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But Lebedev was no ordinary person. He gave concrete shape to the knowledge he had acquired in Bengal, far away from India. In 1801 he published Grammar of pure and mixed East Indian dialects in London. Shortly thereafter, he returned to Saint Petersburg, where he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He established a printing house equipped with Devanagari and Bengali scripts, said to be the first of its kind in Europe. He published a second book titled An unbiased reflection on Eastern India, its sacred rites and folk customs Based on his observations and learnings in Bengal. This is considered to be the first comprehensive eyewitness account given by a Russian in India. He was apparently working on two more books, but his life ended in 1817.
However, establishing modern theater here is not his only contribution to India-Russia relations. The printing press in St. Petersburg and his books have been other historical contributions that have paved the way for future Indologists in Russia.
According to Vladimir Izvekov, director of the Yaroslavl Historical Museum, “Lebedev could have become a good professional singer, cellist or virtuoso violinist. While abroad, he founded a famous quartet that impressed sophisticated West European music lovers, and Forget his proficiency in dozens of European languages.”
Yet, even there very few people knew him. He deserves more.
At a conference in Yaroslavl in 1999, Gautam Ghosh proposed linking the cities of Yaroslavl and Kolkata. This can still be achieved. The coming year will celebrate the 230th anniversary of the day when Lebedev organized the first modern Bengali theatre. This year can also be celebrated as Lebedev Year.
(Aditi Bhaduri Is a journalist and political analyst. She tweets @aditijan. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint Neither endorses nor is responsible for it.)
