‘Non-Tourist’ Sites in Georgia

Molokane and Dukhobortsy found by journalist.

About March 2016 the Russian newspaper Kosomolskaya Pravda, sent staff journalist Sergey Ponomarev on a ‘special project’ assignment — fly from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia, and report about the sites and people that tourists rarely or never see.

He visited 22 mapped places (below) and several side-stops, reported in two parts online with photos and video. 100s of readers commented, and he replied to many.

On his agenda were Molokane and Dukhobortsy (Doukhobors). When he met a Russian woman vendor named Potapova in Tbilisi, he first asked if her family arrived with Molokane or Dukhobory. She replied, no, my grandfather came here in the 1930s from Tambov, followed by all Potapovs from our village. (Русским здесь не доверяют? (Russians are not trusted here?), Part 1. [Video now offline])

Click map to ENLARGE.

His report posted April 5 got 50 comments, though editors dated the story the next day, on April 6, 2016 as : Путешествие по «нетуристической» стране: Расцвела под евросолнцем Грузия моя? [Traveling in ‘non-tourist’ country: Flourish in the European sun, my Georgia?]. The story title is a play on the title of the popular Soviet era song: Расцветай под солнцем Грузия моя (Flourish in the sun, my Georgia).

Ponomarev apparently prepared for his tour, and set an agenda to follow a route which covered most of the country. He rented an apartment in Tbilisi, and carried his video camera around town interviewing in Russian with anyone who spoke Russian. Then he traveled to the eastern edge of the country where he sought Molokane (Part 1 of 2). Along the southern border he found Doukhobors (Part 2 of 2).

Title page. Click to ENLARGE

Ironically unknown to the reporter, in the middle of the panoramic photo of Tbilisi (above) used for the opening page of his report are 2 historic sites for Molokane and Dukhobortsy. The current Rike Park was home to the first large Molokan settlement in Tiflis. This sandy river bank flat was earlier called the peski district (pes.ki' means sandy in Russian; ree'.ke means sandy in Georgian). The adjacent Metekhi jails held all the arrested gun-burning and protesting Doukhobors in the Caucasus in 1895-1896.

Ponomarev, 50, was raised in the Urals, studied journalism at Ural State University. He worked as a newspaper journalist in various parts of the Far East, and in the 1990s was hired by Kosomolskaya Pravda.

The content is useful for the general public, and presents as a valuable authentic ethnographic work, though his reporting is superficial at times and he missed many fascinating out-of-the-way peoples and places. All of his video is with a hand-held camera, image bouncing as he walks, out of focus when the light is dim or the subject is back-lit, and too often strays while he interviews. The sound is often noisy with traffic or wind. The project shows how a print and photo-journalist tries to do video journalism. Fortunate for our readers, he included two groups of Spiritual Christians.

We translated and posted his two stories. Leave comments on this blog, below.

• Molokane: The Second Exodus — 7 photos, video (30:22 min.)
• Doukhobors : ‘Filipok’ in Gorelovka — 9 photos, video (18:45 min.)

Russian entry page on Kosomolskaya Pravda: Путешествие по «нетуристической» стране: Расцвела под евросолнцем Грузия моя? [Traveling in ‘non-tourist’ country: Flourish in the European sun, my Georgia?].

New Video About Georgian Doukhobors

Review by Koozma J.Tarasoff of Doukhobors: Community of Faith, a video documentary by Russian TV, June 7, 2013: (28 minutes). Copyright by "RT" and "TV-NOVOSTI" 2013.

Studying Doukhobors from their roof-top.

The opening image is a 1893 sketch of the Doukhobor village Gorelovka, Tiflis province, Russia, by H.F.B. Lynch. Russian Television (RT) sent a Georgian video crew to produce this documentary. The opening sound track is sprinkled with singing and snippet previews of this 'sacred place.'

The 29 minute video is divided into 5 sections titled: People (at minute 2:48); Vasily (3:30); Nikolay (6:38); Mikhail, Kuzma, Tatyana (9:00); Community of Doukhobors; Ads (12:04 for 2 minutes); Faith (14:12); Easter (15:20); Exodus (19:17); Neighbors (20:42); and Sacred Place (25:30) the cemetery.

