US Consul General
Addresses Students at IIM Indoretext
All the members of the IIM Indore
community, including Mr. Prashar, IIM Indore's Director, were a happy
audience to an enriching and interesting talk by Mr. Michael S. Owen,
Consul General of the US, Consulate General in Mumbai.text
He was in the city as a part of
his rendition on a mandate to actively look for and materialize the
opportunities which present themselves to fundamentally strengthen the
relationship between the two nations by making their mutual interaction and
understanding more broad-based. As a step in the same direction, his major
business of the trip was to inaugurate "America Days" - a three-day event
high-lighting US culture, traditions, politics, and education, at the Devi
Ahilya University Auditorium in Indore. text
The purview of the address was
"India and the US in the New World Order". As Mr. Owen began, one by one, he
highlighted all the active and broad-ranged set of areas on which India and the
US are currently cooperating. Shared interest, of both the countries, in the
furtherance of a democratic way of life for people all over the world was a
prominently emphasized aspect of the ideas and understandings expressed by him.
Familiar themes like Information Technology, Defense Equipments and Technology,
Tourism, International Diplomatic Relations, Private Education, Economics,
Cultural Contacts, etc., all found their way into the talk accompanied by an
impressive account of activities currently undertaken on each of these fronts.
But the essence of his ideas and vision was a marked endorsement of closer
people-to-people contact as a primary driver of relationship into the future
along with re-invigoration of the already well-established economic ties between
the two largest democracies in the world.text
He spoke of the contribution
which the Indian ex-patriates in the US have made to the society there, and how
this trend, to everybody's wish, is getting stronger by the day. He also spoke
of the initiatives taken up by the US consulate in assisting and encouraging
positive social change in India as a part of the now irreversible process of
constant improvement and growth of the relations between the nations. He
remarked how at this juncture, with the advent of the information age, India and
US have understood each other much better than they previously managed to, how
the people of US have much better exposure to life, perspective and all things
Indian. text
He also conveyed his expectation
from the students amongst the audience to contribute in closer ties between the
two nations, which can collectively work to secure a better life for themselves
and indeed for the humanity as well. The speaker was also upbeat about the
increasing number of students from India opting to study in the US, where
Indians now are the largest group of foreign students.text
Amongst the many basic
characteristics common to the two nations, Mr. Owen expressed his belief that
shared ideals like the sanctity of education, a drive to excel, respect for
diversity, belief in the larger good for all, should form a robust and strong
basis for the progress of the two countries into the future, which must see them
with a common resolve to rid humanity of troubles like terrorism, poverty,
illiteracy and extremist attitudes. After a small but eventful account of his
personal experiences in India, of his everyday life in Mumbai, and his work
plans for the future, he left the house open for questions.text
Many students raised insightful
questions, which always inspired a sincere and mature answer from Mr. Owen. As a
memorable instance, in reply to the question regarding policy options for the US
in the wake of a fast rising China, and a perceptible loss of US pre-eminence in
the emerging world order, the Consul General affirmed US commitment to a free
and fair world trade order, adding further that a many engines for the world
economy instead of just one or two is a favorable state of events. He confirmed
the supportive stance of the US on helping the developing countries in their
attempt to raise the living standards of their citizens. text
In response to another question
over the basic differences in the nature of diversity that both the US and India
exhibit, Mr. Owen pointed out the linguistic diversity in India and ethnic
diversity of the US, also not skipping the mention of encouraging and embracing
diversity as a major pillar of the shared vision India and US have for the world
as they both enter an era of unprecedented opportunities for the world to be
connected and close knit.text
As the evening drew to a close,
the Consul General once again re-affirmed the belief in the common vision of
India and US, and invoked an inspiration in all present to contribute at their
personal level as well as an institution to the furtherance of the mutually
beneficial relations between India and the US, and transform the basis of it to
an evolved mutual understanding of values and attitudes upheld by the society
and people of the two countries. The talk was followed by high tea.text
