Mandarin: Bringing China-India closer

Sandeep Biswas at Shaolin Temple in China's Henan province. [Photo provided to/chinadaily.com.cn]

I decided to learn the language out of curiosity and it turned out to be a boon. I was unaware of China as a global power when I started learning Mandarin in 2005. But the more I learnt, the more I found interest and gradually Chinese became my passion. I will not hesitate to confess that "I literally fell in love with the language and culture of China". I struggled a lot. Someone has correctly pointed out that "hard work never go waste".

My learning the language was not at all a waste. My one-year stay in Shanghai in 2011 gave me an opportunity to know the nitty-gritty and essence of Chinese culture. Then I got the opportunity to work as Chinese-language teacher in India. In course of my teaching, I found students from different background coming to learn the language.

Indian students find it very difficult to grasp the tonal language.