Russian girl recites Vajpayee poem, earns praise at Vishwa Hindi Diwas

New Delhi: A Russian girl recited a Hindi poem by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Vishwa Hindi Diwas on Sunday to earn applause from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Evgeniya, a student of Hindi at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, recited the poem "Pehchan" by Vajpayee flawlessly, after learning the language for just five months.

Asked why did she choose Vajpayee and not any other Hindi poet, Evgeniya said: "It was recommended to me by my teacher at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan."

Impressed with her recitation, Sushma Swaraj said: "The girl from Russia, Evgeniya, in just five months of her learning Hindi, has recited Atal ji's poem immaculately. Not just the pronunciation, the diction, the throw of words and the pitch was also perfect."

Hailing from Siberia in Russia, she got influenced by spiritual guru Ravi Shankar to learn Hindi.

"I have been influenced by my gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I was introduced to Art of Living in 2010 and then became its teacher in Russia," said Evgeniya.

"Now, I can speak and write Hindi. It is only because of my guru. Currently, I am in the second level of my course at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan. Each level is for one year, but since I was ahead of others in the Hindi language, I completed two levels in one year. I am not sure now whether I'll pursue the third level. Probably, I'll look for a job here in India. I love being here," she said.