New Delhi: When was the last time you heard a foreigner speak in fluent Hindi, or say, more fluently than you? Ian Woolford, UK born American is a lecturer at Australia’s La Trobe University, where he teaches Hindi language and Literature.
He is not like one of the foreigners who have trouble pronouncing Hindi words and a problematic accent, but he happens to have a much better command at the language than any of us.
In an interview to The Lallantop, Woolford said he had a connection with the foreign language since childhood. While in school in Trinidad, 12-year-old Woolford started singing Bhajan and Lok geet with friends, and hence, began his love affair with Hindi.
आप दौलत के तराज़ू में दिलों को तौलें
हम मोहब्बत से मोहब्बत का सिला देते हैं
~ साहिर लुधियानवी— Ian Woolford (@iawoolford) June 15, 2016
The Australian, who pursued his Masters and Ph. D in Hindi Language and Literature, said it was his love for music and performance that attracted him to the language.
Woolford is currently working on a book on a famous Hindi writer, Phanishwar Nath Renu, of whom he is a very big fan. He is a great admirer of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan too.
Seeing his love for India, it is not difficult to guess that he has visited India quite a few times during which he stayed at places in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jaipur etc.
We must say, you definitely gave us major language goals!