Ravil Bukharaev (1951-2012) was a celebrated Tatar writer, poet and scholar of religious, cultural and political history of his native Tatarstan and author of over thirty books. Born in Kazan, the capital, in 1992 he left Russia and moved to London with his artist/poet wife Lydia Grigorieva in 1992 and subsequently joined the BBC World Service. Latterly, following early retirement, he committed himself to supporting a number of UNESCO projects.