Roof-top views

Presented mostly in English over Russian dialogue, the introductory printed text along with another text further on explains the context of this film:

• RT teams up with a couple [video journalists Niko and Magda] from Tbilisi, Georgia, who travel south of the country to explore the community of the Dukhobors — a Christian group that believes God lives inside humans, not in an organized church. See how this group managed to preserve their way of life for centuries.
• In 2013 a young couple traveled from Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, to the south of the country. This region is home to a breakaway Orthodox group. Known as the Dukhobors, they reject all church rituals and iconography and have managed to preserve their way of life.

This is one of the better films on the Russian Doukhobors for several reasons. It is tightly edited. Their philosophy is clearly articulated. The tone is upbeat, friendly and informative. Unlike previous videos in Georgia which focused on women, here men and children are included. The video quality and color are beautifully done.

The story is quickly paced from the time the crew leaves Tbilisi by car, arrives in Doukhoboria, climbs on top of a heritage earth house with a green grass roof, where they view the world of the few remaining Doukhobors in a village now occupied with Armenians and Adjarians (Muslim Georgians). The journalists ask many questions in voice over, which are eventually answered by the subjects in interviews. They translate most of the Russian in subtitles, and give insightful commentary throughout.

The journalists describe their roof top view as if it was 'from another planet.' The old Doukhobor village has given way to 'a Caucasian ghetto.' There is nostalgia for the old Soviet era when living together was a pleasure, cleanliness was a virtue, education was free, orderliness, culture and a job gave rhythm to life. There was a view of a public school with only several children present; they were reciting Russian, Georgian, and Armenian alphabets.

After 170 years in the region (having moved in exile from the Milky Waters area of the Crimea in the mid-1800s), only about 150 Doukhobors remain in Gorelovka here today. The trend is towards out-migration and a loss of identity. Their stone architecture remains a prized possession of neighbours who see an opportunity to get good cheap or free accommodation as locals move out to Russia. Only 57 Doukhobor houses remain in this village.

People interviewed are: Vasily Slastukhin (woodshop), Nikolai Sukharukov (sledge shop class),  Brothers Mikhail and Kuzma (at the cheese factory with sister Tatyana Oslopova, who later sings a song of the 'dear heartland').

Easter service begins at midnight with men on the left (3 men and a boy) and 12 women in beautiful traditional costumes on the right, perform a prayer service where there appears to be no leader yet there is a feeling of unity.

In 'Neighbours' a young fellow admits he came because his Armenian grandfather moved here. The village administrator regrets that so many Russians have moved away.

The remaining Doukhobors survive off their land — selling milk, cheese, and growing gardens. We see one of the women in the home making traditional pirogies.

The short clip of the storks in a nest on top of a pole is beautifully-done. According to legend, say the locals, these birds are a symbol of new birth, kindness and love.

In 'Faith' a woman describes the symbology of her Doukhobor cap. She says some suggest that Doukhobors 'originated in Byzantia,' a predominantly Greek-speaking continuation of the Roman Empire.

The last segment, 'Sacred Place,' is a tribute to the past at the Burial site of the leaders, a 3 kilometer drive west east of their village, where they join Doukhobors from neighboring Orlovka village.

The philosophy of the Doukhbors is clearly articulated with the words 'behaviour is the measure of ones life.' Vasily points out that Doukhobors don't believe in baptism. They see no need for churches which they consider to be 'idolatry.' Their God of love is within. 'Giving to the poor' and helping your neighbour is sufficient. White-bearded Nikolai states that Doukhobors 'live by their word' so that their actions speak louder than words.

Although this could be a depressive story of a people losing their property and their identity, the presentation remains upbeat, portraying the inevitable change that has occurred because of recent geo-political and economic circumstances. In the end, morality wins.

I was surprised that the caves and the 1895 Arms Burning site were missed. Despite these major omissions, this video story is well worth viewing because it really gives the viewer an impression of what life is like there in 100s of scenes and thoughtful dialog.

Learn to Make Videos

For years I wanted to present my stories in video. Now I am doing it at age 81. My first short project is about my wife Kristina, then about Doukhobors.

I saw an ad for 'script-to-screen video production training for documentary makers and communication professionals.' The course offered 'hands-on' experience in making documentaries. Just what I needed. I enrolled in the first Doc-School held in Ottawa in March — Video Storytelling 101 — a flexible 10-day course.

Peter Biesterfeld

The founder of Doc-School and our teacher, Peter Biesterfeld was born in Soest, Germany. He has 35 years of experience in documentary film-making at Algonquin College, Carleton University, CBC, CTV, and in private business. He recently moved to Toronto where he is working on his current documentary: 'Anarchists and Activists'. I want to learn to do that.

I was pleased to meet three interesting classmates. We all have Eastern European roots. Ken Bilsky Billings began video in 1982; his father's ancestors came from the Crimea, Ukraine. Diana Watt is Manager of Special Programs in Education at the Ottawa University; she was born in Mission, British Columbia where she got to know the Doukhobor speaker/author John Kootnekoff ('Koots') who is a close friend of her father William Ordog (Hungarian). Patricia Palulis (Lithuanian) is Associate Professor of Education on sabbatical from the University of Ottawa.

Left to right: Diane Watt, Peter Biesterfeld (teacher), Koozma J. Tarasoff,
Kristina Kristova (in my video), Ken Billings, and Patricia Palulis

Our first lesson was to study documentaries online. I was most impressed by John Pilger, an independent journalist who speaks about complicity and compliance, censorship and citizen journalism, and the Iraq holocaust. See his Media and the War — Challenging The Consensus as well as the history of 'embedded' and independent reporting in The War You Don't See (2010).

We make videos as a team, and each must produce and edit their own 5-minute project. Ken was already writing and editing 'The Story', a profile promo of an Indian residential school survivor and writer. Diane is making 'WAM — Women, Action and the Media'. Patricia is working on 'Cinema Academica' and its interesting origins at Ottawa University. My project is 'Kristina — A Bulgarian Star in Canada'.

To stage and shoot my segments, everyone came to our residence. We shot Kristina showing how to cook banitsa, a classic Bulgarian pastry dish, and my interview with her. It took us eight hours of team work. Everyone had a chance to use professional cameras and rotate jobs.

We ended the night with home-cooked Russian Doukhobor borshch, Bulgarian banitsa and other dishes, lavished with Slavic hospitality (photo above).

Because this was the first of a series of DocSchools that Peter Biesterfeld plans to organize across Canada, I volunteered to make many photos for publicity. I support this low-cost effort to train citizen documentary filmmakers like us. See my photo album about the 10-day DocSchool Spring 2013.

DocSchool hopes graduates will form a collaborative community of serious documentary video producers. Arrange classes for yourself or a group via the website doc-school.ca. Master Peter can help you 'change the world' by creating effective documentaries that speak to the condition of the day. With professional coaching, you can learn much on your own.

Here are some of my insights from the 10-day course:

1. Most important: What story do you want to tell? What is your compelling reason?
2. Do your research, go to your passion and find your focus.
3. You cannot tell it all. Choose items that provide an interesting consistent select story with impact. The story should be a very fresh journey with highlights and low points along the way. This visual and auditory canvas should be a unique experience in our lives.
4. Your documentary is like a feature film. Think big, select effectively, edit ruthlessly and get the quality right.
5. Your documentary film is a point of view with a purpose — not a consensus. The focus helps the audience open a window to the world. However, with the powerful editing tools that we have today (such as Final Cut Pro X), there is real potential for manipulating the story to some ends. This is because as editors we become kind of master puppeteers doing the job of controlling the action and reaction. As film-makers we want to reveal human emotions and present a mood (instead of just describing an action), yet at the same time we have a responsibility to be fair and honest and tell the truth.
6. My impression is that governments do not want to tell the whole truth to the public because the truth will stop wars. Serious journalists and documentary makers believe that if they had done their jobs properly, and challenged the military about its charge that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, we would not have gone to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Propaganda and public relations people sell war by manufacturing fear of a created enemy threatening our democracy. Expose this fear!
7. Curiosity ought to be our trusted friend. When necessary, challenge the official story, especially if it comes from positions of power. Who benefits? Why don't we seek an alternative to the war solution, for example?
8. There is no one way to do a documentary. Michael Moore uses the ambush in-your-face approach. John Pilger asks hard questions with lots of visuals and archival footage. Jennifer Baichival employs the character approach. All are valid styles.
9. I learned that the basics of visual story telling includes some or all of the following: the cutaway, using variety of shots such as medium, close-up and extreme close-ups; holding the shot until the action is complete; doing 10 to 15 seconds on each shot; shooting at eye level because this connects us to the audience; using more 'nose room' in front; focusing on the eyes, before moving out; asking at least four questions for our Focus Statement; getting an Establishing Shot at the beginning to give context; Actuality provides the real power to a story; with Continuity, we need to build, build and build. Finally, give the last word to the main character.
10. Always try to tell a story through the eyes of a character — someone doing things for some compelling reason.
11. In a meeting, ask permission at the beginning: 'Do you mind if I shoot it?'
12. Think outside the box. The main character could be a place.
13. Transcribe tapes before editing and creating a Shot Log with Time Codes. Use a yellow marker to indicate items you want to use. Every edit cut requires a motivated reason.

