Dr Wladimir Derevenko and his son Kolya (Nikolai)

[Dust_of_History]

      To my knowledge, "Tarabar" is next mentioned by name in Post # 718 of the thread, "Re: Just to put this out there.....Romanov Style"  by poster "Holly": "It was called Tarabar."  In response to another poster's comments, the poster,"Holly," on Jan. 17, 2011, replies in Post # 720: " I've only seen it in one book that I can remember."  The only extant written example (able to be quoted from the source) followed in the same posting, #720. (Unfortunately, a follow-up on the book's name was apparently never remembered and posted.) 

I think I can confirm this. I can't remember exactly but in one of the threads someone mentioned that Alexei and Anastasia used a secret language. Then I asked if someone knows the name of the language and I believe it was Holly who said it was "Tarabar". I have to say that I have my doubts. As there is so little information on Tarabar, I could imagine that they used it mostly verbally and rarely in writing with a very restricted vocabulary.

[thelastimpofrussia]

Who else would know about Tarabar? MAA, maybe Tatiana? I found a very odd letter from Alexei to Tatiana, I think it might be a code. (this is actually how it was written!)
For Tatiana! From Alexei (my addition 27 May 1917 in English)
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To seek her poor doggie a bone
When she got there
The Cupboard was bare,
And so the poor doggie got none.

[aleksandr pavlovich]

Who else would know about Tarabar? MAA, maybe Tatiana? I found a very odd letter from Alexei to Tatiana, I think it might be a code. (this is actually how it was written!)
For Tatiana! From Alexei (my addition 27 May 1917 in English)
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To seek her poor doggie a bone
When she got there
The Cupboard was bare,
And so the poor doggie got none.

 As to the speculation that it "might be a code": IMO, I would not allow too much to be read into this, a well-known child's nursery rhyme, dating from the very early 19th century. There are a number of other verses.
 IMO, this was undoubtedly written as an example of the Heir's attempt in English, probably copied from a book in English (as opposed to a translation since it "rhymes"). The use of the verb "seek" in the rhyme would to my mind, betray a British English-influenced origin, which given the circumstances of the Heir's origin/s of exposure to the English language, would be appropriate. (Parenthetically, most American children, I think, use "get" in relation to reciting this nursery rhyme.)      
 But now, even I (as interested in languages as I am) will admit that we are FAR off-topic of the subject heading.        AP.

[thelastimpofrussia]

I came to the discussion late, but yeah it is. Can someone split the thread?

[Inok Nikolai]

There are two old threads in which parts of the interview were posted, on websites that are now inactive, so I have decided to post it here. The audio and video quality is mediocre, but it will do. Kolya died in 1999, and this interview was taken sometime in the 1990s, and was apparently featured as a promotional interview for the Romanovy: Ventsenosnaya Sem'ya, which was released in 2003.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DsS5EVu0-c

Nena generously translated a part of the interview:

I was a little boy, just 12 years old. I didn't know anything about people's evil. We lived in Popov house, very close to Ipatiev house. In the middle of summer 1918, I was afraid, and I was preoccupied about Alexei. I wanted to see him. And, I am sure, he wanted to see me. Until that sad day July 17, 1918. My father, Gilliard, Gibbes and others knew everything, but I knew nothing. Something terrible was going to happen, but I didn't know what....In the last week of July 1918, I , my father, Gilliard, Gibbes, etc. entered Ipatiev house. Terrible scene....House was in complete chaos; diaries, letters, albums, and other items were all around in house. 'But where is Leskela?' I asked my father, but I he didn't answer me. Leskela's diary was found by a White guard, I think his name was Nemetkin, I don't know. But Leonid Sednev....I saw him. He cried. His cried so aloud, so aloud!!!!!
I was confused. 'Papa, where is my Leskela?'-I asked.
'They killed him'. I then start to cry.
'But how?'
'They killed Tsar, Tsaritsa, and GDs also. All are dead."-said my father.
"I don't understand','where...where are bones'
'We don't know, maybe we'll never discover them'
I then perceive, life is brutal....I found Leskela's last letter written to me.Especially one sentence in that letter-'I hug you warmly'-made me so cry..I thought 'And I hug you warmly,too, my dear friend, my tsar...'
I was in shock. In latter years, I think just about him. 'Why did they killed you? In USSR, there is no space for my Leskela..We'l be forever friends, my  dear tsesarevich....I want to see you just ONE more time, and I can die in peace...

In letters, Alexei and Kolya would sign their names backwards, hence Ieskela.

I have been trying to track down and authenticate this interview for a few years now. Soon I hope to post here what I have found out so far.

Please be aware that the translated excerpt given above does *not* reflect the contents of the clip furnished here. That passage must have occurred elsewhere in the interview. Nena says that he cannot find that link now. I have prowled the Internet for more segments of the interview, but have only found this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQARa-o20UY&feature=plcp&context=C3cd8d8dUDOEgsToPDskIXGNGEVhJVP0OZdcKwjlNv

REQUEST: If any of you know of any other segments of this interview, or where it appears in its entirety, PLEASE let me know. Thank you!

Inok Nikolai

PS: I already have the six-part account of *how* it was made; but not the actual film footage. (More on that later.)

[Vladimir_V.]

https://www.ntv.ru/novosti/1640219/

[Inok Nikolai]

Thank you very much.
After so many years!
But the sound track is bad.
I. N.

[Inok Nikolai]

Turns out, it was my headphones that were faulty, not the soundtrack!