The Russian House in Colombo presented its exclusive documentary ‘Trace of Gagarin in Ceylon’ at the Russian House in Colombo on April 26 to mark the 90th birth anniversary of Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, the First man in space.
The exclusive documentary is an excellent historical piece, taking us down memory lane and providing valuable research.
It depicts Gagarin’s historic visit to Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, in 1961, and the influence it has had on several generations of Sri Lankans.
The 90th birth anniversary of Gagarin, the planet’s first cosmonaut, was celebrated on March 9, 2024. His 108-minute flight into space took place on April 12, 1961.
The Soviet spaceship “Vostok” completed one orbit around the Earth and landed in the Saratov region.
The Ambassador of Russia in Sri Lanka Levan Dzhagaryan, Deputy Ambassador Yuri Victorivich, Director of the Russian House in Colombo and First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka Maria L. Popova, Chief Executive Officer of Russian House in Colombo Buddhapriya Ramanayake, Cultural Officer, Russian House in Colombo Chandi Aluvihare, Russian Embassy Press Secretary German Fedorov, guests from the Tri Forces and diplomatic missions, students, and many others attended the special screening.
The Russian House in Colombo called this “A shining moment.”
“We’ve been working on this project for three months, every minute of every day. We had no budget and no hi-end professional equipment. All we had was a great enthusiasm to do something big to honour this great man and his magnetic smile that conquered the world,” said the Russian House representative.
Pictures by Sulochana Gamage