In summary, the 10-day course highlighted the need for dedicated citizen videographers to inform others and to ensure that out society survives as a just, clean, caring, friendly and beautiful entity.

For me, the course provided the preliminary skills and confidence to pursue the video projects that Kristina and I began 20 years ago — with my Doukhobors and her Bulgarians. Thank you Peter!

Useful Resources

1. RSAnimate is a professionally clean animated video for explaining a complicated message.
2. Storify is a Social network service that lets the user create stories or timelines using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
3. Highrise in the World is an Emmy-winning, multi-media, collaborate documentary experiment by the National Film Board of Canada that explores vertical living around the world.
4. Out My Window is an interactive NFB interactive documentary, open-source film, unlike any you have seen before. Katherine Cizek, the director, put it together over the course of years. You choose where and when you want the stories (49 in total) to begin and end.
5. Transcend Media Service is a valuable free subscription service from the Johan Galtung group in Norway with weekly stories from around the world. Select videos are listed every week.
6. Videomaker Magazine is a monthly magazine which covers the use of camcorders, desktop video, editing, lighting, and audio production for novice and expert videographers.
7. Welcome to Pine Point is an interactive web documentation for the NFB Interactive about a northern town that closed in 1988, and was subsequently demolished.
8. Adobe AuthorWare7 is an interactive training course for e-learning.
9. Thoughtmaybe website is an excellent online repository of films covering topics challenging modern society, industrialized civilization and globalized culture.
10. i-Docs is an exceptional online site for people interested in interactive documentaries, where you can learn, reflect and expand your understanding of the field.
11. Peter Biesterfeld's Doc-School has helpful links to a number of interactive sites for documentary filmmakers: NFB, HotDogs Library, The Documentary Organization of Canada, Mastering documentary interviews, Chronology of Documentary History, and BBC New Technology on changing how a documentary ends.

See my photo album about the first 10-day DocSchool.

Q53: Video about 1895 Burning of Arms?

From: Al Lebedoff, Grand Forks, British Columbia, December 17

After watching CNN school shooting videos and the resulting gun control debates, I thought, would it be timely and appropriate to send CNN, YouTube, FaceBook a picture of the Doukhobor Burning of the Arms 1895 picture with a Doukhobor song as a background. This may stir up some interesting discussion in the US.

I also read a headline blog that people with young kids are starting to hand their guns in, this is in Oakland Calif. They could receive $200 for turning their gun in. Some fathers did not accept the cash. Safety concern for their children was the reason for this action.

Who in our organization could prepare this video clip???

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Answer

In Grand Forks you have an extensive video archive of USCC performances including arms burning memorials. Volunteer geeks could produce your suggested video from digital collections readily available. Much is also on-line, including all of Koozma's images.

I recall the impressive performance during the 25th UYD choir anniversary. The lights dimmed and the illusion of a bonfire on stage was created by a fan blowing thin colored fabric up while illumiated with colored light. A video of this, or a comparable performance, could easily be uploaded to YouTube.com. Also worthy: Doukhobor Dugout House re-enacts 1895 burning of guns ... .

A larger project could include images, text and narration. Talk it up around town. Hopefully a few talented people will get it done.

Gun buyback programs are offered by many US police departments, often funded by donations. The guns are destroyed. How times have changed. Getting $200 for the government to destory your gun is an evolutionary progression compared to getting whipped, jailed and exiled for destroying your own gun, as Doukhobors were punished for in 1895.

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This question and intense news coverage about the school shootings aroused Koozma to post the following blog: Control Guns AND Mental Illness.

More: Questions and Answers, Comments

Media Democracy

What is "Media Democracy?"

Simply: "... media should be used to promote democracy." (Wikipedia)

As a photojournalist and wanting to impove my media skills, I attended the first Media Democracy Conference at the Univeristy of Ottawa (Nov. 16-18) "... for media makers, activists and others who are interested in learning more about alternative media and developing some reporting skills. ... providing training for media making."

