Larisa Kaftan (our own correspondent)
The Prime Minister launches the film "Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin" in St Petersburg
The "gentle way" to victory
Vladimir Putin arrived in St Petersburg late on Monday night, a couple of hours before his birthday. The presentation of the film "Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin" began at the Konstantinovsky Palace, right after midnight on Tuesday on the Prime Minister's birthday. "Shall we say that we have gathered too early or too late?" Putin asked the assembled guests.
The presentation was organised by the Baltic Media Group. This educational film was made based on a book of the same title written in the late 1990s by Putin's first coach, Anatoly Rakhlin and two of his fellow judo wrestlers, Alexei Levitsky and Vasily Shestakov.
The film consists of four parts: judo wrestler Putin's introductory remarks, his own demonstration of his best holds that won him contests, and demonstrations of judo technique by famous Japanese wrestlers and Russian champions Tamerlan Tmenov and Alexander Mikhailin.
Putin says in the film that judo translates from Japanese as "the gentle way", that is, the achievement of a result in a "small but effective way" (the best method in politics - Author). He said that the technique teaches one to make concessions if they contribute to victory. He said that practicing judo fosters self-confidence and respect for both elders and opponents.
After watching fragments from the film, Putin said that the title "contains an advertising gimmick."
"Those who watch the film will be learning not from yours truly, but from the giants of the sport," Putin said coyly.
"I'm a big boy"
The participants in the function were pleasantly surprised that there was also a "fifth item" on the agenda. At 1 AM, everyone was invited to a buffet to mark the presentation and congratulate Putin on his birthday. Putin found himself at the same table with journalists.
"Would you like to write a book about downhill skiing?" he was asked.
"Skiing is recreation, and judo is my whole life," Putin replied, and went on to relate an episode from his life. When he was still a beginner, a female coach who saw him go down a slope exclaimed, "Fantastic!"
"I was cheered up," Putin said. "It was colossal praise. But then she went on to explain, ‘It's fantastic that you can keep on your feet.' That was the truth," Putin commented.
After drinking to Vladimir Putin's health, Rakhlin approached the Premier, asking, "How old are you?"
After a pause, Putin replied, somewhat reluctantly, "56. I am a big boy," he added smiling.
The coach nodded, and then went on to reveal that in judo, "Volodya" Putin won not through strength but through character, and that he liked attacking more than defence. If he had continued, he would have assuredly had a great sporting career (I have a hunch that Vladimir Putin does not regret the way things have actually turned out - Author).
Somebody asked Putin about Kadyrov's initiative to have an avenue in Grozny named after Putin.
Putin said he first heard about it from Kadyrov himself, whom he called from his car the other day.
"Ramzan told me about it. I thought he was joking. The connection was bad," Putin said. "But today I read about it in a newspaper when I was on board the plane. I don't like it all that much. And I wouldn't like to discuss it."
"Television is the teacher's enemy"
The morning of Putin's birthday found him at the St Petersburg Trade Union Humanitarian University, which will soon mark its 82nd anniversary. Tuition there costs 3,000 euros a year.
It is a creative university, and even has an artificial beach for relaxation.
During the meeting with the university staff, the Rector, Zapesotsky, complained to the Prime Minister that commercial universities do not get government grants.
The Rector went out on a limb, saying "It is great that the country's leadership has built up a vertical power structure, but it has some side effects."
"Sure thing," Putin said with a laugh. "This is sweet talk indeed."
Speakers complained about television, saying it had an adverse effect on the youth and asked the Prime Minister to do something about it.
"Television is the teacher's enemy," Putin agreed. "But perhaps it is the teacher's fault? After all, who brought them up? For 15 years they (television people) were fighting for survival. Today they are no longer poor. But they are people with a sense of responsibility and they are managing to change some things."
Putin said that instilling the right kind of morals was not a task that the state could handle alone. He recalled that in tsarist Russia, people's passports did not register nationality, but did register religion. The word "Orthodox" in the passport said it all.
"They had some universal principles, while we are still groping for them," Putin reflected.
In his opinion, patriotism could be one such principle.
"It takes talent to instill patriotism in society," Putin said.
The Government, in his opinion, "should not be stingy" but rather commission orders to the film industry, theatres, universities and television.
"State commissions could be a powerful lever," the Prime Minister said.
The issue of pensions was then touched upon. The Prime Minister said that the government would seek to increase pensions by 1% for each year of seniority.
"It is important for those who earned their seniority in the U.S.S.R.," Putin explained.
The author Daniil Granin, who holds an honorary doctorate at the University, congratulated Putin and said, "It is good that you were born."
Toward the end of the party the Rector said: "Your protocol department forbids making expensive gifts."
"That's right," Putin said approvingly. "We are waging a crusade against corruption."
Thus the Prime Minister was presented with a very "expensive gift," the title of the University's Honorary President.
"A cool place"
The Prime Minister discussed not only the film but the film industry as a whole. The director of the RWS-St Petersburg film studio, Dmitry Meskhiev, took Putin to the sound stage where Ivan Zatevakhin, a famous wildlife enthusiast, was filming his programme "A Cool Place" with actor Yuri Stoyanov. It simulated a pond and a lawn.
"It gives you an electric shock," Stoyanov complained, referring to the artificial grass.
"You should shoot in the open more," Putin suggested.
The Prime Minister chaired a meeting about the film industry at the studio. He recalled that in Soviet times the cinema "was the most important of arts."
"True, they changed that thesis then to read, ‘cuisine art is the most important of arts'," the Prime Minister recalled.
He promised that the Government would subsidise films that instilled "values and strategic goals for the country's development." In other words, Putin promised that the state would commission films. The objective is to increase the share of domestic-made films by 30%, though quantity is not the main thing. The Premier said it in so many words: "We can help you make a film, but we cannot force people to see it if it has no talent."
