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Vienna, VA, July 24 - Prominent members of our Indian-American community bid a fond farewell to Ambassador Meera Shankar at a reception held Sunday in the Bombay Tandoor restaurant of Tysons Corner.  The venue was packed with some 160 people representing a vibrant, highly educated and affluent group in the US.

Robert O’ Blake, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia and President Obama’s point person for India and that region in the US State Department, was on hand to deliver the keynote address and at the very outset, he acknowledged the importance of our community.

Looking around at the gathering, he said, “What a great privilege it is for me to be here tonight both to thank my friend and colleague Ambassador Meera Shankar, but also to spend a lot of time with you because as my boss (Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton always says, relations with the Indian-American community and the diaspora are so important and all of you play such an important role in helping to animate and inspire the good relations that we have between our two countries”.  Clearly at ease, Blake made it a point to greet and mingle with community members at the reception, many of whom he knew by name.

Ambassador Shankar thanked the community for fortifying the India-US relationship.  The envoy mentioned that during her tenure, she has “dealt with the issues that diplomats do, but it has always had such a strong people component, particularly the Indian-American community.  This is a community which has really come of age”!

She recalled that when she was here as Minister of Commerce in the early 1990s, the community was still struggling to find its feet.  Many among the first generation of Indians who came here had to make difficult transitions and adjust to a new way of doing things.  There were no Indian grocery stores and very few Indian restaurants, she recounted.  “Most people didn’t know much about India and there were many stereotypes.  Today, the community has found its feet in this country (which) has given them opportunities that they have been able to avail of because of their experience back in India, in a democracy, and because of their discipline, hard work and family values”, she said.

The envoy was particularly proud of the number of Indian-Americans within the US educational system which, she noted, “is an asset for us.  There are 100,000 Indian students in the US.  But, more than that, every university, every city I have visited, I have found that the Indian-American community in the academic world is very well respected and is doing wonderful work in their field”, she told the gathering.

Sharing the dias with Ambassadors Blake and Shankar were: Mr. Ajay Shankar, IAS officer (Retd.); Mr. Arun Kumar Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy; Dr. Rajan Natarajan, Deputy Secretary of State, Maryland; Dr. Suresh K. Gupta, Coordinator of the reception; and Mr. Benoy Thomas, President of the National Council of Asian Indian Associations (NCAIA).  The event was organized by NCAIA led by Mr. Thomas and Dr. Gupta.  In fact, the organizing committee was sizeable and included stalwarts of our community such as Dr. Renuka Misra, Dr. Sambhu Banik, Mr. Walton Dawson, Mrs. Alka Batra, Mr. Kumar Singh, Dr. Har Swarup Singh, Mr. Anadi Nair, Mr. Sunil Singh, Dr. Yogendra Gupta, Mr. Sunny Wycliffe, Dr. Parthsarathy Pillai, Mr. Om Sharma, Mr. Krishna Banaudha and Mr. Jay Bhandari.  Gisela Ghani served as a very eloquent emcee.

In his keynote address, Blake dwelt on Secretary Clinton’s recent three-day visit to India which included stops in Delhi and Chennai.  The talks focused on regional security, economic ties and civilian nuclear cooperation.

“In terms of the bilateral meetings, I think the Secretary went away very pleased with the progress that we have made”, Blake told the gathering.  “Of course, the visit took place in the shadow of the terrible bombings in Mumbai.  So, of course, terrorism cooperation was very high on the agenda.  All of you know that our two countries have made tremendous progress since the terrible bombings of 26/11.  We are now working very closely together on counter terrorism cooperation, intelligence cooperation and I think that has been one of the real areas of progress over the last several years”, he said.

The top Obama administration official drew attention to Secretary Clinton’s policy speech in Chennai in which she talked about how the US wants to work very closely with India in Asia, to work with India to help Afghanistan embed in its regional neighborhood and encourage greater integration between South and Central Asia and what a wonderful positive impact that would have on the stabilization of Afghanistan and on the integration of the entire region.  “We see India as such a strong partner and such a strong example for all of the countries in the region”, he said.

“Another area which is extremely important to the people of India and to the people of the United States is trade and investment”, Blake noted.  “Our trade has expanded by 30 percent just this year alone and investment is also growing very quickly in both directions which is also a wonderful sign of the growing relations between our two countries”, he said.

“The other area that I think is always so important to talk about is the people-to-people ties and that is where all of you come in.  This is something that is very near and dear to Secretary Clinton’s heart.  It is why she went to Chennai - to give a speech, but also to do a number of events to underline the wonderful people-to-people ties between our two countries”, Blake underlined.

He mentioned two announcements made during the visit to India: Secretary Clinton and Indian Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal will jointly host a Higher Education Summit, on October 13, here in Washington; and a ‘Passport to India’ will provide a new opportunity, entirely funded by the US private sector, to young American students to apply for internships, ranging from anywhere between 3 weeks and 6 months, in India.

Acknowledging that “being a diplomat is not all milk and honey”, he commended Ambassador Shankar for being a very diligent, tough and successful proponent of India’s interests in the US.

“She has traveled widely in the US to promote our friendship”, Blake noted.  “I want to commend her for her success in conducting outreach to the states around the United States.  She has been very innovative in thinking of new ways to expand relations between the United States and India.  One of the best examples was the ‘Maximum India’ program at the Kennedy Center which will probably be remembered at the Kennedy Center as the most successful program ever by a foreign country”.

He told Ambassador Shankar, “I don’t want to predict whether you are going to be a Bollywood star or the next Governor of Uttar Pradesh or a Bollywood singer, but I do know that whatever you choose to do, I’m sure that you will succeed in that endeavor!”

Dr. Rajan Natarajan presented a citation by Maryland Governor Martin O’ Malley to Ambassador Shankar for her role in strengthening relations between India and the state of Maryland.

Our community leaders waxed eloquent when it came to Ambassador Shankar.  “The packed venue shows the enthusiasm of the community to be with you”, Dr. Gupta said, lauding her unconditional support for the community.

Dr. Misra, President of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Maryland Chapter, noted that the envoy “has really distinguished herself in uplifting the image of women in such a magnificent way that even the Indian government has decided to appoint the next ambassador of India, a woman: Mrs. Nirupama Rao.  She has become a role model for ambitious women like me and so many others”, she said.  It is noteworthy that Mrs. Rao will be the third female ambassador to the United States, following Mrs. Shankar (2009) and the late Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1949), sister of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India.

About Ambassador Shankar, renowned author Mr. Anadi Naik said: “By virtue of her hard work, she has proved that Indian women can achieve whatever they desire”.

Dr. Banik recounted encomiums showered on Ambassador Shankar by influential members of Congress.  He had the audience in splits with his analogy of the envoy to a rock star which prompted Gisela to mention, “It is said, if you ever feel down, all you have to do is to call Dr. Banik and he will make you feel good again”.

Mrs. Batra recalled that she met Ambassador Shankar on her arrival in Washington when she hosted a Baisakhi function at the Embassy residence after a long flight from India.  “Your warmth and hospitality has been par excellence”, Mrs. Batra said, appreciatively.

Describing the envoy as an “iron lady”, Mr. Kumar Singh, President of the India Cultural Coordination Committee (ICCC), paid her an eloquent tribute in Hindi: “Aap jahan bhi jao, har khushi aapke saath ho; Aap jo bhi kare, usme Ishwar ka haath ho” (Wherever you go, may happiness be with you; Whatever you do, may God be with you).