State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with relatives of Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis and local young people in the state of Goa, India on May 4 local time. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
NEW DELHI — The people of both India and China, especially the young, can make joint efforts for peaceful and friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation in line with the spirit of legendary physician Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis, according to China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
The Indian doctor, considered a symbol of friendship between India and China, sacrificed his life for China’s war against Japanese invasion during World War II. Qin met Dr Kotnis’ relatives, representatives from India-China Friendship Associations as well as some local students in the state of Goa on May 4.
Families of Dr Kotnis, members of India-China friendship groups, and young people from both nations agreed that Dr Kotnis embodied the universal principles that will endure throughout human history
The spirit of Dr Kotnis, known in China as Ke Dihua, is emblematic of humanitarianism of saving lives, heroism of struggle and sacrifice, and internationalism of championing peace and friendship with a shared future, Qin said at the event.
READ MORE: China, India promise to improve bilateral relations
May 4 was Youth Day in China. Youths are the main force for the development of the two countries and should do their part to promote bilateral cultural exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation, so that the China-India friendship can be passed down from generation to generation, Qin said.
“We should carry forward the spirit of Dr Kotnis, firmly uphold peace and friendship between China and India, carry forward people-to-people friendship, constantly increase communication and exchanges between the 1.4 billion Chinese and 1.4 billion Indian people,” Qin stated in a press release.
Qin called Dr Kotnis a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter of the anti-fascist war.
Born in a village near Solapur, Maharashtra, India’s western state, Dwarkanath Kotnis completed his medical education in Mumbai from GS Medical College. He volunteered immediately to go to China to help the army when he heard of the need. He wanted to help and learn before he settled down to practice.
Kotnis arrived in China in 1938 with four other physicians M. Atal, B.K. Basu, M. Cholkar and D. Mukherji, as members of the Indian Medical Mission Team helping China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). The other doctors returned, but Kotnis stayed, became known as Ke Dihua daifu (doctor) in Chinese, and continued working relentlessly for the Chinese army, sometimes for more than 70 hours at a stretch.
However, the Indian medic died unexpectedly in China on Dec 8, 1942 after saving the lives of numerous Chinese soldiers. On his death, late Chinese leader Mao Zedong said that they had lost a life savior and friend. His dedication and perseverance turned him into an example for Sino-Indian friendship and collaboration.
Qin called on young people from both countries to inherit the spirit of Dr Kotnis to safeguard peace and friendship, and promote people-to-people exchanges between China and India, which should explore a path for the two major neighbors to coexist in peace, get along in amity and seek rejuvenation together.
Qin along with China’s Vice Minister Sun Weidong and Chargé d'Affaires of Chinese Embassy in India Ma Jia also met with local people connected with Dr Kotnis. Earlier Qin held a bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa.
Families of Dr Kotnis, members of India-China friendship groups, and young people from both nations agreed that Dr Kotnis embodied the universal principles that will endure throughout human history.
“This example of unparalleled sacrifice can’t be forgotten, instead it should become a firm bond of international friendship between the two strong world economies and should take forward the friendship between the two countries,” said Sumangala Borkar, niece of Dr Kotnis who attended the event.
Everybody at the occasion was speaking from the heart and really felt there should be warm and healthy relations between the two countries, said husband of Sumangala, Rajan Borkar, who also attended the event. They desired to develop international friendship and peace between the countries.
READ MORE: IMF: China, India to account for half of global growth in 2023
The spirit of Dr Kotnis should be passed on and carried forward to strengthen people-to-people ties and push forward friendship and cooperation between the two countries, they added.
Speaking about the meeting, Chairman of Dr Kotnis Memorial Committee Rajendra Jadhav noted Chinese officials remember about Dr Kotnis. “Today’s meeting was not mere discussion, but much more beyond it.”
Jadhav said that Chinese officials have invited persons connected with work of Dr Kotnis all over India, indicating China still considers Dr Kotnis as a symbol of friendship with India.
The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.