Living several months in a country where you do not speak the language, or speak it poorly, is without a doubt a tough act. Add to it a job that demands that you maintain and promote bilateral relations between the two countries. But, while most ambassadors are seen caught up during trade promotions and signing of agreements, Adam Burakowski is occasionally spotted on Delhi streets, striking a conversation with the locals. And the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan, has his Hindi skills to thank for this.

Burakowski began his love affair with Hindi more than 20 years ago. "I visited India for the first time in 1997. As a 20-year-old, I came as a tourist, and it was a fresh experience for me; all these colours, songs and the sun. India at its best," Burakowski, now 42 years old, recalls. While he also speaks Romanian and Russian and is always trying to understand other cultures, he says he was truly smitten by Hindi music.