(Bernard Kouchner)
I love France. Not just Paris, or its old beautiful part the ÃŽle de la Cité, but the Pyrenees…the cheese, the salads and the wine. And, yes, the top politicians too whose public personae is remarkably dignified, sophisticated and cultured.
I was delighted when seven years ago the Embassy of France in New Delhi made me a Life Member of their cultural centre Aliance Francaise de India.
So I was not surprised when I read today’s news item that France’s President-elect, Monsieur Nicolas Sarkozy, has decided to offer the high-profile post of Foreign Minister to the popular Socialist politician, Bernard Kouchner.
While some high-profile leaders in the world develop a specialisation in dividing their nations, France somehow manages to seek unity among conflicting interests in running the country.
France witnessed violent protests following Sarkozy’s victory over Ségolène Royal in the well contested French presidential elections recently.
But now with Sarkozy deciding to offer Foreign Minister’s post to Bernard Kouchner, a diplomat, a doctor, and co-founder of Médecins du Monde (Doctors Without Borders), the left-inspired violence is likely to ebb soon.
Kouchner, born to a Jewish father and a Protestant mother, is a world renowned human rights activist. To read his profile please click here…
To read the story “Sarkozy chooses Socialist as Foreign Minister” please click here…
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.