Saturday July 17th 2010:
We had the distinct honor of meeting for a short time with former Indian Ambassador Swashpawan Singh. He is now retired after 35+ years in Indian Foreign Service. Ambassador Singh came to meet our group in a small conference area of our hotel, the Trident Gurgaon outside of Delhi. He spoke to us briefy about the current position of India in the world, and about the general importance of cultural awareness and education. A few of the key points that I took away from our time with Ambassador Singh were: the high degree of similarity between Indian and American value systems, the need for Indian infrastructure to catch up to its growth in other areas, and the importance of travel. On the strong affinity of value systems between India and America, Ambassador Singh noted these shared characteristics:
- Democracy
- Free Market economy
- Multi-party political system
- Independent judiciary
- Free press
- Right to information
- Pluralism
- Independence
- Religious tolerance and diversity
On the need of India's infrastructure to catch up to its external development, Ambassador Singh identified the need for growth in areas such as: energy security, water management, primary education, public health, pollution/waste management, job creation, and the modernization of the national army.
But what stuck with me the most from our time with Ambassador Singh were two distinct statements he made in regard to the importance of travel. The first was "There is no substitute for travel as a means of cultural education". He stressed that three primary things one must bring to another culture are 1) bottled water and caution about travel sickness; 2) AN OPEN MIND; and 3) a desire to keep coming back and to experience new things. The other statement that resonated with me was "the greatest gift of our generation is mobility". It really is true that we have an opportunity in our short spans of life to expand our thinking and understanding beyond our own little corner of the world, and that in fact, it is an obligation to the rest of humanity that we broaden our focus and consideration to that which is beyond ourself. Travel is the greatest means to do so. Whatever home-sickness, illness, fatigue, or other factors we have struggled with during our time in India are small things compared to what we may learn from this amazing opportunity!
Ambassador Singh himself summed up the visit in this way (in an email to Dr. Patty Alvey) "It is a liitle difficult to convey what makes India incredible in forty-five quick minutes. But if our conversation gave them a flavour of what lies at the heart of this rapidly modernizing ancient land, with all its contradictions and enigmas, and if it added to the cumulative assault on all their senses, then some of it will remain with them. I am convinced that in a small ineffable way their lives will have changed because of this visit to India."
Thank you Ambassador Singh for your time and wisdom, and also many thanks to SMU for this travel experience. As you read this blog, may you in some small way broaden your horizons today, try something new, and welcome change!
To see more photos of my time in India, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67693&id=1493536168&l=6effaaef67 or connect with me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/alexandra.watson. You can also find me on Twitter as "abcwatson".
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