When I stepped out of the train, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, taking my own sweet time to soak in a bit of Moscow right there, with a complete disregard for those behind me. (This is what happens when you watch too many Bollywood movies. You think this is an absolutely legit way of entering a new city!) For a time when it was cold and pitch-dark, Moscow displayed an unusual energy. People scurried on the platform, kiosks were already busy, a neon-blue ‘МОСКВА' sign told you where the main entrance was and taxi-drivers pounced on you as soon as you entered the main hall. In the main hall, Lenin’s porcelain bust inspected everyone from atop a column that dwarfed every other structure. And there I was under that column, my eyes betraying that I hadn’t slept much on the train but full of an emotion that was stronger still - that of hunger. I was starving for Moscow!
From the station, I took the metro to Sportivnaya, where I was going to stay with my friend, Aishwarya. Even though Moscow is bigger than St. Pete, the metro makes it seem smaller. With its tentacles entrenched all over the city, the Moscow Metropolitan ensures that you are never more than 45 minutes away from your destination!
After the usual exchange of pleasantries, Aish and I headed out to the city centre. As we got out, I realised one thing - Yandex was right this time. It had started to rain. But I’m a Delhi girl, who is used to heavy monsoons. I wasn’t going to let this spatter bother me!
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. This probably shouldn’t have been the first stop. I was dying to see the Kremlin, Krasnaya Ploschad (Red Square), and St. Vasil’s Cathedral, so this Cathedral was a reluctant stop and only because it was on our way to Krasnaya Ploschad. My impatience was visible even through the layers of warm clothes, I was wrapped under. I seemed to ignore the imposing character of the Cathedral, its golden domes and the gardens that skirted it. Lenin would have loved me - I was thinking only Red! And it was perhaps this blasphemy that enraged God. Ten minutes later, the wind had picked up speed and it was raining even harder!
The walk to the Kremlin from the Cathedral had become a trek. The wind clawed at my face and the rain dampened my overcoat and gloves. Crossing the roads was tricky as well. I realised Moscow isn’t pedestrian-friendly and zebra-crossings were rare. This meant you had to gamble every time you crossed the road. Ordinarily, thanks to my Indian origin, even that isn’t a problem but judging the distance and speed of cars in the rain was getting harder and harder .
After a couple of trips in and out of my gloves to click photographs, the fingers of my right hand were dissolving into senselessness. I was breathing in ice and breathing out vapour. I had clearly picked the wrong day to upset God. I went into a few grocery stores asking for cognac to warm up but vodka was all they would offer. And of all the Russian things I love, vodka isn’t one of them!
We finally got to the Kremlin. Somehow! God may be bigger and better than me but I am more stubborn than he estimates. I wasn’t going to seek refuge; the Kremlin tour continued! (Notice how self-obsessed I am and keep saying things like “I wasn’t going to seek refuge”. The Kremlin was absolutely flooded with tourists like myself!)
Aish and I walked for about 4 hours in the rain. We went in and out of cathedrals and exhibitions - sometimes just to get warm! Kremlin’s walls hid so much within them - the golden domes and icon paintings of the various churches, the Diamond Fund exhibition, the Armoury, the Tsar Bell and Cannon! Even though my appetite for vodka was increasing; the more I saw, the more I was determined to see.
Finally, we walked through the Alexandrovsky Garden to Voskreesenye Gate where Marshall Zhukov’s statue greeted us. And there I saw it! Across Krasnaya Ploschad - St. Vasil’s Cathedral! It was so beautiful! I just couldn't control myself and screamed like a little child! (Recall Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, when she sees the Eiffel Tower from Petrovsky’s balcony. It was exactly like that, only I wasn’t being paid thousands of dollars to behave like an idiot!) I have seen St Vasil’s a hundred times on TV and in pictures but nothing, NOTHING compares to the frenzy of colours that stands before you! It’s like the difference between staring at a bottle of wine and getting intoxicated; between literotica and an orgasm! You just have to go to there to see what I’m talking about!
That’s when I started to absorb all that was around me. St Vasil’s in front, Kremlin’s red-brick wall and Lenin’s Mausoleum to my right, the History Museum behind me and an exquisite building that covered the entire left side of the Square!
“What’s this?” I asked Aish.
“The GUM.”
“The GUM? This is the GUM? The Gosudarstveni Universalni Magasin?” (The State Universal Store). This building’s entrance resembled the Winter Palace’s Jordan Staircase. In style it could shame Harrod’s and its collection had all the top brands in the world! But what had surprised me was that this was a State store - a wreck of the Soviet Empire - and it was so far away from the impoverished image I had in mind!
After spending a long time at the Kremlin and Krasnaya Ploschad, we made our way Park Pobyedi, which was home to the monument of Russia’s victory in the Second World War. When we came out of the metro station, I saw that it wasn’t raining anymore and the Sun played hide-and-seek behind the clouds. I guess even God needs a break ;) To be honest, the Sun brought welcome respite. My overcoat and jeans were wet. The wind had tested me all day. My hands were numb and my legs exhausted. My hair was in a complete disarray and my eyes blood-red with insomnia.(I looked perfect for a George Romero movie!) I was crumbling under fatigue but I was happy that I hadn‘t let the weather cripple me. I had done my full day’s worth of sight-seeing and most of all, I hadn’t betrayed my religion by drinking vodka. (My religion is cognac…and champagne…and B-52...but not vodka!)
Resilience is always rewarded in Russia. And once again, I was rewarded in the form of the massive obelisk in front of me. As Aish and I walked closer, we saw its reflection in the little pools of water the rain had left. An arc caressed the giant column from behind and the way up the platforms and stairs was paved by small bronze and malachite structures that hailed the achievements of the battle various - Leningrad, Ukraine, Minsk…
The 142m long obelisk itself - where every 10 cms represents a day of the war - bore names of the various cities that had fought the war - Moscow, Stalingrad, Leningrad, Kiev, Sevastopol…
Just in front of the obelisk, stood the giant figure of a horse-man, who had slayed a deadly snake with his spear. The bottom of the obelisk was adorned by flowers and bouquets, a tribute to all those who perished in the war. Whether in the armed forces or not, they are all war heroes! And it is this sentiment I admire the most about the Russians. They haven’t forgotten their war heroes, the heart-breaking conditions the war had created and the countless sacrifices made to protect the Motherland. No one celebrates their war heroes as much as the Russians do, and hats-off to that!
The rain was back with a vengeance but the day was almost over so it didn’t matter much! I had overcome the rain. And in some strange way, it felt like I had defeated God. (And the self-obsession continues...)
I was off to Oktyabrskaya to meet former Lehman colleagues for dinner at The Pancho Villa, an excellent Mexican restaurant on Bolshaya Yanimanka. It was a great night and good practice for my Russian. No points for guessing that, amongst other things, we all spoke about Lehman, which had filed for bankruptcy on 15th September 2008 becoming the largest corporate bankruptcy in history. At the end of the dinner, Sergey and Oksana did not let me pay for the tacos and tequila I had enjoyed. “Don’t worry, Aanchal! Thanks to Nomura, we still have jobs,” Oksana laughed.
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