Veteran Hindi announcer of Radio Beijing dies in China

Shyama Ballabh, a former Hindi announcer of erstwhile Radio Beijing and a long-time Indian resident of China, passed away here today at the age of 76.

She had been suffering from ill-health from some time and is survived by husband Janaki Ballabh and two sons Akhil and Atul Dalakoti.

Shayma came to Beijing in 1958 accompanying her husband Janaki, a veteran Hindi specialist who had a long association with China's Foreign Language Press (FLP). He translated Mao Zedong's ideological works into Hindi.

Together with other Hindi specialists, he also translated The Journey to the West, China's famous 16th century epic novel into Hindi.

Before the 1962 war, Shyama worked as a Hindi announcer in Radio Beijing and after her return in 1977 she authored children pictorial stories in Hindi published by the FLP.

Barring brief intervals during the 1962 China-India war, Janaki, 83, and Shyama resided mostly in Beijing working for the FLP and Radio Beijing, which was subsequently renamed as China Radio International.
They hail from Uttrarakhand.

Their second son Atul Dalakoti is the President of Reliance, China and Executive Director of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), China.