THE CENTRAL ASIAN EXPEDITION
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In March of 1925 the Roerichs moved to the capital of Kashmir, Srinagar. From there began the famous expedition of Nicholas Roerich to Central Asia. The only unchanging participants of the expedition who followed the itinerary from beginning to end were three persons: Nicholas, Helena and George Roerich.
Some words should be said here about the Roerich’s youngest son. Svetoslav was with his family in India till the beginning of the expedition. He participated in brief scientific expeditions with his father in Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal. He studied and collected objects of art of the Oriental peoples and engaged also in the study of local medicine and the application of officinal plants.
But when the Roerichs and their eldest son went on the expedition to Central Asia, Svetoslav, on instructions from his father, returned to America to continue the Cultural Construction started by Nicholas Roerich. He remained in America till the spring of 1928, when the expedition ended. After that Svetoslav returned to India.
During his three-year’s stay in America, Svetoslav did a tremendous amount of work. It’s enough to say that, during this time, he was vice-president of the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York and the director of the International Center, “Corona Mundi.” Under his guidance, international exhibitions and contests were held, there were established relations between American, European and Asian museums.
In these same years Svetoslav painted a lot, and his talent as a painter quickly grew. All of this shows us that he was tremendously gifted. When Svetoslav returned to America, he was slightly more than twenty.
But let us return to the participants of the expedition.
Much has been written about the Roerichs’ Central Asian Expedition, which has now become legendary. In order to give a proper account of it, a whole other edition would be needed. In this narration about the Roerich family, only brief moments can be mentioned.
In the entire history of humanity, there has never been such a grandiose scientific expedition through the Central Asia. The great Russian travelers and explorers of Asia, Przhevlsky and Koslov, dreamed of traversing Central Asia from the north to the south, but their dream didn’t come true. The Roerichs did it twice: they went along the Tibetan plateau from the south to the north in the Occident and from the north to the south in the Orient.
Every step of the way a multitude of dangers awaited the travelers: deep precipices, slippery glaciers, steep paths, forbidding rocks. In the brush hid tigers, leopards, bears. In addition, the English colonial authorities were constantly placing obstacles in their way. There were also armed attacks of vagrant gangs of robbers. George Roerich was responsible for the defense of the expedition. In his childhood he liked military games; later he seriously studied the military and received a military higher education. So he was able to cope perfectly well with this task.
The Roerichs made it through all these dangers: they suffered from the cold, from hunger and relentless whirlwinds. Not a single artist had ever visited these places before, so difficult was the access. During this expedition Nicholas Roerich created about 500 pictures and sketches. No other artist has so many wonderful paintings that depict mountain views.
Mountain climbers, who themselves had visited these places, would speak animatedly of how true the colors were that Roerich used. Not in vain were the following words said by the Great Teacher after Nicholas Roerich had finished his earthly path: “There has never been and never will be such a singer of the sacred mountains.”
The expedition lasted five years. The trek of twenty-five thousand kilometers was surmounted. Thirty-five mountain passes, as well as countless streams and rivers, were crossed. During the expedition they gathered and studied ancient books on Buddhism; patterns of Tibetan painting; and archaeological, botanical and geological collections. They wrote down local legends and traditions. Even today, the materials gathered during their expedition continue to be of great scientific value.
