Incessant Deed of Spirit

“I shall say to those who knock: On your way you may perceive a heart—

a vessel brimming with spirituality. Know to discern it. If you recognize it,

try to approach as closely as possible. Remember, spirituality, like flame,
kindles new fires, and, like a miraculous magnet, attracts.

Therefore, turn not aside the predestined happiness.

We can send a call, but this call is not repeated”.

Call. July 21, 1922

On July 26th, 2011 Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova, the First Vice-President of the International Centre of the Roerichs, Director General of Nicholas Roerich Museum, the President of E.I.Roerich Charity Fund, Honoured Worker of Arts of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Academician of K.E.Tsiolkovsky Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, Academician of the Russian Academy Sciences (Institute of Ecology and Evolution), awarded by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V.Putin with the Order of Friendship “for major contribution to the development of museology and protection of cultural heritage», a woman whose name has been included in All-Russia encyclopedia «Best people of Russia» (Volume VI), will celebrate her 85-year-old Anniversary. Sixty years out of eighty five have been dedicated to many-sided and bright creative life. L.V. Shaposhnikova is recognized as indologist and historian, traveler and writer, photo artist and script writer, gifted organizer and leader, philosopher and scientist-cosmist. About four hundred printed works including 20 monographs have come from her pen; some of her books have been translated and published in Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania and India.

O.A.Lavrenova in her article devoted to L.V.Shaposhnikova’s life and creative work, writes: “Her life is an astonishing example of strength and loftiness of human spirit. She possesses an invincible and creative strength that helps her to overcome all obstacles. She belongs to the shining and not numerous galaxy of figures who in our hard times has courage to defend and create Beauty and Culture”ⁱ.

Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova was born on July 26th 1926 in Novocherkassk in the house of a well-known Russian traveler G.N.Potanin. It was the house where also lived her grandmother, Maria Nikolaevna, nee Trubetskaya, who descended from the noble family of Trubetskoy princes - freethinkers, philosophers and Fatherland defenders. Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova spent her early years in Taganrog. Entering in 1945 Lomonosov Moscow State University she studied at the Oriental Branch of Historical Faculty, and later continued her education at Postgraduate Course. In 1954 she successfully defended her candidate thesis in History and started to work as a lecturer at Indian History Department. In 1956 the Oriental Branch of Historical Faculty was transferred to the Institute of Oriental Languages under Lomonosov Moscow State University. Later this educational establishment was renamed into the Institute of Asian and African Countries, where L.V.Shaposhnikova up to 1985 hold the position of a senior lecturer and then assistant professor at Indian History Department.

She visited India for the first time in 1958 - 1959 when she went through probation period at Hyderabad University. In 1963 Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova arrived in India as a teacher of Russian at Madras University. At that time she was highly interested in Indian peoples’ history, culture, customs and traditions. All her free time, vacations and day-offs she spent in traveling around the country. Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova visited the most remote corners of the country, jungle, and mountain regions inhabited with mysterious and small tribes who preserved their ancient customs, myths and legends. Her studies resulted in scientific papers and feature stories about India, which were written in vivid figurative style. Having not got acquainted yet with the Teaching of the Living Ethics, she was inspired by its principle: “One should investigate not native customs, but the essence of consciousness”ⁱⁱⁱ. Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova described multinational world having withstood the pressure of modern civilization and retained something very sacred and mysterious that was lost not only by Western people but by many today’s Indians as well. In 1967 Indian Government highly appreciated L.V. Shaposhnikova’s scientific and literary activity and awarded her with Jawaharlal Nehru International Prize for the books “Across Southern India”, “Roads of Jungle” and “Parava - Flying Fish”. Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova spent in India about ten years off and on and highly contributed into the development of Russian-Indian cultural contacts.

For the first time Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova met Svetoslav Nikolaevich Roerich in his estate Tataguni near Bangalore in 1968. This meeting gave rise to a 24-year-long friendship and changed her life completely. Since then the tremendous heritage of the Roerichs has become the central subject of her philosophical, scientific, journalistic and public efforts with the Living Ethics as a conceptual basis for all her works. L.V.Shaposhnikova’s whole activity and each written word restores the universal figure of N.K.Roerich – the great Russian artist, scientist, traveler and public figure. It was Shaposhnikova who in her books and articles opened the true, grand figure of E.I.Roerich – the unique thinker having been well in advance of her time.

During Soviet years of total ideological control L.V. Shaposhnikova was working hard to bring Roerichs’ heritage back to Russia. The full-length documentary film "Nicholas Roerich" based on her screenplay was shot in 1973 - 1974. Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova has never been just an armchair scientist; she was a practitioner, a person of action. Roerichs’ heritage study was supported by practical deed: in the 70-es of the last century Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova passed the longest leg of the Roerichs’ Central-Asian expedition route: Altai, India, Mongolia, Tibet. Only Chinese part of the route was not accessible due to the international tension. The photo album “From Altai to Himalayas» which she devoted to Svetoslav Nikolaevich Roerich was an outgrowth of this traveling. Photo-exhibition displayed one more facet of Shaposhnikova’s talent as a remarkable photo artist. This event coincided with her 80-th Anniversary. The exhibition toured through many cities of Russia, neighboring and foreign countries.

Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova decided to follow the Master’s route personally in order to feel the space he surmounted, to plunge into “The Universe of the Master”. She has managed to do it and the trilogy “Great Journey” (“Master”, “Along the Path of the Master”, and “The Universe of the Master”) proved it evidently. Ideas of the Living Ethics, or “the philosophy of cosmic reality” (this name was given by L.V.Shaposhnikova and recognized by other scientists) run through other books of her: “Dictates of the Cosmos”, “The Wisdom of Centuries”, “Resplendent City”, “The Thorny Path of Beauty”, etc. The author's approach is distinguished by synthesis as a method of scientific research and something else that could be called a special perception of the epoch. Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova harmoniously combined a scientist and a writer in one person. Her books attract by the depth of research and vivid, easy-understood language, at times by warm and gentle humour. She turned out to be a pioneer in many aspects of Roerichs’ heritage investigation. Nowadays no modern researcher can do his work “about the Roerichs” without citing or referring to the books of L.V. Shaposhnikova.

Since 1989 L.V. Shaposhnikova has been Vice-President of the Soviet Foundation of the Roerichs. This fund was established on the initiative of S.N.Roerich, and lately it was renamed into the International Centre of the Roerichs (ICR) also on the initiative of S.N.Roerich. In 1990 Svetoslav Nikolaevich Roerich handed over his parents’ heritage to L.V. Shaposhnikova and appointed her to be his trustee. Under the guidance of L.V. Shaposhnikova the Lopukhins’ Estate, architectural monument of the XVII – XIX centuries was restored and updated. The estate was reconstructed on public expenses. According to wishes of Svetoslav Nikolaevich Roerich and under the guidance of L.V. Shaposhnikova this building has become a place for modern Museum Complex fitted with cutting-edge museum equipment. The Centre-Museum has been successfully developing owing to organizing skills of its permanent leader – Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova. Annual international scientific and social conferences have ensured discussions of deep philosophical, historical and art history issues. Outstanding figures of culture and science, representatives of Russia, CIS countries and foreign countries take part in these discussions. The 2003 International Scientific Conference “Cosmic Outlook – New Thinking of the 21^st Century” gathered 13 academicians, 87 doctors and professors and 37 candidates of science. The report “Cosmic Thinking and New System of Cognition” of L.V. Shaposhnikova sounded the keynote for all discussions at the forum. United Scientific Centre of Cosmic Thinking Issues has been based upon the conference decision. This wide interdisciplinary project has been successfully carried out.

Under the guidance and active participation of L.V. Shaposhnikova the Centre covered a great number of activities including developing the subjects for scientific workshops and lectures, restoration of pictures, scientific processing of documents and hand-written heritage. Scientific-public division “Humanе Pedagogics” under the direction of Shalva Alexandrovich Amonashvily, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences was established as an affiliated body of the Centre-Museum. Publishing Centre of the International Centre of the Roerichs issues books, the concept and prefaces for most of them is developed and written by L.V.Shaposhnikova. L.V.Shaposhnikova is Honored Worker of Arts of the Russian Federation, Co-President of the international cultural projects «The Banner of Peace», «The Bell of Peace» and « The Flag of the Earth», carried out under the aegis of the United Nations, the juror at Children’s Drawing International Contests, the chief-editor of “Kultura i Vremya” (“Culture and Time”) magazine. All this really heroic activity is carried out against a background of constant slanderous attacks on the International Centre of the Roerichs and on her personally.

What do the assaulters coming against the International Centre of the Roerichs and its permanent leader L.V. Shaposhnikova advocate for? Under the mask of protecting and preserving the Roerichs' heritage they call for the destruction of the existing Centre-Museum and transformation it into state museum. But is public museum able to make the Roerichs’ dream about the Museuon true? Is public museum able “to set sound and reliable basis” for gathering the heritage throughout the world? It is well-known that public museums are supported by sums which in best way are sufficient only for very modest existence. Today just a command from a top-ranking official can easily transfer an exhibit from one museum to another or even to someone’s private collection. Within the constraints of state museum possibilities even the chance to maintain Nicholas Roerich and Svetoslav Roerich pictures collection in its entirety arouses doubts, leaving alone the lofty purpose of gathering the Roerichs' heritage. Those who seek to destroy the International Centre of the Roerichs say a lot about the sustainable development of state museums. But a number of museums around the country has been closed or broken up with only a scratch of a pen belonging to a state official from the Ministry of Culture. The administration of a state museum is assigned by a higher-ranked bureaucrat and so it will be impossible to fulfill the wish of Svetoslav Roerich: “We should not allow the irrelevant people to come to Fund, people who are alien to the Roerichs’ ideas, who does not care the business they are going to govern” ^iv .

