Nirupama Rao has a number of firsts to her name and going with the theme of “adaptability” for the Ladies Study Group this year, she was a fitting first speaker. In a session titled Hope and Harmony, Rao was in conversation with veteran public relations professional and author Rita Bhimani as she recounted her stories of diplomacy in her illustrious career and her latest project — The South Asian Symphony Orchestra.
Rao began by drawing on the many common threads that unite the South Asian subcontinent as she said, “Our histories are common, our languages, religion and ethnicities are common. We are in this together. We share a common destiny, we rise together and if anything happens, it affects everyone. When I started this project, I wanted to bring young people of the region together and the reason I chose music is because symphony orchestras teach us the art of listening to each other,” she said.
Meanwhile, Bhimani reminisced the founding of the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra by Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian-American academic Edward Said in 1999 as an instrument of peace. Rao underscored the influence of local music on the respective military bands of the world and how she endeavours to use that as a clarion call for peace instead of war. While speaking about a young Afghan member of the orchestra, Rao expressed hope for the region now fraught by terrorism as she spoke about how the young musician composed music inspired by what he saw around him and treated it like an antidote. “With the likelihood of the Taliban returning to a position of power in the region, I really hope that the future of the young people who are so open to ideas is secured and assured,” Rao added.
Rao hopes to not only unite people within the geographic boundaries of South Asia but also integrate the entire South Asian diaspora across the world and respect diversity. “I have really tried to put out this idea of collectivity, integration and respect of diversity, which is crucial because all over the world, there is an emphasis on hyper-nationalism. I am not saying nationalism is a bad thing. Patriotism is a great thing to possess but that idea should also include the willingness to embrace “otherness” and diversity. India should be prepared to elucidate that and show that we need that integration and diversity to prosper,” said Rao.
The former ambassador to China called India’s present volatile situation with the country a matter of concern and thought that time was right for a reassessment of our foreign relations. The former foreign secretary has recounted in detail our country’s relationship with China in her writings — “My idea was to inform, enlighten and to awaken an interest in China, especially amongst the millennials who will soon be in leadership positions. I think every Indian should take an interest in our history with China,” Rao said.
From her time in office, she emphasised on the importance of transparency in press briefings when it came to our foreign relations as that would ensure there was no room for ambiguity and that it would portray to the world that “India had the conviction to speak up” about these things.
Rao went on to highlight the importance of “culture” in diplomacy. “It should not be treated as soft power. It is an instrument that furthers your aim and intention to make your country better understood, admired and appreciated to the audiences of the country in which you are posted,” said Rao who was instrumental in setting up Indian cultural centres in both China and the US during her postings there.
“The discussions ranged from the creation of peace through cultural diplomacy to the various countries where Rao was posted — China, USA, Peru, Bolivia and Sri Lanka. Plenty of light was thrown on Sino-Indian relations and the way forward. It was interesting to know that Rao was the first lady diplomat from India to be posted in China. She had also facilitated our LSG members’ visit to China in 1985. A medley of the Hindi film songs played by the South Asian Symphony Orchestra gave a musical lift to the start of the programme. Rao regaled us with interesting details about the members of the orchestra from various countries, including Afghanistan. She spoke about their background, their hardships and how they overcome it all to pursue their individual passion for music,” said Sumita Roy, president, LSG.
