According to Russian Culture Centre sources here, the award is given to citizens of India for contribution in popularising Russian culture, language and literature.
Nair has over 40 years of experience in the field. He is presently the head of the Russian Language Institute at the Russian Culture Centre here.
He is the first person from Kerala to get a PhD in Russian literature. Nair is the founder-editor of the Journal of Russian Studies published by the department.
Nair also chairs the Russian Speakers forum at the Russian Culture Centre.
