ICCR Alumni Award: Read as if I were speaking at the podium

From left, H.E. Sao Chivoan, H.E. Eat Sophea, H.E. Dr. Vinay and H.E. Dr. Devyani

First of all, I’d like to extend my sincere congratulations to H.E. Eat Sophea on receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award presented by H.E. Dr. Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe, the president of the ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs. Also, on this special occasion, we warmly welcome H.E. Dr. Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe to the Kingdom of Cambodia. I’m sure you had a wonderful time touring the majestic Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap yesterday.

Indeed, I’m honoured to be invited to this auspicious ceremony, where I noticed the presence of various distinguished guests, some of whom with familiar face.

My highest respect to the most venerable Samdech Preah Maha Ariyavamsa Dr. Khy Sovanratna, Vice Rector of the Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, and all venerable monks.

My warmest regards to H.E. Dr. Devyani Khobragade, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Cambodia. It’s my first time seeing you in person. But I was impressed by your short recorded video clip on self-introduction in which you said, and I quote, “I am myself a Buddhist”, when you had just arrived in Cambodia in October 2020.

My warmest regards also to H.E. Sao Chivoan, Secretary of State, Ministry of Rural Development and President of Cambodia India Alumni Association (CIAA).

Your Excellency, ICCR alumni, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, Very good evening to all of you.

I’ve learned that H.E. Eat Sophea graduated with B.A. in English (School of Language, Literature and Cultures) from Jawaharlal Nehru University in the mid-1980s, the same university where I studied. I believe that we share a similar impression that we’re proud to be JNUites. JNU is one of the premium central universities in India. With a national and international reputation, JNU is ranked #2 by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2022 and in the same year, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council known in short NAAC accredited JNU A++ grade (highest grade by NAAC).

Let me remind you all that JNU has been the centre of excellence for decades, and its alumni have been very successful in their career endeavours, both in government and academic fields. For instance, the current Indian external minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is a JNU alumnus. He has an MA in Political Science and an MPhil and PhD in International Relations from this university.

In the academic field, we have Prof Amitav Acharya, who completed an MA in Political Science at JNU. Currently teaching at one university in the United States, he stands out among the world’s leading IR scholars. For years, he has advocated Asian values (rise of Asia) in international politics built on the IR theory of constructivism.

I had been on the JNU campus for the past nine years (2013-2022), and I don’t pretend to have known much about it but just have known about it to the extent that I feel at home. I don’t exaggerate in saying that, despite its recent structural changes, JNU remains the first option for Indian students. It’s their dream to get admission to JNU. It’s also a popular destination for international students. During my time, there were more than 300 foreign nationals pursuing their studies at JNU.

What people talk about the most about JNU is its vibrant democratic culture. The art of political communication of the students is impressively interesting. On the wall of almost every school building, we see political posters carrying out diverse political messages. Right to dissent, political debate on campus issues, national issues and international issues, JNU Students Union elections, protests, evening matches, political gatherings, video documentary screenings, political songs, slogans and poems etc., are the flavours of the JNU campus life.

Let me not talk too much but go straight to the point. My friends and I, as your successors in JNU, are proud to share the same university with H.E. Eat Sophea under the ICCR scholarship as well as self-financing. But your career success is beyond our comparison. Many of us would have envied your rise to the prominent role (of Secretary of State) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. However, it’s a fact that you very much deserve today’s Distinguished Alumni Award, which, so far as I know, is the first of its kind for Cambodian alumni.

India-Kamboja bhai bhai!

[Read as if I were speaking at the podium…lol]