Another field for myth-making is the archive of the Roerichs’ family kept at the ICR. Numerous articles and open letters disseminate the idea that allegedly for more profound study of the Roerichs’ heritage it would be better to turn the archive into governmental institution which would ensure free access for all comers. But nowadays the state archive holdings accommodate thousands units of issues connected with the names of the Roerichs, and not a single document has been published yet because our state archives are not in charge of publication process. These documents are not studied by those who intensely complain about the non-accessibility of the archives at the ICR, whereas the International Centre of the Roerichs has already published more than five thousand letters, articles and documents which never released before. And this work is in progress. State museum can not provide an efficient synthesis of N.Roerich’s artworks and the philosophy of the Living Ethics. Can anybody fancy the creation of the Living Ethics Hall or Teacher Hall in the state museum? O. Rumyantseva, Director of Nicholas Roerich Hall in the State Museum of Oriental Art expressed her frustration about L.V.Shaposhnikova’s activity in the following words: “I spent a lifetime trying to separate the Living Ethics from Roerich, and you have spoiled everything!”

Ludmila Vasilievna had the courage to state that Nicholas Roerich’s artworks are none other than the philosophy of the Living Ethics embodied in colors and symbols. She has realized this idea in the Museum headed by her. Governmental Agency would be unable neither to implement nor approve such concept. Moreover, one should not forget that Nicholas and Svetoslav Roerichs collection held at the Museum of Oriental Art and "carefully” separated from the Living Ethics by O.Rumyantseva, is lacking for 60 odd pictures out of 288 canvases.

Elena Ivanovna Roerich wrote: “ But I would not like to divorce Books of the Teaching, Fiery Teaching, from Pictures Creating, for Creativity is integrated. We Created and are Creating jointly. Roerich Foundation should have become such Establishment. This dream must come true and, of course, closer to – in the Best Country!^v”.

The dream of Elena Ivanovna has made successful headway only in Museuon, founded by Svetoslav Roerich and governed by L.V. Shaposhnikova. The ICR has prepared and published bibliographic indexes of Nikolai Konstantinovich, Svetoslav Nikolaevich and Yury Nikolaevich Roerichs works. The creation of the full catalog of N.K.Roerich’s paintings is in progress. The ICR collections and archive are annually supplemented with new pictures. It is the unique place on our planet where the Roerichs’ Heritage is augmented in such scale. A lot has been done in the field of popularization and dissemination of the Roerich’s Pact ideas and fulfillment of Svetoslav Nikolaievich wish to hold aloft the Banner of Teaching and Teachers and make it impossible to use it by wrong-intentioned people for bad purposes. New Pedagogics, New Science, New Art, and New Thinking - the International Centre of the Roerichs has greatly contributed into the development and comprehension of all these concepts. The Living Ethics teaches that only full acceptance of the destined gift raises high the evolution scale, whereas “separated particle” brings us to different distortions. “You may ask: “How should one conduct oneself so as not to besmirch the chosen portion?” I can give this advice: Instead of a particle, accept the entire chalice of the Common Good. This will shield you against all impurities” ^vi. L.V. Shaposhnikova, Director-General of Nicholas Roerich Museum has accepted “the entire chalice of the Common Good” and aspires to realize all plans of the Roerichs .

Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova is awarded with many prizes for the great achievements in the field of science and culture. One of her awards is named “The Knight of Science and Arts». Knight is a symbol of courage, valor, fearlessness and devotion to ideals. Unlike purely physiological fearlessness the spiritual fearlessness is a rare phenomenon. That’s why it should be treated as a precious thing like a rare diamond. “ The heroic work of Ludmila Vasilievna, her ability to carry carefully and solemnly the entrusted treasure, the strength and magnetic beauty of her personality is an example of incessant exploit of spirit and life guideline”, - writes O.A.Lavrenova in the article, dedicated to Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova, - “The worthy successor of the great Roerichs’ constructive ideas, Ludmila Vasilievna Shaposhnikova is one of few people who has really realized these ideas and demonstrated the inexhaustibility of creative possibilities of a person inspired by cosmic beauty” ^viii”.

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Notes:

1. O. A Lavrenova. Life as the Flame// “Kultura i Vremya” (Culture and Time). 2006. № 3. Р.234.

2. Museum by name of N.K.Roerich. The guidebook. М: ICR, 2006. p. 12 – 16.

3. Infinity, 9.

4. Let's protect the name and the heritage of the Roerichs. V. 1. М: ICR, 2001. p.101.

5. E.I.Roerich. Letters to America: in 4 v., V.3. М, 1996. p.271 – 272

6. Illumination. Part 3, V. 17

7. Arthur Vejze. Protect the treasure given //“Kultura i Vremya” (Culture and Time). 2009. № 2. p. 44 – 48.

8. O. A Lavrenova. Life as the Flame//“Kultura i Vremya” (Culture and Time). 2006. № 3. p.251.