Indian soldiers learn how to say “Ni Hao”

| February 21st, 2010 | By: Piyush Goyal | Category: Nation

By Sumir Karmakar
Guwahati: Indian soldiers manning the Indo-Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim would soon be speaking in own language of their Chinese counterparts.

In a bid to bridge the language barriers with their Chinese counterparts, Indian soldiers guarding the Indo-Chinese border in Northeast are learning how to read and write Chinese language.

A group of 16 army personnel, mostly posted along Indo-Chinese border in the region are undergoing a fulltime course on Chinese language at Tezpur University in Assam’s Sonitpur district. The army personnel are undergoing the one-year certificate course as per an understanding between Armed Forces Educational Core and the Central Varsity, situated about 200-kilometers from here. Tezpur is also the headquarters of army’s 4 corps.

Defence offcials at Tezpur said the army soldiers were learning the basic Chinese language and literature and basic purpose of inducting them for the course was to break language barriers during the four border personnel meeting organised every year between Indian and Chinese people at the border.

“The soldiers who are undergoing the courses will be beneficial for us to interact with civilians, defence personnel and their family members from other side of the border who come and meet at the border. Besides we can engage our soldiers as interpreters,” army official said. “This will help the soldiers guarding the border as well,” he added.

Four border personnel meetings are organised every year on the Indo-Chinese border including two special meets on August 15 and October 1, the Chinese National Day.

The two-semester certificate course is provided under the English and Foreign Language Department of the university. Farheena Danta, the head of the department said army soldiers were being provided lessons on basic Chinese language and literature. “Our faculties are teaching them how to understand, speak and write in Chinese,” Danta said. The army personnel would complete the Chinese language course in May this year.——(EOM)

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