The three-day event featured 8 key speakers, 12 workshops and 12 sponsors. I missed the earlier Nov. 2 event Media Democracy Day, which is being promoted across Canada this year.

My generation recalls our fellow Canadian Dr. McLuhan, who in the 1960s coined and taught two famous sound-bite lessons: the medium is the message and the global village. He pioneered studying culture and techonology at the University of Toronto and predicted the World Wide Web.

I grew up with print, radio and TV media. Now we are at our next evolutionalry stage, an information-electronic-computer-ditigtal age where this new democratic media can be the new message if we participate. To prevent a monopoly of knowledge, just as we had typewriters and photocopiers in the past, now we need to get computers and learn and use many new digital skills, and advocate for Internet freedom of speech.

The conference organizers used a meaningful logo (top) and the new Internet tools of media democracy to announce their conference:

• Blog (Wordpress) — OrganizingForJustice.ca
• Social Media (Facebook) — Media Democracy Conference Nov 16-18
• Discussion board (Google Groups) — Facilitators and volunteers call-out for the Media Democracy Conference Ottawa!!
• Audio file (Soundcloud) — Greg MacDougall interviewed by Wairimu Gitau

First, I learned that I am already doing some of this. I participate in media democracy via e-mail, this blog, my website, and two photo sites (Google Picasa, Yahoo Flickr). I posted an album of 30 photos taken during this conference. So far, so good.

Heather Menzies

Second, I could do more networking, audio, video, using a mobile computer. I appreciated the comment by Heather Menzies, a distinguished writer, speaker and teacher, who briefly but profoundly made her contribution from the audience. She spoke of giving voice to the local people and combining the power of photos and story to make this happen. Menzies passionately applauded the conference organizers for building a larger coalition of alternative media.

Third, I appreciate the collaborate / co-operative role of news gathering, editing and publishing. We cannot be effective by locking ourselves in silos. For example, my webmaster 2,000 miles away in Arizona, USA, works with me over the Internet as if he was next door. He does the geeky part so I can focus on photography and writing. I am learning a lot. We use email, web phone, and co-edit all content. He started this story to which I added my part, then he edited and posted.

Fourth, I was introduced to The Dominion 'news from the grassroots' journal which is a pan-Canadian media network that seeks to provide a counterpoint to the corporate media and direct attention to independent critics and the work of social movements. The journal is published in print and on the web. See a recent useful article on 'Co-ops for Social Change'.

Fifth, I am challenged by the prospect of building a media of action — one that parallels mainstream media which is often controlled by corporate interests such as the military industrial complex. For example, what imaginative ways can we employ alternative media to help create a Canadian Department of Peace? The same can be applied to my interests in world peace, climate change, overcoming violence in society, narrowing the economic gap between the rich and the poor, bolstering health and education as a right, encouraging non-confrontational parliamentary discourse, and dealing with gender discrimination.

Finally, a quote from one of the booklets that I picked up at the Conference (Understanding and Engaging the Media For NGOs by Rebecca Cohn and Kathryn White, for the United Nations Assocation of Canada, 2007:38) provides a nice tip for us in creating newsworthy stories:

• Relevance — does it have an impact on people's lives?
• Timeliness — does it involve a present issue?
• Human Interest — does it involve human emotions?
• Entertainment Value — does it stimulate curiosity?

Doukhobors in Georgia: to stay or move?

Духоборы в Грузии: остаться или уехать?

The BBC Russian office posted a 3.5 minute TV Russian news video on 14 August 2012, summarising the current situation of the few remaining Doukhobors in Transcaucasia. Translation of introduction:

In southern Georgia near the border with Armenia and Turkey, many Doukhobors relocated here in the mid-19th century. Here in Ninotsminda, formerly the Bogdanovka District of Georgia, historical monuments are preserved of the difficult history of the Doukhobor movement. Today, nearly two centuries later, most Doukhobors moved to Russia, and many fear that the history of the Doukhobors in Georgia is coming to an end. Correspondent, Nina Akhmeteli, BBC Russian office.

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The report is excellent for its stark images, good interviews, very good articulation in the Russian language, and a tone that is neither gloomy nor optimistic. Villagers are shown herding and milking cows, and during a Sunday meeting. The cave and cemetery are toured.

Four residents are interviewed: 

Dressed in traditional Doukhobor clothes, Tatiana Oslopova tells how a few elders come to the Sirotskoi Dom (Orphan's Home) on Sunday to 'meet God' and pray together.

