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Silk Route and Chinese fishing nets should redefine India’s relations: Nirupama (Text, Images: Kurian Pampadi)

Published on 20 March, 2014
Silk Route and Chinese fishing nets should redefine India’s relations: Nirupama (Text, Images: Kurian Pampadi)
Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has called for a rejuvenation of India’s relations with China on the basis of the ancient glory of the Silk Route and the Chinese fishing nets. “Both nations, of course, have grown beyond these symbols of unity that bound the two civilizations together. The two have burgeoning economies. War and that should be put aside to build up warm relationships again,“ she said while interacting with students of the 200-year old CMS College, Kottayam.

“ I was India’s first woman Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Following the trail of Malayali stalwarts like KR Narayanan, Sardar KM Panikkar and KPS Menon. Those where the days when Mao himself used to visit Indian embassy and had tea with Panikkar”, she pointed out.

Nirupama who retired as India’s Ambassador to the US to become ‘Meera and Vikram Gandhi Fellow in Residence 2014’ of Brown University where she is researching on diplomacy, said that she was sorry that LTTE’s debacle in Sri Lanka is stretched to test India’s good relations with the country which is India’s closest neighbor.
“I served Sri Lanka on two occasions, one as a junior diplomat and later as the High Commissioner. The first posting witnessed the beginning of the ethnic strife that ultimately grew into a full-fledged war. After all, the Tamil and Sinhalees are brothers and sisters. The victor, that is the government, should be more generous to the vanquished,” she told one questioner.

“One of the chosen places I would love to settle down or live longer for a few months would be the alluring Jaffna peninsula. I love the place and the people,” Nirupama confided to a questioner who asked where she would build a home for her. “I have not built a house here in Kerala. Now I live in Washington. My husband in Bangalore and my two sons, Kathikeya also in Washington and Nikhilesh in Singapore”—later she told this correspondent. Yes she is one of the most globalised Malayalees in recent history.
“My first posting was in Vienna for which I had to learn German. But while learning, I learnt to enjoy nuances of the best of classical music that Austria is famous for. Learn new cultures and imbibe new experiences that every new opportunity gives you,“ she advised the young men and women who might one day join the civil services.
Born in Malappuram, educated in Pune, Lucknow, Coonoor, Bangalore (her father was in the army) and Dr Dadasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University , Aurangabad, from where she took her Masters in English, she married Mr. Sudhakar Rao of Karnata (former Chief Secretary there), whom she met in the Civil Services Academy in Mussoorie. Topper of the 1973 batch, she served in Colombo, Beijing, Lima, Vienna, Moscow and Washington where she retired. She was the second woman Foreign Secretary after Chokila Iyer and first woman spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

“We the diplomatic corps is a close-knit small community of 750 people. At the time of my first application, a married woman could not even apply. When I joined, women in service could not marry a foreigner. All those have changed with the passage of time.
She recalled that the legendary C.B. Muthamma who became the first woman to join the Indian Foreign Service, went to the Supreme Court alleging discrimination against her for not being elevated as Foreign Secretary. Justice VR Krishna Iyer in his famous ruling dismissed her plea but said “Her cause is just”.

Among those who participated in the interaction were students and professors among whom were  Susy Abraham and Aleena Manohar. Dr. Susan Varghese who served as moderator repeatedly prompted students to speak in Malayalam. “Madam has not forgotten her mother tongue but will answer only in English” she told them. But the only student who dared to speak in Malayalam turned out to be Alex David of BA Malayalam. Nirupama enjoyed the question but replied in chaste English.

Nileema Jose, Minu Mary Jose, Athul Khader, Spinny John Stanley, M. Hemant and Binsu Susan also shot questions.

 In the afternoon of heat and dust, sitting in cool breeze that wafted through the packed Great Hall as old as the College, Nirupama delivered the 31st Benjamin Bailey Oration on ‘Challenges to Democracy in the Multicultural and Globalized World: A Woman’s Perspective’.

Bishop and Deputy Moderator of the CSI Dr. Thomas K. Oommen presided. Welcoming Dr. Nirupama, Principal Dr. Roy Sam Daniel said that CMS was no stranger to diplomats. Former President of India KR Narayanan, KPS Menon and Sardar KM Panikkar were among the distinguished alumni of the college. In fact Narayanan delivered the second Benjamin Bailey oration in 1984.

Convenor of the oration, Dr. Mini Chacko introduced Benjamin Bailey and Nirupama to the audience. Vice Principal Dr. Rachal Mathew proposed a vote of thanks. Professors George Koshy and PC Varghese, Rev Dr. M J. Joseph, Rev. Felix Mathew, Joy Joseph and former municipal councilor T.G. Samuel interacted with the speaker.

Nirupama is a poet too. Her book of poems in English ‘Rain Rising’ has been translated into Chinese, Russian and Malayalam. Pondicherry Central University honoured her with a doctorate.

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