By Honorary Reporter Preeti Rawat from India
Photos = Kasturi Pande

The King Sejong Institute (KSI) Foundation holds annual Korean speaking and writing contests to mark Hangeul Day on Oct. 9. 

This year's world finals were held on Oct. 15 at the Seoul National University campus in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do Province, with 10 finalists in speaking and 12 in writing. Kasturi Pande, 23, from India won the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Grand Prize in the former category. 

Kasturi Pande (right) on Oct. 15 receives the grand prize at this year's King Sejong Institute Korean Speaking Contest for her speech "The Dream I Looked at from Afar Called Me."

In an email interview from Oct. 26-31, Pande said she earned a bachelor's in English and got Level 4 score in the Test of Proficiency In Korean after studying the language for over three years at the KSI in Patna, the capital of the Indian state of Bihar. 

Her interest in Korean began during the COVID-19 lockdown through Korean vlogs, K-pop and K-dramas. "Even without understanding the language, its sound felt beautiful and powerful, sparking my curiosity about Korean language, culture and people," she said. 

What moved her the most about Korean culture, she said, was its simple but touching phrases, adding, "It made me realize that the beauty of Korean culture lies not just in its language or traditions but in the kindness and empathy of its people."

In the national round on May 26, her speech topic was her favorite Korean expression and why, and she chose "a dragon rises from a small stream." "It reflects my life, growing up in a small town with limited opportunities, yet striving toward my dreams," she said. "With guidance from my teacher at KSI Patna, I focused on expressing emotions naturally rather than just aiming for perfection."

Winning the top award, Pande earned a week-long trip to Korea from Oct. 14-20, where she visited cultural sites such as the National Museum of Korea, Korean Folk Village and Gyeongbokgung Palace and tried activities such as taekwondo, knot making and cooking Hansik (traditional cuisine).

Kasturi Pande's prize for winning the national contest in India was a trip to Korea from Oct. 14-20.

On Oct. 15, she won the grand prize in speech in the world finals under the topic "Korean Culture and Koreans through the Korean Language," with a speech on her Korean-learning journey.

"I practiced daily, focusing not just on pronunciation but on conveying emotions naturally. On the day of the contest, I was exhausted and even fell ill, and my only goal was to perform my best," she said. "I never expected to win so when my name was announced, I was in shock and tears. It showed me that putting your heart into something can lead to unexpected rewards." 

Pande wants to continue studying Korean, aiming to earn a master's and Ph.D. in Korean language, linguistics, and culture, with the ultimate goal of becoming an interpreter or translator. She joins previous compatriots who won the world title: Sourabhi Maiti (2018), Anubhuti Kakati (2021), Srija Paul (2023), and Amandeep Singh Oberoi (2024). 

To aspiring learners of Korean and contest participants, Pande said, "Don’t be afraid to start, even if it seems difficult. Learning Korean is more than memorizing words—it's about feeling the beauty of the language and culture. Challenges will come, but every small effort matters." 

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article was written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.