From china, comes a lesson in Hindi

Based in Beijing, Wei says there is a lot written and spoken about the Indian shooters in the local Chinese media. Abhinav Bindra is the most well-known Indian sportsperson for obvious reasons, she says, followed by Gagan Narang. There isn’t much known about the other disciplines, including badminton, she adds.

She says all this in flawless Hindi. Any attempts to switch to English is nipped in the bud. “Even your new prime minister talks in Hindi. So should the rest of you,” she says

Wei has studied Hindi for four years at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Or as she calls it, the Vishwa Vidyalay (when was the last time you called a university by that name?). And she also has an Indian name – Chandrima, a name that’s stuck with her since her university days.

The Chinese aren’t entirely happy with the organisation of the Incheon Games so far and, ironically, it has been about the difficulty to communicate with the locals in absence of English signboards. “No one here can talk in English. It’s so hard to communicate. It was easier in Guangzhou,” she says.
—Mihir Vasavda