This festive season, India gets its first Dutch language textbook.
After years of hard work, persistent efforts and unflinching determination, the dream finally manifests.
Elated, proud and thrilled to be the first Indian to author the first official Dutch textbook for the country. 🥳
The launch of this book 📕 was facilitated by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Mumbai. 🏢 It was a privilege to unveil this remarkable guide with the honourable Consul General, Mr Bart de Jong and Deputy Consul General, Mr Thierry van Helden, along with the publisher, StoryMirror, to everyone at the release event. Mr Bart de Jong further highlighted that this was the FIRST book launch that took place at the Consulate, which speaks volumes about how important the book is in giving Dutch studies more momentum in India. 🇮🇳
My primary goal has always been to create a structure for Dutch studies in India. The first step to reach this goal was to make standardised material available in the country at an affordable price, 💵 so that students can benefit from the knowledge I have gained 😇 in my learning process. Creating a better future and tomorrow, and nurturing and supporting the need and aspiration to learn the language form a building block apart from the growing economy to promote this language study in India.
By offering easy access to material, The Dutch Door® 😎takes its first step to make the learning process easier. Learning a foreign language can never be a cakewalk, 😨 but what can make it interesting and motivating is the material to study from.
Nederlands voor kinderen is a pictorial method 😍 which kick-starts the journey to learn basic Dutch. Pratika Poorswani from PopWorks DesignHouse has been the brains 🤔 behind the way this has turned out to be. My imagination and her skills and creativity has given this book the look it has today and she has nailed it.
My journey –
Rejection was my only motivation! 😥
It is not so easy to write a book. The amount of surety, conviction and research 💻 required is boundless, because the world starts learning from what you give them.📄
When I was in college, a teenager, I loved roaming around with my friends on the bike. 🛵 My Dad would always be worried wondering, “Would this girl end up with any ambition?”
Swopping from Science to Commerce, 👩🏻🎓 I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do in life. With zero aptitude for Computers and Engineering and no inclination to Medicine, 👩🏻⚕️ he then asked me to pursue my German studies. And so, I did!
After finishing all my levels from Goethe, what we know as Max Mueller Bhavan. I went to Germany 🇩🇪 for the last bit of my specialisation. I finished my Translation specialisation from The Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz. On returning to India, 🛬 I thought of at least earning back what my Dad had spent on my education. 😛
Starting off as a translator 👩🏻💻and then gradually climbing up the ladder, I slowly gained inclination. I was always dedicated to whatever I would do – be it my studies or be it any job. Excelling in my job, I then headed the Foreign Language Department. But like anyone who gets bored and reaches a stagnation 🥱 at a point of time, I too did. I thought of using my perkiness in the real world and doing something chirpier than just sitting at the computer.
I upskilled to Dutch. 💃🏻 With no institutes in India, I again did it the hard way. Self-study!!! Reading and studying from everything available online, I dived into the language and started teaching. But it did not stop there. Looking at the complexity of the language and difficulty in the availability of material, 💆🏻♀️ I started writing again. And this time for myself and the country.💖
I knocked on every door 🚪 with a hope to start teaching – at every institute, university and language school. 🏫 But what I received was only rejection or maybe no response at all! Some were not sure if they could accommodate one more language in their school while the others doubted my skills only because 😢 I was a non-native speaker. But with a zest to keep learning, evolving and growing, I did not give up. I launched The Dutch Door®.
I always wanted to leave a legacy behind and with this, my dream comes true. Making material finally available in India so that people get easy access to books and ‘something’ to study from.🙌🏻
Today when I just stop and breathe and retrospect, it all falls in place and probably it all did happen for a reason.
It is quite an overwhelming moment and I am incredibly grateful 🙏🏻 to the Consul General, Mr Bart de Jong, Deputy Consul General, Mr Thierry van Helden and the entire Consulate team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Mumbai 🛤️ for supporting me to embark upon this journey 🏖️ and for all the faith and belief in my hard work and ability. This was a step very much needed for India!
My mentors #Thomas van Berckel and #Marijanne Joshi Polderman have been a blessing in disguise for standing by me and for the continuous motivation and support. “Zonder hen was dit nooit mogelijk geweest!”🧚🏻♀️
Watch us here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOD_rhqHAJg