Maria Belousova describes how Doukhobors once had a thriving milk economy, but now most the Doukhobors have moved away, including her family. She sold her cow, survives on her garden, and wants her daughters to return to their homeland.

Young Vladim Sukorukov of the village of Gorelovka sees no future for Doukhobors here unless something unexpectedly happens.

Bearded elder Nikolai Sukorukov visits the cave (peshcheriska) near one of three 1895 Arms Burning sites, then the cemetery (mogilitchki) in Orlovka. He came to the area 30+ years from Tbilisi, says he sees hope that the area pulls people back to their homeland.

The reporter concludes that almost two centuries after the Doukhobors were exiled from the Milky Waters area in 1841, many now fear that the Doukhobor history in the Caucasus is rapidly coming to an end.

More about Doukhobors in Georgia.

Doukhobor Documentaries in New Denver

Doukhobor Documentaries Screening — video and digital media
October 27, 2011 — Thursday — 7 pm.
Bosun Hall, 104 Josephine Street (west of hospital), New Denver, BC

Bosun Hall, 104 Josephine Street, New Denver, BC.

During October 2011 students at the New Denver Lucerne Elementery Secondary Schools (grades 5-12) have been studying and digitally documenting Doukhobors. Their multi-disciplinary project is 'Values of Doukhobor Community: Then and Now.'

The students have been interviewing Doukhobor elders, visited the Doukhobor Village Museum in Castlegar, learning frameworks of historical thinking, and using the Internet to collaborate their work.

Filmmakers have assisted students with podcasts, digital stories, poetry, images and art on a blog to 'co-create meaning and build a greater understanding of the values that underlie the heritage of our Doukhobor community and their contribution to our community and Canada.'

A public screening of their work is announced for Thursday, October 27 at the Bosun Hall, 104 Josephine (across from hospital), New Denver, BC — 7 pm.

From: Doukhobor Documentary, Lucerne Elementery Secondary School Newsletter, October 4, 2011.

After school staff had requested use of photos from Spirit-Wrestlers.com, I asked what they were doing. More will be posted when I find out.
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Note from Ms. Taylor  —  Oct 20, 2011

…  It has been fascinating to see their engagement in our place-based learning initiative and to witness the heartfelt reception that they have been given by the elders and other Doukhobor community members. In all this week, the students have conducted about eight interviews with Doukhobors from Hills to Castlegar and several points in between. Kindness and graciousness has consistently been granted to our students in all of these interviews as well as in our field trips to the Museum, the Brilliant Cultural Centre and Verigin's Tomb. We did purchase an array of the books and resources at the Doukhobor Village Museum to supplement our library collection.

We shall most definitely keep you posted and will follow up with a short post to add to your blog describing the project, along with some photos of the students working and perhaps some screenshots too.  …

Ms. Terry Taylor, District Principal of Learning,
Principal, Arrow Lakes DL School, SD#10 (Arrow Lakes)

Film review: Krishnamurti's Search for Truth

The Challenge of Change: The Biographical Film of J. Krishnamurti is a 75 minute DVD in English, produced by Evelyne Blau from 1984 through 2004. Krishnamurti's messages share much with the Doukhobor movement.

Subtiltes in 12 languages.

I was invited to view this video biography of Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 - 1986) by Jim Deacove whose firm Cooperative Family Pastimes hosted 'Films from Heart and Soul' at their monthly 'Spiritual Cinema Circle' presented in Perth, Ontario at the Myriad Cinema.

The film includes a series of statements Krishnamurti makes into the camera specifically for the documentary. It includes a wealth of excerpts from various talks and dialogues as well as a biographical sketch of his early life. Jim and his wife Ruth have met this Indian philosopher on several occasions and have been impressed by his revolutionary zeal to inspire people in discovering the truth within themselves. Jim is a volunteer librarian for the Krishnamurti Foundations.

The core of Krishnamurti's teaching is contained in the statement he made in 1929:

'Truth is a pathless land.' ... Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual nor through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation, and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. Man has built in himself images as a sense of security — religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these dominates man's thinking, relationships and his daily life. These are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man in every relationship.'

This 'pathless land' proposal may scare or threaten people's habitual beliefs. It may seem even anarchistic and rudderless. But wait, have patience. There is wisdom to this exercise.

