Kirov City, Russia, Hosts “Dialogue with Nature” Photo Exhibition
Visitors to the “Dialogue with Nature” photo exhibition in Kirov.
“Dialogue with Nature,” an exhibition of
photographs by Daisaku Ikeda, opened at the Kirov State Regional Universal
Scientific Library in Russia on August 23, 2021.
The opening ceremony was held online and
participants included President of the International Association of Children’s
Funds in Russia Albert Likhanov, Kirov Region Government Chair Alexander
Churin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Japan Mikhail Galuzin and Kirov
City Mayor Elena Kovaleva.
Ambassador Galuzin participates online
Located 900 kilometers northeast of Moscow, Kirov
is known as a city of science and culture and is hometown to notable figures
such as rocket scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who pioneered astronautic
theory, and artist Viktor Vasnetsov.
Ambassador Galuzin appreciated Mr. Ikeda’s
promotion of exchanges between the people of the two countries, remarking that
the photo exhibition would be an opportunity to generate understanding for Mr.
Ikeda’s ideals for peace.
Mr. Likhanov (2nd from right); Mr. Churin (3rd from right); Kirov Minister of Culture Tatyana Mazur (left); Kirov Mayor Elena Kovaleva (2nd from left)
The event also included the launch of the reprinting
of the Russian edition of the dialogue between Mr. Likhanov and Mr. Ikeda. Mr.
Likhanov, who is a native of Kirov, met Mr. Ikeda in 1995 and later
collaborated on a published dialogue titled “The Path to the Land of Children”
(working English title). In his address, Mr. Likhanov said, “Mr. Ikeda’s
photographs exemplify the words of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, ‘Beauty
will save the world’” and remarked that a beautiful heart that cherishes life
is the key to realizing the peace sought by all humanity.
The event was featured in several local media. Kirov will host the exhibition until September 15.
[Adapted from an article in the September 6, 2021, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan; photos courtesy of Kirov State Regional Universal Scientific Library.]
