Delhi kids and a Chinese 'grandpa'

Wen seemed to have done his homework on India quite well. At the Tagore International School here on Wednesday, he was in control as he took questions from inquisitive students. When asked by a curious kid, “What is the significance of this year in India?” he said: “It is 150 years of Rabindranath Tagore.”

The students were then taken through a Shanghai ride as Wen told them of how well Tagore is known to the region. Tagore visited China thrice in the 1920s and is the most widely translated foreign author in Chinese after Shakespeare. “The national anthem which you sang today was written by him. Recently, President Pratibha Patil unveiled a statue of the legendary poet at the busy junction of the Mao Ming Road and Nanchang Road in Shanghai,” Wen said.

Having had enough of Tagore and China, the students probably wanted to see “grandpa” (they asked Wen if they could call him thus, to which he said, “Sure, please go ahead”) juggle with words, and hence asked, “Why can’t India and China be friends?”

“Who says they are not?” pat came the reply. He then got up from his seat to write ‘India, China friends always’ in mandarin on the blackboard behind him. This won thunderous applause from the students. Wen was delighted to learn that the school has mandarin as a subject from class VI.   

Wen’s interaction at the school lasted about an hour, spilling over the 20 minutes allotted for it. And whether or not he was prepared for the session, his infectious affection and enthusiasm won him many young fans.