In the tradition of Socrates, Krishnamurti provokes us to search for truth above and beyond our ready-made solutions as found in established institutions, patterns, and habits. He urges us to cease sectarian thinking, and put away Shankara, Buddha, Christ and God so that our mind is alone, clear, and no longer influenced, controlled or compelled to serve a set dogma. Spiritual leaders, gurus, and things we've read about need to be set aside. The search for the inner truth must take preference; it is an inner journey that seeks a common denominator to the notion of humanity. It is what makes us human.

As reviewer, I have never met Krishnamurti, but have been impressed by his simple, yet difficult formula in truth seeking.

A contemporary of Krishnamurti was the Russian author and philosopher Lev N. Tolstoy who used a similar approach to seeking the truth. Tolstoy criticized sectarian thinking including a critique of his close followers who tended to set up a Tolstoyan society. Tolstoy criticized this society and urged the people to look at the issues at hand (and not to make an icon of him).

A recent example comes from Canada.  As leader of the New Democratic Party in Canada for the past eight years, the late Jack Layton (1950 - 2011) periodically reminded his members that they ought not make an idol of him, but focus on the universal issues of health care, social justice, public pensions and make sure that no one is left behind. This was his way of rejecting the cult of personality, as one of his mentors Tommy Douglas had done many years earlier. Each of us can think of examples in our own lives that require us to transcend economic, political, ethnic, racial and religious boundaries — so as to help us go directly to the core of our humanity, and therefore to the truth of things.

Seeking the truth demands effort, vigour, transparency and discipline. Anthropologists remind us that society requires both continuity and change, so that we need to seek a balance in both. Here we need to be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. While seeking the truth, we need to preserve a sense of integrity for our existence as worthy and caring human beings on planet earth.

Friends, be brave and watch your ecology carefully as you enter the path of discovery from day to day, from moment to moment and become liberated in a new level of truth. Find much more on his official website J. Krishnamurti online.

Video excerpt: 'The Trouble with Tolstoy'

The Trouble with Tolstoy; Soldier, Seducer, Saint and Sinner is a 2-part, 2-hour BBC Imagine production narrated by Alan Yentob who documents Tolstoy's life with photos, locations, and interviews. The show aired March-April 2011, on BBC1.

Three minutes present the Doukhobors. In the second hour, Yentob somewhat covers Tolstoy's aid to the Doukhobors, the novel Resurrection, and interviews Doukhobor Elaine Podovinikoff and great-great grandson Vladimir Tolstoy.

Though the entire 2-hour show is no longer online, an ~11-minute segment starting with the Doukhbors was posted on YouTube — Tolstoy Gandhi Doukhobors Guy Giard.mp4



Unfortunately, this segment and the 2-hour show omits a lot of history which misleads the viewers. Read history books. Many are online. Much new analysis about Tolstoy has been published in the past decade from his diaries and letters.

"The Trouble With Tolstoy" says little about his printing house started in 1885 in Moscow, or the Tolstoyan leaders who were exiled with Chertkov. The Doukhobors are introduced with no mention of their famous burning of arms protest in 1895. The viewer is misled to think that Resurrection was written to save the Doukhobors; actually, the book was incomplete for 10 years. Motivated by the Doukhobor problem, Tolstoy finished it in parts as a serial in Russia and sold foreign rights to raise a lot of money fast. Tolstoy had not published a novel in 25 years. He became ill from the hard work. Translators and publishers altered the text. Tolstoy and his readers felt that this third and last novel was rushed, lowering it's literary quality. Tolstoy planned to continue the story later.

Read an excellent analysis online in Introduction To Tolstoy's Writings: Chapter 11: Resurrection, by Ernest J Simmons, Professor of Russian Literature.

Tolstoy donated the royalties from this and other books to a international fund to escort Doukhobors out of Russia in 1899, and sent his son Sergey and others to assist their migration safely and report back to him. About one-third of the most dissident of all Doukhobors emigrated, about 7400 of 22,000. The majority stayed in the Caucasus. Learn much more by reading books.

