Colombo Russian Centre’s senior officer Natalia Kulishenko donated the collection that included a number of works used by her in Sri Lanka before returning after her tenure in Sri Lanka.

Kulishenko planted two Naa saplings in the college premises to commemorate her visit to the school. Tatiana Panditha, Russian Language Instructor of the Colombo Russian Centre, Sarath Bandu Kumara, Principal of the Homagama Mahinda Rajapaksa College, the teaching staff of the college and students were present on this occasion.

Kulishenko said that the Russian House in Colombo provides 60 scholarships for Sri Lankan students to pursue their higher education in Russian Universities free of charge.

She said that the students of the Mahinda Rajapaksa College will immensely benefit through the partnership between Mahinda Rajapaksa College and the Russian Cultural Centre.

“The Russian language is a very special one. It is poeticized by many talented writers. It is the language of the world’s greatest literature, which is known and admired throughout the world”, she said.

Kulishenko said that the first words in outer space were pronounced in Russian by Yury Gagarin. “During my travelling to the central part of the island, to the tea fields, I am surprised to hear fluent Russian there from Sri Lankans”, she said. She added that knowledge of the Russian language for a foreigner means a competitive advantage in the area of life success.

“As far as I know there are about 5, 000 Sri Lankan people who speak Russian Language. Most of them are members of the Association of Sri Lankan graduates from Socialist countries. Kelaniya University is the university in the country which offers bachelor’s degree in teaching Russian language,” Natalia Kulishenko said.