For the common Indian, China is a way of life which cannot be ignored

On a sultry day on the streets of Delhi, a small roadside food-joint is overcrowded with people ordering Chinese food. They belong to the working middle class for whom noodles and fried rice are not fancy international cuisine but a way of life.

A woman says, "Chinese food is very close to the Indian taste. There is no party complete without Chinese food." "You can cook Chinese easily, and eat noodles and rice with anything, be it in dry form or with curry. Besides, one doesn't need extra utensils like ovens to prepare it," a man adds.

Everybody has an opinion

China is India's immediate neighbor and sure enough, cosmopolitans and villagers alike love to talk about China as much as they like to discuss Pakistan, sometimes even both of them together.

A woman in Delhi has these associations with China: "Intelligent, low quality, hard-working, violent and secretive." A man thinks, "politically, it is a very aggressive country, economically omnipresent, Chinese goods everywhere, human rights violations, and a communist regime. Its proximity to Pakistan concerns us too." Another passerby argues: "We are both developing countries; we have to tackle similar issues like employment and the environment. Our social issues are similar. We have Chinese products in India but likewise we have a significant presence of Indian companies at Chinese trade fairs."

Chinese language boom in universities

A clear indication that Indians are looking eastwards is seen in the growing number of students enrolling for Chinese language studies. Today, Chinese is the preferred language above German, French or Spanish. Priyadarsi Mukherjee, Professor of Chinese at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, explains:

"In the 1980s and 90s students were more preoccupied with politics, culture or literature. But especially after the year 2000, they have become more interested in job opportunities. Before they start studying Chinese, they explore whether they can get good jobs. Earlier, the job opportunities were restricted to intelligence or similar fields but now they have shifted to the corporate sector."

Aryan is a post-graduate student in JNU, who hails from the rural belt of India. He made a deliberate shift from Russian studies to Chinese.

"I shifted to Chinese studies because of its powerful economy," he explains. "Since my second year in Chinese language, I am doing a freelancing job too. In our markets, every product is 'made in China'. I feel if there are so many products, there is scope for Chinese language too."

Changing perceptions

Byas Ghosh, a fifth year student of Chinese language studies says, "I wasn't much aware of China before I joined this course. Rather I had a negative impression of China. I thought China was aggressive and people didn't have much freedom. But after studying China for six years, its history, culture and geography, my perception has totally changed."

Amongst Indian decision makers and the media, China is seen as a neighbor one has to be wary of. There are border disputes and political sensitivities concerning Tibet and Pakistan. At the same time, the government ponders over the minutest of details when giving out statements about China considering the economic implications. But for the common Indian, China is a way of life which cannot be ignored, be it job opportunities, electronic gadgets or just plain simple food.

Author: Sunanda Rao-Erdem (New Delhi)
Editor: Grahame Lucas