We left Seattle March 7 for Delhi as a delegation representing an eclectic mix of educators, trade representatives from the states of Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota, a famous photographer from NY now residing in Seattle, a publisher and myself. After two days in Delhi, staying at the ITC Maury, and a trip to the Taj, we then flew to Bhubaneshwar, Odisha to meet our key hosting organization, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). Odisha is not commonly visited, but it is one of the fastest growing states in India.
There we would hold exchanges with faculty and visit the younger indigenous area students. I can only speak from my experiences…just forming.
The Scholars
Each delegate had a custom-made agenda. I met with the leaders and faculty of the School of Commerce and Economics, alongside trade officials from North Dakota and Montana. Roughly 15 faculty from the school attended, introducing their backgrounds and areas of study. They were very educated scholars teaching India’s next generation of engineers, scientists and business leaders. When I raised the areas of energy and the AI build out in the US, the room became quite engaged. They had so many questions to sort through fact and fiction, just as we are doing in the U.S. India has its own orientation and sense of balance about the whole AI issue, leaning into questions of safety and impact for society.
Later that day, a brilliant scholar of Indian history had a session about India’s contemporary political and democratic history, explaining how this massive democracy works. It’s complicated, rich and highly engaging. The country of India is extremely diverse in terms of its polity within states, cities and villages. Following that, a film teacher discussed some of the regional films across India that debunked the myths often associated with India such as a poverty focus. She showed us a range of clips and an upcoming film that is sure to win awards. In fact, Asia-focused films and shows have been capturing the lion’s share of global production and audience views in the last few years. The school itself had won prestigious global film awards.
The afternoon at Puri beach, Bay of Bengal
I can convey what happened in a timeline, but the schedule was rearranged daily, reflecting in fact how India works. There is a rhythm one must surrender to, everything takes longer, discussion of fine-pointed, seemingly unimportant details matter, and sometimes take a life of their own. If something required one or two persons to attend to a task, there were probably three or four. It adds time and complexity but somehow it works, and the work gets done, eventually. The Indian people I met from all walks of life take pride in their work. We were well chaperoned, and welcomed in classic, Indian-style hospitality.
Day six or seven, after frolicking on the beach, we dined outside near the evening sea, dense with laughter and the heaviness of the air and scent of India.
Myself and trade reps from North Dakota and Montana were asked to speak at a Blue Economy summit that was being held at some days before the humanitarian awards event.
I last visited India in 1994, touring the remote corners of the country. Back then, we had the Taj Mahal virtually to ourselves. What has notably changed is the emergence of the middle class. It was obvious by the modern Indian shopping malls with all sorts of Western chains, alongside the classic India markets and shops. A Harley Davidson exhibit caught my and others attention. I have to say, I probably was asked to be photographed when visiting public spaces and tourist spots roughly 3-6 times per session. Our handlers were stern in some cases with the excess excitement and popularity. We were a rare site in Orissa, or Odisha. Some touring Indians rarely see Americans in the area.
The Henna Times and Tribal Children Languages
One desire for me was to have henna tattoos drawn, which were graciously arranged by my smart, executive, warm-hearted and personable women handlers. The young teen girls with mad artisan skills inked us. They were happy to interact with us and catch a break from their schedules. At the school, every type of craft, language and aptitude is encouraged and supported. We had a tribal village language introduction to show us how they help smooth the path for the youngest, which are around age 5 to 6 at their first onset. It is akin to a boarding school but their own customs and language are part of the curriculum. They can continue their studies as university students, move to a vocation, be an athlete, or get a Ph.D., if they aspire, for free.
Just to note, the main tribes of Eastern India (toward Bangladesh) number in the tens of thousands with their unique languages too. The teachers help transition children from village life to more modern opportunities. We learned of the situation on the ground of the villages, asking pointed and frank questions. The majority are girls that would otherwise be a hardship on their family’s resources, opening them up to lives no one would want for their daughters. Life skills and superstition breaking are often part and parcel of the process. One has to check their judgement at the door, and empathize with the context of the lives of these specific peoples. They know what they need to do. What is universal comes through.
Humanitarian par Excellence
Each year, since 2009, globally-recognized recipients have been honored by the twin institutions. The Dalai Lama, Mohammed Yunnus, Bill Gates and others have been received. In front row seats, the highlight for us was to witness firsthand Ms. Nita Ambani, of the Reliance Foundation, honored with the Humanitarian Award and offer a resoundingly empassioned speech about the promise and outlook for India. Upwards of 40,000 students and attendees graced the stadium to watch the event. A drone flew overhead and large entourage aided Ms. Ambani, as she kept plates spinning for her activities. The family’s success comes from privately-held energy and industrial activities. Mr. Ambani is a notably influential billionaire in India, ranking highly in the world of fortunes.
We very fortunately had a private audience with Ms. Ambani. Given my Texas connection, her senior aides pointed out the new mega investment by Reliance of the refinery in Brownsville. They also encouraged us to visit India House at the LA Summer Olympics. Sports are becoming big business in India. Ms. Amadani owns the cricket team Mumbai Indians, the most successful cricket team in the Indian Premier League. She also supports causes near and dear to me such as women’s and girl’s empowerment, an exotic nature preserve called Vendata (which we were to visit and unfortunately were unable). I loved the extremely fine, hand-crafted scarves presented to us.
I was fairly gobsmacked about the first-rate video productions shown throughout the awards’ sessions, one at the stadium with the younger students and then at the hall at KIIT for Ms. Ambani being conferred an honorary doctorate.
Among all of the finery that was India, the undercurrent of giving and lifting up others was palpable. Yes, India wants to thrive, compete on a world stage, play a leadership role—but very obviously in word and deed, move the nation forward, a duty and a calling. They very much appreciate playing a role in global affairs—whether at the UN or in the Quad Alliance of India, the U.S., Japan, and UK. In Delhi, we met the senior diplomat of the Americas and Canada from the Ministry of External Affairs (like State Department). He was educated at Tufts Fletcher School and his command of issues in common was impressive and memorable.
This simple narrative highlights notable visit events but in no way captures the progress and state of mind of India and its place on the global stage. Most striking is the sense of balance between people, prosperity and peace, watch words of the numerous leaders heard from. My scripts of hoped-for prosperity for the world was complementing India’s script for itself. It just highlights the universal light and goodness that the democratic and free wish for the world.
