'Russia and Me' contest

New Delhi, May 27: Write an essay on Russia and win a possible trip to Moscow! In the 'Year of Russia in India', the Russian Information Centre (RIC) is holding an essay competition for Indian students. Called 'Russia and Me', the contest gives the students freedom to write anything they know about Russia. Open till October 31, students can e-mail their compositions of up to five pages of standard printed text in English under the title 'What I Know About Russia' to [email protected]. Along with the compositions, the students will also have to provide their names, educational qualifications, contact numbers and e-mails to the RIC, says RIC head Vladimir Shreter.

The best three compositions will be selected by a jury and published on the website of RIA Novosti, the Russian news and information agency. The three winners will receive several prizes, besides a possible chance to visit Russia. ''We are trying to get sponsors for the Russia trip,'' says an optimistic Shreter. The award ceremony will take place here in November, according to Mr Shreter, who will head the jury.

The other members of the jury will be officials from the Russian Embassy, the Deputy Chief Editor and the Political Analyst of RIA Novosti, Ms Tatyana Shaumyan of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and professors from the Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

UNI