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| Villages covered with hills and untouched forest with good road connectivity in Bashkortostan. Photo by Ritu Raj Konwar / The Hindu |
Bashkortostan
also called Bashkiria, republic in Russia, extending from the southern part of
the Ural Mountains and adjacent plains, at the border of Europe and Asia. The
total area of the Republic of Bashkortostan makes 143 thousand sq. km or 0.8%
of the total area of Russia.
The
population of Bashkortostan comprises with Russians, the Tatars and the
Bashkirians, the last of these being the native population.
In
2013, I got the opportunity from my paper “The Hindu” to take part in a photo
shooting programme called "Nature, People, and Culture” organised by the
Ministry of Culture of Bashkortostan, Russian Union of Photographers and its
Bashkir Branch, the Republican centre of folk art”. Photographers from all the
BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China (except South Africa), as well as
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Italy gathered at capital city
Ufa and extensively travelled in the remote, beautiful and wild parts of the
Bashkortostan to capture and document the Bashkortostan through our lens. The
aim is to project Bashkortostan and Bashkiria culture front of the world where
the BRICS summit is going to be held on 2015.
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A Bashkirian woman holds a bottle of homemade Vodka
during a festival in Bashkortostan.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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Bashkortostan
is rich in natural resources such as iron, copper, coal and natural gas, but
the main and most important asset is oil. Farming has also been of great
importance to the republic, and Bashkortostan is one of the five biggest
farming producers in all of Russia. Most of the stock raising is concentrated
on milk and meat, usually cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens, but horse farming
is also profitable. The horse has been of great importance to the Bashkirians,
and they have been breeding horses for more than 1000 years. Bashkortostan has
one of the densest populations of horses in all Russia. Beekeeping is also a
traditional occupation and is widespread throughout Bashkortostan.
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A newly waded Bashkir couple. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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The
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) evaluated the mountain forests of the Republic
as a natural complex of global importance. In 2012, the biosphere reserve
"Bashkirian Ural" entered the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Ufa
city has been chosen to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and
BRICS summits in the summer of 2015.
The
SCO is composed of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan while BRICS groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
According to the acting President of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Rustem
Khamitov, "our goal (of holding the summits) is not to be part of history,
but to achieve substantial and sustainable economic development."
Russia
is currently developing a concept that includes several initiatives aimed at
strengthening the institutional base and expanding investment cooperation
between the BRICS member-states.
Russia
seeks to develop a “roadmap” on trade, economic and investment cooperation. It
will include joint business projects, in the fuel and energy sector, the use of
global navigation systems, and cooperation in mining and metallurgy.
Text and
Photographs by
Ritu Raj Konwar
Special News Photographer
The Hindu
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Bashkirian villagers in their traditional costumes
taking part in a festival in Bashkortostan.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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Bashkirian villagers in their traditional costumes
taking part in a festival in Bashkortostan.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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Tulip flowers in full bloom in Ufa city, capital of Bashkortostan
where Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS summits will be held in
the summer of 2015. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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| Cow farming in Bashkortostan |
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Beekeeping is a traditional occupation and is
widespread throughout Bashkortostan.
Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
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| Horse farming is very popular in all of Russia. In Bashkortostan horse is use for tourism apart from its meat and milk. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar |
