"I read that Russia is a dangerous country where evil people live. It turned out that the Russians are cool, funny and very good": Yadu Krishna, student journalist from India

You studied at the best Indian university. Why did you decide to come to Russia?

Getting into a university in India is hard. It happens that thousands of applicants apply for 1 place at the university at once. Yes, I passed the entrance exams and entered the Department of English Literature. But studying was boring. I could not tell my parents that I wanted to leave the university — I began to look for alternatives. At the same time, he went to Russia for the World Cup. In Moscow, I met with foreign students who study here in Russian. The thought of it then seemed so crazy to me!

According to the law of the genre, you had to start learning Russian...

So it was. When I returned to India, I began to study Russian in courses at Rossotrudnichestvo, and applied to study in Russia. But I was refused. I was asked: “You are already studying at the best university in India. For what?” I replied that I wanted to study something other than English literature. Wrote several articles for the Rossotrudnichestvo website. And after some time they changed their mind.

What did you say to your parents before leaving?

 

I will study in the program with English. Otherwise, they would not have been released. The escape to Russia was a success. In general, the first year at the Preparatory Faculty was the most productive for me: I studied only the language. Thanks to teachers Galina Stepanyan, Vladimir Bolshakov, Alla Oganezova and others, I became interested in the history and culture of Russia and went on a trip around the country.

Traveling all over Russia is no small feat. How did you prepare for the trip?

The idea of travel appeared during the first visit to Russia for the championship. Then I wanted to visit Baikal. But all the matches were held in the European part of the country, and even then I had neither time nor money. Then I returned to Russia as a student to intensively study the language. Back in 2018, I realized that knowing English in this country is useless. If in Moscow someone speaks it, then outside the Moscow Ring Road it is unlikely.

There was no special preparation: you can’t plan a hitchhiking. I just decided to try to drive between two cities, then another and another. I didn’t know how far I could get. Arrived in Vladivostok.

Which of the fellow travelers left an indelible impression in your memory?

There are two of them. Truck driver Dima from Volgograd. With him, I traveled 3,000 kilometers from Volgograd to Omsk in five days. During our journey we became brothers. I would even say, such “bro”!

And who was second?

 

Sergey. His tent stood not far from mine when I lived near Lake Baikal. I didn’t have a grandfather on my father’s side. And Sergei, in a sense, became my grandfather. That’s how we got along! He taught how to build a fire and kindle it, shared stories from his life. And when Sergey left, I cried.

You have visited 16 cities. Where would you return again?

In Ulan-Ude. Firstly, Buddhists live in Buryatia. I was in a datsan, a Buddhist monastery, where I saw writings in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. Imagine, I am tens of thousands of kilometers from India, I go into a datsan and find myself at home. Later I got into a conversation with a monk who knew almost all aspects of Hinduism. And we spoke. We had a common language. Connection.

So, and secondly?

I don’t know why, but it is in Buryatia that the most beautiful girls in Russia live. If in the center of Moscow I constantly see a huge number of cool cars, then in Buryatia I met as many beautiful girls at every turn. And thirdly, I am a fan of beef and in Ulan-Ude I tried the most delicious meat. Buuzy is a real space!

Is beef sacred meat?

There are many sects in Hinduism, and in the part of India where I’m from, you can eat beef.

While traveling, you lived in a tent. Tell us about the most memorable overnight stay in the open air...

Early morning. Baikal. Fog spreads over the lake. And the sunrise begins. The sun slowly rises from behind the horizon, which is reflected in the water of Lake Baikal. It was the most amazing landscape. And I can’t say anything but wow. At this moment I experienced the whole palette of feelings and emotions!

Marat, whom you met in Tuapse, said: “You should have only one problem. And it’s that you don’t have a problem”. What difficulties did you face while traveling?

Before the trip, I decided: I will be calm about what happens on the trip. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is not to get upset over trifles. The mood for hitchhiking should be just that. And for life, by the way, too: a dark stripe is always followed by a light one. For example, while traveling, one person deceived me for 1,000 rubles, and I thought: this is good. I understood that if a person stops and first of all asks you if there is money, it means that he does not want to help, but thinks use you. Yes, I lost 1000 rubles, but the results of my trip are much more valuable than a banknote.

The tastiest meal I’ve ever had on a trip is...

In the first place are Buryat buuzas. On the second — Marat’s omelette. I met him when I went to have a bite to eat at one of the roadside cafes. He is a former employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, now he has a diner, which has become my home. Marat offered to stay overnight in a cafe. The next morning he made me an omelette, gave him pita bread, halva and watermelon. It was the most delicious breakfast I have ever had in my life.

In the book you write: before the trip you were frightened by “terrible Russians”. How has your mind changed since you returned?

 

I read that Russia is a dangerous country where evil people live and my appearance can be a problem. In my heart I knew that this was all nonsense, but I wanted to see for myself. It turned out that most of the existing ideas about Russians are stereotypes. Russians are cool, funny and very good people. If they trust, they open their souls to you.

On your journey, you were in a Russian bath for the first time. How does it feel?

Truckers do not have the opportunity to take a shower every day. It’s good if it works once a week. I went to the bathhouse with Dima. Three of us steamed: me, Dima and another old man. When we entered the steam room, I was shocked: it was so hot and hot there! And after the old man poured water on the stones, and steam rose into the air, I was gone. I went into the subconscious. Then the steam bather again poured water on the stones. We could not stand it and, like traffic jams, flew out of the bathhouse. He shouted after him: “What are the boys, weak?”

Did you plunge into a cold water bath?

At that moment, I felt a real rebirth.

Now you are preparing for a trip to Kamchatka...

I have a list of places that I would like to see. Among them are Yamal, Sakhalin and Kamchatka. For me, this is the last frontier in traveling around the country. Next year will be my last in Russia.

How long will the trip take?

Approximately two months. My first trip was very short — 27 days. And now I plan to immerse myself in Russia and go where I have long wanted to.

If your friends asked you: “What is Russia like?” — what would you answer?

 

Russia is a mystery...

In June, Yadu’s book about his trip to Russia will be published in Russian and English. Information about the upcoming release can be found at the link.

Interviewed by Anastasia Zhuravleva, student of the Faculty of Philology (“Journalism”, III year).