The Indian Panorama Editor Indrajit Saluja interviews Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York 

Consul General of India at New York Mr. Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, a few days after joining the present position on 19th July 2020  in an interview with The Indian Panorama, had spelt out  in brief  his  priorities which included nourishing and  strengthening the already strong bonds between India and US, and exploring  new areas of cooperation and relationship in diverse fields of  economy, trade, technology, and   culture etc. Ambassador Jaiswal added  that serving the Indian Diaspora remained the primary focused concern of  the Consulate. The strengthening of multi-stake holders relationship will be another priority, he said.

The Indian Panorama interviewed him a couple of times, and each time, Mr. Jaiswal was forthcoming on all issues raised ,and questions asked. Three days to the end of the year 2022, Mr. Jaiswal agreed to sit with the editor of The Indian Panorama to share for the readers of the publication his thoughts. It was a long interview in which Ambassador Jaiswal touched upon all the aforementioned areas.

In the part 1 of the interview published last week, Ambassador Jaiswal focused on the vibrant Indian American community and its contribution. In this second  part of the interview, we bring to readers Ambassador’s perspective on Indian students as a powerhouse of knowledge, catalysts of  national integration, and promoters  of Indian arts, culture and values.

Here are some excerpts from the interview.

TIP: We have a large number of Indians studying in the US. A large chunk of them is on the East Coast where there are a number of prestigious educational institutions which are the preferred destinations for pursuing studies. They may need help from the Consulate in quite a few areas. How does your Consulate help them?

Ambassador: We  have a very broad mandate. The consulate has a certain jurisdiction. Our jurisdiction  comprises 10 states in northeast of United States which include six of  New England- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont-, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. This is a conservative direction, in terms of rendering, consular services- Visa, passports, all sorts of documentation, which are required, and  power of attorney etc. That is a constitution. In addition, we have a large community here so we have to maintain community links, community relations, and we have to see as to how we can strengthen the links of India with the community here, not just strengthen, but also continue to add value to it. It’s a cross flow which helps all the stakeholders; it helps the country; it helps the community. So, that is a community part of our function.

Then we have cultural relations that we have to maintain. We have this beautiful relationship. We have to promote cultural understanding. That cultural understanding enhances the value of our community here at the same time as it  enhances mutual cooperation between the people of America and our people. The  unity  binds us together and we have to see how we can build this relationship. So, cultural understanding and better appreciation  of each other are important.  And that was the third pillar.

The fourth pillar, I would say is education. We  have a large number of students here who are studying in various universities. We have upwards of 220,000 students in the United States. This year, I think, 82,000 fresh Indian students have come which makes us the largest international cohort. We have to take care of the welfare of  students. We maintain close relations with the student bodies. They may have welfare issues. They may have several day-to-day issues which we have to attend every year. That’s why you know we try to have a meet and greet with the students. Obviously, the space is a limitation. We can’t invite 80,000 people but we do invite whoever we can, so that our student relations are smooth and efficient and cordial and we attend to their needs.

Education has other aspects to it. Also, there is a very strong education cooperation between universities here  and universities in India on the research side,  on faculty exchange and academics. And now with the new education policy, we see that more and more universities in the United States want to do more and more things with universities in India on  research side, on finding ways to earn degrees. New programs are coming up . So,  that remains an important part of our function.

TIP: Since you were speaking  about the understanding of India amongst the American people and all that,  do you think students can really play a major role in promoting an understanding about India here because they are in contact with the Americans, the mainstream Americans where they are studying? Do you think something should be done in the first place to have the students come under an umbrella and that umbrella organization gives them a feed on what is happening in India, and about Indian values,  and how they can probably pass on that kind of information to their friends in the colleges and the universities where they are studying? Have you ever had an idea that an organization of students under your jurisdiction should be created?

 Ambassador : So, you know, students are ambassadors of the country. They bring with them their cultural values, their ethos, their fairs and festivals. Each year, I go around universities where I find them  all celebrating  Holi, Diwali and other festivals. The Indian organizations  celebrate them.  We were in Ohio. Ohio State University has very strong links with Punjab and  Punjab Agricultural  University. So very interestingly in Ohio, apart from the Indian association, you also had  Punjabi Student Association. So, they celebrate fairs and festivals as per the calendar.  So, I see like the Indian diaspora, the Indian students who come here,  have a very important role to play as cultural ambassadors in the country.  They live the  American environment. So, they are very well placed to make an impact as far as understanding of India is concerned among the cohort, among the student groups and that has huge impact that will  go a long way in promoting India -US friendship. That’s on the cultural side.

The second thing is, of the 220,000 Indian students who come here,  a majority of them are into STEM  areas. Now, when you are  an expert in data science or computer science  etc. you add competitive value to the local economy. You provide talent based to the local economy, which serves the interests of local society of local economy. It adds competitive value and that leads to a very strong appreciation of the kind of value that Indian talent and skills is today, adding to not just American economy, but global economy. So, overall, you know, the large number of students that we have, they then become the conveyor belt or the conduit through which they promote economic ties, technological ties, cultural ties.

                                To be continued next week