Georgia’s balancing act in Russia’s neighbourhood

A visit to Georgia, amid the Russia-Ukraine war raging in its neighbourhood, was exciting and instructive.

- Shashi Shekhar

The Georgians have proclaimed themselves free since the breakup of the erstwhile Soviet Union, of which it was a member right since its 1922 inception. Joseph Stalin, a Georgian himself, played a pivotal role in the merger. He remained at the helm of the Soviet Union for 30 out of the 69 years that the Soviet Union existed. So, if the Georgians consider the breakup of the Soviet Union their liberation, how do they view Stalin's three-decade-long rule? I tried asking people near the Stalin museum in Gori, the village where he was born. Everyone excused themselves, citing a lack of language abilities. Old habits die hard — this reluctance to speak freely is an old ploy of Soviet citizens to avoid sticking their necks out.

But this isn’t the case everywhere in Georgia. Marjia, who spoke fluent Hindi, met me near Mother Georgia's statue in the capital city, Tiblisi. In 2017, she spent seven months at Agra's Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, and is interested in India. On the Russia-Ukraine war, Mar-jia didn’t beat around the bush. “We don't trust Russia. They bared their intentions the moment they attacked Ukraine. But our government is busy placating them,” she said.