Envoy hails Indian American community's role

India's new envoy to the United States, Meera Shankar, has said that the results of the recent elections in India "are a vote for continuity, stability and inclusive development."

Speaking at a dinner reception, which was organised by a coalition of Indian American political, cultural, social and religious organisations in metropolitan Washington, DC, area on Sunday, Shankar said, "I come here as ambassador with a strong government behind me and that is very important."

"That is very important in enabling us to fulfill the aspirations of our people and to meet the challenges that we face, both internally and in terms of the global situation," she said.

Speaking to an audience of over 350 people who packed the ballroom of the Hilton Arlington Hotel in Arlington, Virginia -- a suburb of DC -- Shankar pointed out, "We just had some good news, and that is that the growth rate for the financial year, which just ended -- 2008-2009 -- has finally been set at 6.7 percent."

She described the growth rate as "very remarkable given the global slowdown."

To sustained applause, Shankar also lauded the catalytic role played by the Indian American community in taking Indo-US relations in recent years to unprecedented levels.

"Of course, our relations with the US have undergone a very significant transformation in recent times and that is the result of the effort put in by the community that has come together and acted as a bridge to bring India and the US closer," she said.

"I thank you for all the expressions of support that you have conveyed to me. I feel strengthened by these expressions of support," she said, and added, "I am also humbled by the fact that I have to fill the shoes of very illustrious people who have gone before me. But, I am sure that with your help, with the support of the Indian American community, and with the dynamism of the Indian democracy and continued growth of the Indian economy, we are set to build much closer relations between our two countries."

Earlier, Shankar sat patiently through the welcoming remarks by the heads of more than 25 organisations, many of which extended well beyond the one minute allotted slot.

She started her speech on a light-hearted note, quipping, "With the spirit of the evening, I will be extremely brief because I know it is a very brave ambassador who will stand between you and the dinner very much longer."

But in thanking the individuals and the coalition of organisations for putting together the first community welcome reception since her arrival, the new envoy said, "I am touched by the fact that so many of you have come today in a spirit of celebration to welcome me."

"The evening also represents something very typically Indian," Shankar said. "And, that is that we are a country of enormous diversity. We saw people from Kerala, from Gujarat, from Bihar, from Orissa, from Bengal."

She added, "We saw Catholics, we saw Christians, we saw Hindus, we saw people from all religions and this is what makes India so special. It is a country which brings together all this enormous diversity into one huge democratic pool."

"And, in this pool, we all come together to swim as a group. But, at the same time, we maintain our identity," Shankar said.