Click to play videoMumbai Besides trade and business, there are other things on the Chinese Premier's agenda. One of them is to visit the family of Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis — the man who saved thousands of Chinese lives during the second Sino-Japanese war nearly 70 years ago.
Dr Kotnis was one of the five Indian doctors dispatched to China to provide medical assistance during the war in 1938. But what makes him a hero?
"He worked on the war front. He was almost the only doctor there and trained the other doctors. And those conditions were very difficult, but he never cared for them," says Vatsala Kotnis, Dr Kotnis's sister.
Since then, he has since been a legend in China. And each time a high-level Chinese delegation visits India, Dr Kotnis's sisters have been at the centre of a media frenzy.
The very fact that the Chinese spend so much time in meeting the family members of Dr Kotnis shows just how deeply their feelings are about him.
"We're very much impressed with the love they're showing us," says Manorama Kotnis, Dr Kotnis' other sister.
More than meeting the Chinese prime minister, the sisters were looking forward to meeting Dr Kotnis's 91-year-old widow Guo Qinglan, who didn't make it because of her ill health.
Swallowing their disappointment, the family is planning on showing Hu Jintao some Indian hospitality. "We're thinking of giving him a token, a momento, from the place of Dr Kotnis's birth, which is Sholapur," says Vatsala.
While the Chinese government and people have acknowledged the contributions of Dr Kotnis towards humanity, apart from a media circus each time a high level delegation visits, India is yet to do so.
Meanwhile, Dr Kotnis and his family continue to do their bit towards Sino-India relations.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
TOP NEWS
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
