Indian couple volunteers at Olympics

HONG KONG: The Indian participation in the Beijing Olympics isn’t restricted to the 99-member delegation that arrived from New Delhi on Tuesday. An Indian couple in Beijing, Manish and Monica Chopra, are among the multi-national volunteer force who are working to make it a successful event.

“For Monica and I, this is a dream come true,” Manish, 35, who works for a US manufacturing company told DNA. “We’re proud to be associated with the Olympics and to be the ambassadors of our country.”

Manish and Monica have lived in China for four years – in Shanghai first and then in Beijing – with their seven-year-old son Ipshit. “Ever since we came to China, I felt the urge to be part of the Beijing Olympics in some capacity,” recalls Manish.

When the organising committee invited applications for volunteers, the couple applied. Among the requirements for non-native speakers of Chinese was that they should have a working proficiency in the language. “Both of us can speak Chinese reasonably well,” says Manish. After a screening, at which they were asked about their prior experience of volunteering, they were chosen.

During the Games, Manish will volunteer at the Olympics Sports Centre, helping visitors find their way around the complexes. Monica, who teaches at the Indian Embassy School in Beijing, will volunteer at a call centre for Olympics spectators. She is currently helping Chinese volunteers become familiar with Asian accents.

“It’s hugely exciting,” says Manish, of his experience. “There are 199 foreign volunteers, and all of us are very thrilled.” Even his colleagues have been very encouraging, he says. “When they heard I’d applied to be a volunteer, they were rooting for me to be chosen, and now they’re sharing in my enthusiasm and pride.”

Monica has become something of a star in her neighbourhood ever since she was chosen. “The respect and gratitude I get from neighbours, students and taxi drivers is very enriching,” she adds. Even Ipshit (whose Chinese name is Wan Fu Jing, after the famous snack street in Beijing) is a big hit with the Chinese media, who call him “the youngest Olympics volunteer”.

Life in China has been a “rewarding experience” for both of them, says Manish, who confesses to a particular fondness for Chinese cuisine. It’s gotten to the point, he says, where, at one of the orientation sessions, he was asked why he wasn’t wearing the official volunteer T-shirt. “I told them that given my liking for Chinese food, it no longer fits me,” he jests.

They may not be winning medals for India at this Olympics, but the Chopras are doing their bit to keep the Indian flag flying in Beijing.