Melbourne: When was the last time you heard a foreigner speak in fluent Hindi, or say, more fluently than you? Ian Woolford, a UK-born American is a lecturer at Australia's La Trobe University, where he teaches Hindi language and Literature.
Unlike others, he is not like one of those foreigners who have trouble pronouncing Hindi words and a problematic accent. Instead, he happens to have a much better command at the language than many 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 Bhajans and Lok Geet with friends, and hence, began his love affair with Hindi.
He pursued his Masters and Ph. D in Hindi Language and Literature, adding to which he 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 Amitabh Bachchan too.
Seeing his love for India, it is not difficult to believe that he has visited India quite a few times during which he stayed at places like Varanasi, Bihar, Jaipur etc.
We must say, you definitely gave us major language goals!
