India’s ambassador to the United States, Ronen Sen, has virtually got himself into a soup by reportedly stating that certain Members of Indian Parliament were like ‘headless chickens’. Angered by his remark, the Indian Parliament asked Sen to appear before the Privileges Committee where on Monday the ambassador tenderd an unqualified and unconditional apology.
Ambassador Sen explained his “headless chicken[s]†remark were in the context of the discussion in India relating to the India-United States nuclear deal. The controversial remark “referred to the critics of Indo-US nuclear deal in the media and not the Members of Parliament.”
The Indo-US nuclear deal, better known as 123 Agreement, has come under heavy fire from certain sections of the ruling coalition and Opposition parties in India.
“The Privileges Committee, it is learnt, will now meet on Wednesday to finalise its report that will then be submitted to the Speaker to be placed before the Lok Sabha (lower house) now expected to meet for the winter session on November 15.
“Authoritative sources said that (Ambassador) Sen’s deposition before the Committee lasted 45 minutes and he made it clear that he was offering ‘no excuses’ for the kind of language reportedly used by him as reported in an interview he had given in Washington to a web-based news agency.”
The “headless chickens” comment that set off rolls of angry protests by MPs and rocked Parliament, it now seems, is a term of endearment for high-profile diplomat Ronen Sen, reports The Times of India. He insisted it was his favourite phrase which he often used for friends and even his wife. (I wonder how Ambassador Sen’s wife reacts when he calls her ‘headless…’!!! My wife would shoot me dead!!!)
Sen, however, admitted that such expressions were unacceptable in a formal conversation.
Speaking for about 20 minutes in a “chronological manner”, Sen said the reporter had recorded his informal telephonic talk without his knowledge and permission. “I was ambushed by the media,” he reportedly said.
Sen offered his explanation when committee chairman V Kishore Chandra Deo pointed to the “inconsistency” between his denial and the portal report. The envoy said he had made the remark in an unguarded moment as he was “disturbed” over the strong opposition to the nuclear deal. Explaining his state of mind, Sen said he had been involved in the negotiations with the US officials.
The ambassador said that as the controversy over the 123 agreement snowballed in India, he had received two requests for interviews — from The Times of India and a news portal. He said he had turned down both requests. However, what he had said informally on phone was reported by the portal.
Photo above: India’s ambassador to the US, Ronen Sen, outside the Parliament House in New Delhi surrounded by the media.
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.