Video Timeline

• Minute 0:42 — Andrew Norman Wilson interview (Tolstoy: A Biography) about novel Resurrection, "... a novel that needs to be resurrected. It's been submerged, and merely forgotten about."
• 1:02 — Narrator Alan Yentob: "Tolstoy wrote [finished] Resurrection in order to raise a large sum of money to save the Doukhobors."
• 1:30 — Elaine Podovinikiff interview. Tolstoy helped Doukhobors because they (1) would not kill humans, and (2) believed God is everywhere. Doukhobors in Canada studied Tolstoy's Christian lessons as a part of their regular Sunday School lessons.
• 2:58 — Resurrection is summarized in pictures and explained by several scholars.
• Spiritual evolution is the central theme of Resurrection. Book critical of church, the penal system, military, and government.
• 5:19 — Professor Elvira Osipova interview, St. Petersburg University. His words are very relevant today. "What is meaningful .. moral .. worthless? ... the contrast between the rich and the poor. ... the problems remain today."
• 6:15 — Feb 1901, Count Tolstoy rejected by church, excommunicated. He divided the country. Some declared him the devil, most as a god.
• 8:00 — Father Selophil interview, Optina Pustyn Monastery. Tolstoy's deeds "...not at one with the Church."
• 8:45 — Sergey Il'ich Tolstoy interview, great-great grandson, Director Yasnaya Polyana State Museum. Tolstoy descendants failed to reverse Tolstoy's excommunication in 2001. Church silent about their mistake.
• 9:25 Interview with Rosamund Bartlett (Tolstoy - A Russian Life) about The Kingdom of God is Within You, read by Gandhi in South Africa.

More:

• Video Review: 'The Trouble With Tolstoy', by Koozma J. Tarasoff, August, 22, 2011.
• 100 Years after Death Tolstoy Still a Brand, RussiaToday, Nov 20, 2010. — British News video with interviews of Elaine Podovinikoff and Vladimir Tolstoy.

Doukhobors in Georgia, a Russian video

This 18-minute Russian language video titled: დუხობორები დმანისმი — 'Doukhobors in Dmanismi' (Bashkicheti) was posted in June 2010 by Baxolia, recorded in 2009-2010. Patience. Video loads slowly. If video stalls, try loading from MyVideo.ge.



The video begins at 5 a.m., showing a typical Doukhobor prayer service at dawn, contrasted with village street scenes. Interviews summarize that only Doukhobors lived here before, now few remain. They are in contact with the neighboring Doukhobor villages. The second half, at minute 8:30, begins as a nostalgic slideshow of older images and songs of the Gorelovka area showng more people and the cemetery service. The video concludes at minute 15:45 with interviews about their future and images of Dmanisi village at 7 p.m. If you can read Georgian, please send in a translation of the video credits, or post in "Comments" below.

More about Doukhobors in Georgia.

Doukhobors Return to Georgia — Russian TV News

Духоборы в Грузии — Doukhobors in Georgia — is a 3-minute PIC-TV news segment (off-line) about village Gorelovka (Goreloye) broadcast 18 April, 2011. Vladimir I. Tolstoy, his daughter and others are shown visiting the Orphans' Home (Sirotsky dom) and lunching with staff and Doukhobors at the Lev N. Tolstoy Secondary School.

Winter scenes include Sirotsky dom, psalm singing, village scenes, the adjacent Tolstoy school, pictures of Russian writers, ending with stork nests. Near the end (time 2:25), Galina Alekseeva reports that a few educated Doukhobors have surprisingly returned from Russia to this "Georgian Siberia."

 

In the video 3 brief interviews shown, none with V.I. Tolstoy, summarized here:

• Nikolai Sukhorukov, village elder — Hold your sword without revenge. It's a spiritual sword. Lev Tolstoy has a famous saying: 'Don't oppose evil with violence.' They are identical. A person who walks with the [Holy] Spirit won't get attacked.
• Vladimir Svetlischev, village resident — We know how to speak Georgian because we live in Georgia. Before we were isolated and there were no Georgians here.
• Galina Alekseeva, Head of Academic Research at the State Museum-Estate of Leo Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana — It's very surprising that many well educated people (Doukhobors) are returning here. They could live in Moscow or Tblisi, but amazingly they are coming back here.

An error occurs at second 22 when the newscaster mistakenly calls Doukhobors Staryvery, Old Believers, a common mistake because few journalists are familiar with the history of Spiritual Christians — Dukhobortsy, Molokane, Pryguny — confusing them with Orthodox "old faiths." The error is repeated in the video segment text: "В ходе Дней Льва Толстого в Грузии участники международной конференции посетили духовный центр староверов - Гореловку." 

The return of a few Doukhobors contrasts with previous news that Doukhobors have nearly abandoned their communal farms in Georgia,

More about Doukhobors in Georgia.