Vladimir Putin opens new home for his `pet` humour show

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended the inauguration of a building that will host the Club of the Cheerful and Sharp-Witted, or the KVN, humour show in Moscow.

The ceremony took place Monday night at the former Havana cinema building, which has been remodelled with Putin`s backing to accommodate Russia`s most popular and funny student show. "They say an artist must be poor if he wants to create the works of genius. We do not believe so," Putin said addressing the KVN teams from five Russian cities and the fans of the show. He congratulated the KVN creators and said the efforts of all those involved in the show "have turned it into the most powerful mass youth movement". The Club of the Cheerful and Sharp-Witted show was created in 1961. The Soviet authorities banned the programme in 1971 for its sharp humor and satire. The show reappeared in TV programming in 1986. President Putin is a well-known fan of the KVN. He attended the show three times - in 2004, 2006 and 2011. "I am particularly pleased with the fact that this is a domestic intellectual product," Putin earlier said. IANS