Venkat Raman
Auckland, May 18, 2024
From the Annual Writers Festival that is currently underway in Auckland, the spontaneous hospitality of New Zealanders and the sentiments of the Indian people to the emerging future in an AI-driven world, an evening with Dr Shashi Tharoor is an occasion to cherish.
That was the takeaway that a small group of friends obtained last evening (Friday, May 17, 2024) at the pristine home of Chandan Ohri, Chief Executive of Duco Consultancy a multinational company which provides Taxation, Business, IT, Management and end-to-end consultancy services to hundreds of firms in New Zealand, Australia, the United States of America, India and Fiji.
While Indian Newslink had an opportunity to carry an extensive interview with Dr Tharoor on Friday, May 17 (which can be read here) during which he spoke about the ongoing general election in India, the prospects of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) led by the Congress Party in forming the next government, the evening at Mr Ohri’s home was a refreshing experience, sprinkled with humour and the serious challenge of closer economic relationship between New Zealand and India.
Among the others present were Jacob Mannothra (Managing Director and Publisher, Indian Newslink) Ankit Gupta (Domain Chapter Lead, The Warehouse Group), Sunil Kaushal (Head of India Relations, Duco Consultancy), Dhruv Ohri (Artificial Intelligence Lead, Duco Consultancy) and Venkat Raman, this Reporter.
Despite being the political adversary of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime, he demonstrated that he is a discretionary politician (at least while away from his homeland) and a seasoned diplomat (which he practised at the United Nations and its Agencies).
There was just a fleeting comment on the ongoing general election and the polling that was held in Thiruvananthapuram, a Constituency in Kerala from which he was elected to Lok Sabha with convincing majority in three consecutive elections (2009, 2014 and 2019). He is contesting for the fourth term and the constituency went to polls on April 26, 2024.
About Dr Shashi Tharoor
Born in London to Tharoor Chandrasekharan Nair (a friend of this Reporter) and Sulekha Menon, a Malayali Couple, he was raised in India.
A graduate (BA in History) of St Stephen’s College (recognised as one of the finest institutions in the world and producer of several world leaders), Dr Tharoor received his postgraduate degree (MA in International Relations) from the Flecther School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA). In both Institutions, he set records- at St Stephen’s College as the President of the Student Union and Founder of the St Stephen’s Quiz Club and at The Fletcher School as the youngest student (22 years old) to receive a Doctorate and recipient of the Robert B Stewart Prize as the Best Student.
Dr Tharoor’s career at the United Nations began in 1978 when he joined the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. Three years later, he was posted to Singapore to head the UNHCR Office. His management of the ‘Boat People Crisis,’ the Polish and Acehnese Refugee cases. Thereafter, he returned to Geneva and was elected Chairman of the UNHCR personnel worldwide by staff (another first). In 1989, he was appointed Special Assistant to the Under-Secretary for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He also led a team of peacekeeping officials in the former Yugoslavia.
Dr Tharoor was appointed Director of Communications and Special Projects and Executive Assistant to Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1996. Five years later, he was appointed Interim Head of the Department of Public Information in the rank of Assistant Secretary-General. Later, he was promoted to the role of Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information (UNDP). He reformed the Department and organised the first UN Seminars on Antisemitism, Islamophobia and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Dr Tharoor was considered the most suitable successor to Mr Anan but in the elections to the post of UN Secretary-General in 2007, he was defeated by Bani Ki-moon of South Korea. Word has it that the United States of America (especially then UN President George W Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice) ‘did not want a strong Secretary-General).
The qualities of a communicator par excellence were evident at the ‘Chandan Ohri Evening as Dr Tharoor spoke of his visits to various countries in various capacities and how he has been ‘losing his anonymity.’ From the shopping mall in Hamburg to the Aotea Centre in Auckland, his presence is noticed instantly, followed by an ever-increasing request for selfies.
Not that he complained.
“It is a pleasure to connect with the Indian Diaspora everywhere,” he said, although people from other communities also evince interest in him.
Additional Reading
“We are battling for the soul of India,” says Dr Shashi Tharoor
The Technological Revolution
Beyond politics, Dr Tharoor is an uncompromising patriot and believes in India’s development as the technical hub and human capital of the world.
“We would welcome New Zealanders and New Zealand companies to establish their presence in India with their capital and technology. We have not understood and utilised the full potential of India-New Zealand relations and the Indian businesses and the Diaspora can play an important part. If we are in government, we will promote better relations with New Zealand. Notwithstanding the outcome of the general election, we should promote economic and trade prospects,” he said.
Mr Ohri said that Duco Consultancy is poised to expand its presence in India and that much more can (and should) be done to provide better incentives.
“We are committed to participating in the economic and technological development of our motherland. We have highly qualified staff in India and hope to strengthen the complement as business prospects brighten,” he said.
Dr Tharoor also spoke about his association with India’s world of theatre, advertising and media and recalled his association with such stalwarts as Parmeswaran Tharoor (Founder-Managing Director of Reader’s Digest in India), Sylvester da Cunha (who created the Amul Girl Mascot and the famous advertising ‘Utterly Butterly’ campaigns), Prem Shankar Jha (who was the Editor of the Hindustan Times in the 1980s).
Dr Tharoor will appear at the Writers Festival on Sunday (May 19) and engage in a wide-ranging conversation with Linda Clark, a Partner at Dentons Kensington Swan, specialising in Public Law, Regulatory Issues, Media Law and Defamation. This session is supported by Tata Literature Live! and The Mumbai Lit Fest. For tickets, please visit www.ticketmaster.co.nz/event/2400605B931B165A
