Ambassador hosted a discussion ‘Diplomacy, culture and economics: Indian and Romanian perspectives – learning from the experience of Indian diplomats’ on the ties between India and Romania, welcoming participants from ASE (Bucharest University of Economic Studies), including students and lecturers. The students expressed a keen interest in gaining deeper insights into Indian diplomacy and politics. They posed queries on India’s foreign policy and functioning of Indian missions abroad. The event was coordinated by Prof. Dana Radler.
Below are photos from the event and participants’ testimonials.
Photo album on Google Photos »
Elena Stoican and Dana Radler asked for feedback from participants in the instructive and lively reunion hosted by the Ambassador of India to Romania, Moldova, and Albania. Entitled “Diplomacy, culture and economics Indian and Romanian perspectives ‒ learning from the experience of Indian diplomats”, the event took place on June 15, 2023 at His Excellency Rahul Shrivastava’s official residence. The participants were undergraduates and professors at the Department of Modern Languages and Business Communication at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Faculty of International Business and Economics. Some of them were keen to share their post-event reactions:
Alexandru Udrea, graduate of Modern Applied Languages 2022, Bucharest University of Economic Studies:
I was interested in hearing His Excellency’s opinion about how India supports a positive attitude of its citizens about their own country. In my opinion, their perception differs substantially from that of the Romanian diaspora. For the Ambassador, His Excellency Rahul Shrivastava, the case of Indian diaspora presents a significant difference – approximately 33 million citizens around the world, proportionally lower than the Romanians raising to 7 million. I consider it is we, the Romanian youth, who ought to reflect on this. What do diaspora members represent to home citizens? Is their life connected to a crisis or the expression of opportunities? One could notice that individuals from diaspora can become no more and no less than “ambassadors” of their people. Since they are usually seen as financial investors in Romania, given the large amounts of money they send home, we have to identify ways in which they can become cultural investors, as well. Food for thought…
Oana Bianca Maria Stan, Master student in International Economic Diplomacy, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Faculty of International Business and Economics:
It was an honor to participate in the meeting with His Excellency, Mr. Rahul Shrivastava, the Ambassador of India to Romania, Moldova and Albania where I could ask His Excellency questions about his personal experience as a diplomat. My first question was related to His Excellency’s ability to blend his passion for writing with the diplomatic career. According to His Excellency, when one does what one likes, one will always find time to complete that activity. For him, writing is a hobby he truly enjoys. My second question concerns the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine. His Excellency mentioned that India tries to maintain its status as a friendly state with the rest of the world. To sum up, it was great pleasure to be able interact with His Excellency and to learn useful details about the activity of the Indian embassy in other countries. In my opinion, the Indian culture is very rich, and I consider that India’s diplomacy is an inspiration to pursue a career in this field.
Dana Tache, graduate of Modern Applied Languages 2022, Bucharest University of Economic Studies:
In his speech, His Excellency mentioned that manufacturing is a major economic sector in India, so I was interested to find out why it is more expensive in India than in China. His Excellency’s answer was direct, concise and to the point, explaining that China manufactures goods at large scale, whereas in India, most factories focus on small-sized production. While India deals with individual handcrafted goods, China concentrates on large-scale mass manufacture of goods. Secondly, India focuses on specific product categories, however, China manufactures almost everything, which leads to price differences between the products created by these two countries. Given His Excellency’s perspective, I think that there is a difference in quality between Chinese and Indian products, with the Indian products often being of better quality. I might say that China’s mass manufacture of goods has a lower level of attention to detail. We could, therefore, draw the conclusion that quality and price are directly correlated.
Mă numesc Neguțescu Amalia, sunt studentă la facultatea de Relații Economice Internaționale și am avut ocazia de a participa în cadrul acestui eveniment. Evenimentul, plin de eleganță, rafinament și organizare, asemenea precum domeniul diplomației, m-a determinat să îmi lărgesc orizontul. Excelența Sa, Domnul Rahul Shrivastava, ne-a onorat prin pasiunea cu care ne-a vorbit despre diplomație, cultură, economie și relațiile bilaterale ale României cu India. Totodată, doamnele profesoare ne-au oferit aripi, încurajându-ne în acest domeniu. Prin urmare, întâlnirea a fost o plăcere și o onoare și țin să le mulțumesc tuturor participanților!