity is due to Lyudmila Zhivkova, who maintains close contacts with Svetoslav Roerich and following the ideas of the famous family organizes the assemblies "Flag of Peace", the celebration of 1300 years since the establishment of Bulgaria, the construction of cultural sites (including the underdeveloped Cultural House in Velingrad). The gallery also shows the route of the unique Central Asian expedition undertaken by Nicholas Roerich between 1923-1928. This is the largest archaeological expedition of the twentieth century - the N itself. Roerich is vice president of the American Association of Archaeologists and a member of the Imperial Society of Archaeologists in Russia. For him, the Himalayas are the place where the great wisdom of mankind has crystallized, and in the peaks of the mountain the power of human thought has been accumulated. The expedition was conducted in extremely difficult conditions - both natural and public. It had not only an archaeological but also a planetary purpose - to create spiritual centers along the route. What was learned during the expedition also became the basis for making an atlas of Tibetan medicinal plants, a manuscript on Tibetan medicine and pharmacology, the first Tibetan-Sanskrit-Russian-English dictionary in 11 volumes.
Along with the documentary account of the Roerich family's activities, the most attractive force exercised the shown painting canvases of Nikolai Roerich. Thanks to the close contacts with the family, today Bulgaria has 400 of his paintings and thus ranks fourth in the world in the number of paintings owned by the world-famous artist. There are more of his paintings only in Russia, the United States and India. In Velingrad are shown 15 canvases, which stand out the extremely sacred drawing and thought of Nikolai Roerich.
And if the exhibition can be visited for a long time, those who missed the opening may regret missing the meeting with Mr. Todor Yalamov and his account of the "spiritual band", as he defined the Roerich family.
Our material and spiritual history are many times intertwined with the Roerich family, Mr. Yalamov said. According to him, Nicholas Roerich was not just the greatest archaeologist of his era, but an entire universe. Originating from a Russian noble family, Elena Roerich was the mother of Agni-yoga, who abandoned secular life and gave birth to her son Yuri in a tent during an archaeological expedition in 1902 to be nursed with the emancipation of the Earth. Later, Yuri Roerich devoted himself to science, he knew 40 languages, including Bulgarian. The other son Svetoslav is an artist like his father, a close associate and spiritual mentor of Lyudmila Zhivkova. In Bulgaria, an association of supporters of N. Roerich has existed since the time of Nikolay Raynov, around whom adherents of the teaching united in the 1930s.
Mr. Yalamov paid special attention to the merits of Nikolai Roerich to the preservation of peace and culture with the Roerich Pact promoted by him. The pact was proposed to the League of Nations (the predecessor of the United Nations) on the eve of World War II in order to preserve peace and world cultural heritage. The pact was signed in the cabinet of then U.S. President Roosevelt. Along with it, it was adopted as an international symbol and proposed by N. Roerich "Banner of Peace". This flag has designated cultural sites to protect them from encroachments and bombing. That is why it is called the "Red Cross of Culture". Gradually, Roerich's peace flag was replaced by another UN-approved symbol, but the "Friends of Roerich" companies would insist on its return on cultural sites. The symbols used in the flag are extremely original and are the work of H. Roerich. Todor Yalamov also answered the audience's question whether Nikolai Roerich really had Bulgarian origin. He returned to the ancient and powerful history of the Proto-Bulgarians and especially Volga Bulgaria. After the defeat of the rich Volga Bulgaria, over 500 families found a wharf in Russia. Among them is the family of the future Marshal Kutuzov, who is the grandfather of Elena Roerich - that is, she has among her ancestors proto-Bulgarians. Nikolai Roerich himself originated in Scandinavia, Mr. Yalamov explained. On behalf of the company "Friends of Roerich" his secretary S. Neychev gave the Historical Museum a disc with over 200 paintings and books by N. Roerich and his family. The information will be able to be used by anyone who is interested, and there are many in Velingrad - this is evident from the many questions addressed to T. Yalamov in personal conversations after the official opening.
If you decide to visit the Art Gallery, pay attention to the short parable of the so-called "Birbal's Line". It tells of the ruler Akbar, who drew a line on the sand. He then called Birbal and gave him the task of reducing this line, but without touching it. Birbal thought for a long time, and then next to the line he sprayed another, longer line. Thus, without erasing the other's line, he created his longer one. It is this philosophical principle that is enshrined in the convictions of Nicholas Roerich and is re-created in his art and work. The ages have taken nothing from the power of this wisdom. On the contrary, they have also added a lesson for us: not to reach out and not to ruin what has been achieved by the other, but to try to create something different and valuable on our own.
Nikolai Roerich has managed to create his line, his philosophy, his world, his paintings. And he invites us to a meeting at the Art Gallery in Velingrad.
Elena Baeva