A Publication of the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. October 1, 2012 I India RevieI w Vol. 8 Issue 10 www.indianembassy.org EAM Krishna calls on Secretary Clinton External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna addressing the 67 th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on October 1. (Photo: AFP) India calls for Security External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before their bilateral meeting in Council expansion New York on October 1. (Photo: Jay Mandal/On Assignment) n India, US to boost n India, US sign MOU on n India opens retail, energy cooperation antitrust cooperation aviation to FDI Ambassador’s PAGE Education and the global citizen: challenges and opportunities for India I was invited recently by The Teacher Foundation, Bangalore, (www.teacherfoundation.org) to deliver one of the Ten Talks they are doing as part of their tenth anniversary. I spoke about global citizenship and the young Indian and engaged in a lively discussion thereafter with an invited audience of educationists, civil society, youth and media on education today. I thought I should share the text of my talk here: THE THEME of my talk today is one they say, and she educates a family — on an auspicious festival morning. that informs most debates and discus - and we, my mother’s three daughters So, ladies and gentlemen, how does sions on education today. Growing up were the beneficiaries — mother could education make the global citizen? in the sixties and early seventies, the speak in one breath about the story of How does, as Mark Twain famously subject of “global citizenship” was not Krishna and Sudama, and in the other said, a cabbage become a cauliflower a constant although we were not of Orpheus and Eurydice. My father — which was how he defined educa - taught to be insular. In fact, my par - introduced me to the world of history tion? How do we bring the child to ents’ generation (which came of age in and current affairs. I learnt about that point where he or she, becomes what was pre-Independence India) Gandhi ji for the first time when I was that Descartes who proudly announces was already exposed to the winds of six-years-old in 1957, when India was “Cogito ergo sum” — “I think there - change and the river of ideas that came fore I am” — isn’t it every teacher’s or their way from a bilingual education in parent’s dream for your ward to come both Malayalam, their mother tongue, Awakening the to you and say “I am thinking” — and English, a foreign tongue and, thinking about ideas, places, events through both languages their connec - imagination of a child, and people, beyond the narrow cir - tivity with the wide world beyond the taking his or her hand, cumference of a text book-determined palm fringed sylvan landscapes of rural and guiding them on that environment? Kerala was built. It was a time when Now, I am no educationist — I have Gandhi ji started a revolution that magical mystery tour, never been a teacher, but I am what paved our road to freedom. I still literally, of the world my teachers made me. They are long remember an account written by a beyond the four corners gone now, but the imprint they made young Indian American entitled How on my personality is indelible. They my grandmother learnt to ride a bicycle of a family house, is what awakened in me an unquenchable — this being an account of how the a vidya aarambam should curiosity, that I still possess, about the freedom struggle had literally enticed really be about world around me — they spoke to me young women to leave the shelter of like Montaigne who said “Nothing their parental homes and break free of human is foreign to me”. cultural barriers that had sequestered commemorating the centenary of the When I look around me today, I am them for generations — in this case, First War of Independence of 1857. witness to the enormity of the chal - 2 the young woman’s grandmother had My straying from the theme of my lenges that confront us in preparing learned the hitherto unthinkable — talk is intentional — because I wanted what is popularly called our “demo - how to ride a bicycle to deliver mes - to illustrate that awakening the imagi - graphic dividend” — the 65 percent of sages clandestinely to freedom fighters nation of a child, taking his or her our population under the age of 25 for who were in hiding from the British. hand, and guiding them on that magi - the future that beckons. That, then, was the generation of my cal mystery tour, literally, of the world parents. They grew up in times of beyond the four corners of a family The full text of my blog can be momentous change for India and the house, is what a vidya aarambam viewed at: http://www.indianem - world and their exposure to that should really be about — as important bassy.org/prdetail2026/education-and- change influenced their parenting of as guiding that child’s finger to the-global-citizen%3A-challenges-and- us, their children. Educate a woman, write the first letters on a plate of rice opportunities-for-india October 2012 India Review Cover STORY India calls for Security Council expansion To convert today’s challenges into opportunities, India said the architecture of global governance must be reformed to reflect contemporary realities Excerpts from EAM Krishna’s speech on the occasion: “We are assembled in New York at a time when we are faced with multiple 3 global challenges that transcend national boundaries. Developing countries are still to recover from the downturn in the glob - al economy. Their quest for poverty eradication and sustainable develop - ment remains an uphill task. Food and energy security as well as health and education for their population remain daunting challenges. The West Asia and North Africa region is seeing unprecedented socio- political upheaval. The question of Palestine remains unresolved. And, threats emanating from terror - ism, maritime piracy, drug trafficking and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continue to multiply. These challenges demand that we act to work for solutions in a concert - ed and coordinated manner. This is External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna addressing the 67 th session of the UN General Assembly in the only path to success. New York on October 1. (Photo: Jay Mandal/On Assignment) At the RIO+20 Summit, the inter - national community renewed its com - ndia sought a reform of institu - and financial institutions,” he said. mitment to sustainable development, tions of global governance, Calling terrorism as one of the most recognizing poverty eradication to be including an expansion of the potent threats to international peace the greatest global challenge. I UN’s top decision-making and security, EAM Krishna asked the And to act on this score, it unequiv - Security Council to reflect contempo - world to show the necessary political ocally reaffirmed the sanctity of the rary realities for converting today’s will to agree on a Comprehensive RIO principles. challenges into opportunities. Convention on International Terrorism. India remains committed to The world today was “faced with Underling India’s commitment to addressing Climate Change through a multiple global challenges that tran - achieving a nuclear weapons-free comprehensive, equitable and bal - scend national boundaries,” India’s world, the External Affairs Minister anced outcome based on the principles External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna called upon the international commu - of equity and common but differentiat - said in his address to the 67 th session nity “to forge a renewed consensus on ed responsibilities. of the UN General Assembly on non-proliferation and nuclear disar - We are hosting the 11 th Conference October 1, outlining the problems mament”. of Parties of the Convention on ranging from tepid recovery from the “There is also need for meaningful Biological Diversity in Hyderabad in downturn in the global economy to the dialogue among all states possessing less than two weeks from now. We scourge of terrorism. nuclear weapons to build trust and seek the support of Parties to fashion “India will promote and lend her confidence and for reducing the an outcome that harmonizes a strong weight for enhancing the voice and salience of nuclear weapons in interna - biodiversity action with our basic participation of developing countries tional affairs and security doctrines,” development objectives. in decision making in global economic he added. India is a multi-religious, multi-eth - October 2012 India Review Cover STORY nic and multi-lingual society. Our civi - Our civilizational ethos has been underpinned by lizational ethos has been underpinned by peaceful coexistence and tolerance, peaceful coexistence and tolerance, values that Mahatma values that Mahatma Gandhi placed at Gandhi placed at the core of India’s national life the core of India’s national life. These — External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna principles are enshrined in our Constitution that provides the founda - the normative framework against the India is committed to achieving a tion for our secular, democratic and increasingly sophisticated and global - nuclear weapons-free world. The prin - inclusive polity. ized terrorist challenge. ciples of the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan Mutual respect for deeply held reli - India continues to be gravely con - of 1988 for achieving nuclear disarma - gious sentiments is the bedrock of cerned by the menace of piracy and ment in a time-bound, universal, non- tolerance and coexistence. armed robbery at sea. Apart from discriminatory, phased and verifiable Unfortunate recent events have high - major economic and commercial con - manner remain relevant even after lighted the need for enhanced dia - sequences of this scourge, it has seri - more than two decades.