SOLAPUR: Chinese calligraphists Zhu Pinfang and Zhao Li arrived in India for the first time on December 20, 2016 for a mission in Solapur, a small textile city in southern Maharashtra.Both experts toiled relentlessly for 18 days to restore a 75-year-old condolence message written on December 29, 1942 by Chairman Mao Zedong to the family of Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis who was born in Solapur.The restored letter will be handed over on Tuesday to Solapur's civic officials at a ceremony at Confucius Institute in Mumbai University Kotnis was among the five member medical team that went to China in 1939 in response to a call seeking medical assistance during the second Sino-Japanese War. He worked tirelessly in China for four years, before he passed away at the young age of 32.Touched by Kotnis's work in China, Mao, a master calligraphist himself, penned a moving tribute and condolence message to his family in Solapur.The letter was written on traditional rice paper using charcoal black ink and a prized possession of the Kotnis family. A few years ago, the letter was handed to the Kotnis museum operated by the Solapur Municipal Corporation The message had undergone wear and tear over the years and plans to restore it began in 2014 when the then Chinese consul general in Mumbai heard about this gem. “We also came to know about its condition. The chief of relics from China visited Solapur and discussed ways to restore the letter. It was decided to send two experts from China to Solapur for the work,“ Guo Taojie, chief of political section, consulate general of the People's Republic of China in Mumbai, said.The Chinese consulate got in touch with Pinfang from Shanghai museum and Li from Gansu museum in August 2016 and requested them to travel to Solapur to restore the three-feet long letter.When Pinfang and Li first saw the frayed letter with its fading ink and moth-damaged fragile paper, both knew they had a huge task on hand. They combined their collective experience of nearly 80 years, used specialized tools from China, followed traditional and new scientific methods to restore the letter.“We carried all the tools and instruments, restoration material and ink from China.We had to peel the three layers that make the rice paper and fix the wear and tear one small step at a time,“ Pinfang said.She has worked in China and other countries to restore Chinese calligraphy works for more than 40 years.Both used the best rice paper in China and silk sheets, but the task wasn't easy . The dusty museum, where the letter had been kept, offered limited resources and made their task tough, but officials agreed to move the letter to a safer, cleaner place.“We have never been to India before and did not know what to expect. The food here was nowhere close to our food.Instant noodles were the closest and we turned to it for our meals,“ Pinfang said. Li said the working conditions in Solapur were not as good as in China, but the people were extremely helpful.“They went out of their way to ensure that we got all that we needed for the restoration work. We are proud to have completed this task we were entrusted with,“ she added.