Her original name was Zhao Jiang, but now this 38-year-old Beijing resident prefers to call herself Kalaimagal. The head of Tamil services at China Radio International, Zhao Jiang has been in love with the Tamil language for the past two decades and more.
She is currently in Tamil Nadu researching the local culture and spoke at the Madras University’s Tamil Literature Department.
Nearly 20 years ago, Zhao Jiang signed up for a course in Tamil at the Communications University; all she knew at that time was that Tamil, like Chinese, was one of the ancient languages of the world. As she explored the language she fell in love with the works of Bharathiyar and can now recite several couplets from the Thirukkural.
She went on to join China Radio International which broadcasts in some 65 languages. She is now director of CRI’s Tamil department. Their programmes now reach some 5 lakh listeners across the globe – from India to the US, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, the Gulf countries and, of course, Tamils living and travelling in China.
While Zhao Jiang struggled with the complexities of the Tamil language initially, she and her team have now compiled a Chinese-Tamil dictionary of some 25,000 words. Her department also brings out various publications, including a travel guide in Tamil for tourists to China.
Zhao Jiang, who loves the temples of Chennai, wants to translate various works by the great Tamil poets for Chinese readers.
On another note, she’s taken aback by how much media persons – writers, TV presenters and RJs rely on English words and phrases to communicate. ‘This will eventually dilute and even destroy the language,’ says this Chinese woman who wants to see Tamil preserved in all its purity.
