VR Touring Showcase Brings Russian Landscapes, Environmental Message to Kerala Classrooms

Students across Kerala are getting a unique opportunity to step into the vast wilderness of Siberia, the timeless expanse of the Volga, and other breathtaking Russian landscapes—without stepping out of their classrooms. A special Virtual Reality (VR) touring programme, jointly organised by the Russian Geographical Society and the Honorary Consulate of Russia in Thiruvananthapuram, has been launched as part of the Society’s 180th-anniversary celebrations.

The initiative, inaugurated in the state capital by veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, aims to raise environmental awareness among the younger generation through the power of immersive technology. Noted writer Paul Zacharia also joined in flagging off the mobile VR facility that will tour schools across Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Ernakulam in its first phase.

Speaking at the launch, Gopalakrishnan stressed that cultivating sensitivity towards nature is vital for today’s students. “It is their future that will be most deeply intertwined with the fate of the environment,” he noted, underlining the need for education that goes beyond textbooks.

Through the programme, curated under the banner ‘VR Touring Talkies’, students slip on headsets and are instantly transported into Russia’s extraordinary natural heritage. The immersive experience takes them through the snow-laden wilderness, vast rivers, and unique ecosystems, encouraging them to see nature as a shared global heritage—fragile, beautiful, and worthy of protection.

Organisers explained that the exhibition is not just about showcasing Russia, but about building a bridge of understanding. By highlighting environmental challenges and conservation efforts, the VR journey sparks conversations that urge young people to reflect on India’s own ecology, biodiversity, and climate resilience.

The blend of culture, technology, and environmental education has made the showcase stand out. Teachers in participating schools said the initiative encourages experiential learning, making abstract concerns like climate change and conservation far more tangible to children.

As the touring VR showcase travels across Kerala, it is being celebrated not only as a technological attraction but also as a gentle yet compelling call to action: to see nature as a living legacy and to protect it for generations to come.