There is some speculation why the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, now visiting India for five days, is not visiting neighbouring US-ally Pakistan as her predecessors have always done. On the other hand, Hillary declared that Pakistan houses a ‘syndicate of terrorism’.
The Indian Express reports that Hillary stated that “her country is watching the actions being taken by Islamabad against the scourge and expected that perpetrators of Mumbai attacks meet their ‘day of reckoning’. ” More here…
Meanwhile Hillary said India is a key player for global food security. The Hindu reports: “Praising India’s rich knowledge in agriculture, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday said India is a key player in helping the US achieve global food security and end hunger.
” ‘President Obama and I had a signature issue – food security and ending hunger. India is well placed to help us (achieve it),’ Clinton said at the National Agricultural Science Centre that is part of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here.” More here…
The themes of climate change and green technology are expected to come up during U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s discussions with officials and business leaders during her five-day visit to India, reports The Washington Post.
” ‘We believe India is innovative and entrepreneurial enough to figure out how to deal with climate change while continuing to lift people out of poverty and develop at a rapid rate,’ she said Saturday in Mumbai.” More here…
America’s top diplomat has other expectations in India. The Hindu reports: “She is a leader in her own right and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would ‘very much’ like a dish in her own name at Delhi’s most famous restaurant, which already has two platters dedicated to her husband and daughter.
“The five-star’s menu has a ‘Presidential Platter’, named after Hillary Clinton’s husband and former US president Bill Clinton, and a ‘Chelsea Platter’, named after their daughter.” More here…
Photo above courtesy REUTERS.
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.