theme №299 12/09/1997 (1997)

The program is timed to the Day of the Constitution of Russia.

For 6 years now we have been living in a new state with a beautiful, great name - Russia.

But there are still disputes over what the coat of arms should be, what a flag should be, and for all this time we have not even bothered to write the words of the new national anthem.

So what should be the official symbols of Russia?

What is heraldry and for what it is necessary to know?

Does the country need a new national idea?

The discussion involved the first deputy director of the Hermitage, the state heraldmaster George Vilinbakhov, the former minister of culture Evgeny Sidorov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergey Baburin, Chairman of the Center for Liberal-Conservative Politics Arkady Murashov, TV host Leonid Parfenov and other guests of the studio.

The program uses a fragment of the film "Ivan Vasilievich changes profession" (1973, directed by L.I. Gaydai), interviews with people in the streets on November 7, footage of the chronicle of different years; satirical poems are read by Sergei Kramarenko and Boris Lvovich.