Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t70.1

v2.c15.s2.t70.1

Vimla Saran was a scholar in one of the very first groups of Indian scholars to be trained in Peking University in the 1950s. After returning to India, she became a librarian, in charge of the China Collection in the library of the Indian Council of World Affairs. In the early 1970s, Saran joined Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as a faculty member teaching Chinese in the School of Languages. Along with Prof. Tan Chung and Dr H P Ray, she helped in developing a vibrant expert to prepare a textbook for Hindi speakers for learning Chinese; for this purpose he specialised in the translation of a variety of texts, including scientific and technological literature; based on his experience he had compiled very effective teaching material for training students in translation at a time when ready-made textbooks for Chinese language teaching were not available. His area of interest and research also included Medieval History and India-China maritime trade. After retirement from JNU,