Sept/Oct 2015

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 Rs. 20

Alumni

Fulbright-Nehru

Women’s

U.S.A. Mentoring

Cloud networking

Partnership

Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership National Council for State Legislators Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Community College Initiative Program Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study

Fortune

Mentoring

Exchange

Study

National Council for State Legislators

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study

Kennedy-Lugar

Fellowship Innovative Exchange Youth Program Global

Youth

Community College Initiative Program

Global

Global

Fellowship

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study

National Council for State Legislators

IVLP

Scholarship Program

Youth

Hubert H. Humphrey

Youth

Mentoring

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study

Emerging Community College Initiative Program National Council for State Legislators

Youth Mentoring

Fellowship International Visitor Leadership Program

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ASA’s New Horizons mission aims to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of the dwarf planet Pluto and by venturing deeper into the Kuiper Belt, a relic of solar system formation. The spacecraft conducted the first-ever Pluto flyby on July 14, 2015, collecting images and data about the planet and its moons. With this, the United States has become the first country to reach all planets in the classical solar system with space probes.

NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Left: Four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager were combined with color data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced color global view of Pluto.

Below right: Guests and New Horizons team members countdown to the spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July 14 at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.

Below left: An artist’s conception of New Horizons spacecraft.

first visitor! Thanks @NASA—it’s a great day for discovery and

NASA/Bill Ingalls

New Horizons Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

“ ”

Pluto just had its American leadership.

—President Barack Obama on Twitter

September/October 2015

http://span.state.gov

Courtesy Anvita Arora

V O LU M E LV I N U M B E R 5

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Studying in the Cloud

By Steve Fox

Learning Globally, Reporting Locally

By Michael Gallant

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From American Literature to Grassroots Activism

By Paromita Pain

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Citizen Diplomacy

By Katherine A. Caro and Shailey Tucker 

Venture-ing Into a New World

By Steve Fox

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Grassroots Environmental Advocacy

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#ExchangesAre

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A Tree of Life

By Michael Gallant 

Giving Everyone a Voice

By Carrie Loewenthal Massey 

The Road to Independence

Courtesy Ranjan Panda

Social Activism

Environment

Editor in Chief Traci L. Mell Printed and published by Walter T. Douglas on behalf of the Government of the United States of America and printed at Thomson Press India Ltd., 18/35 Delhi Mathura Road, Faridabad, Haryana 121007 and published at the Public Affairs Section, American Embassy, American Center, 24 K.G. Marg, New Delhi 110001. Opinions expressed in this 44-page magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.  Articles with a star may be reprinted with permission.

Those without a star are copyrighted and may not be reprinted.

Contact SPAN at 011-23472135 or editorspan@state.gov

Counterterrorism

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Researching Terrorism

By Jason Chiang

Fulbright Future

By Jane Varner Malhotra

Diving Into History

By Anne Walls

By Carrie Loewenthal Massey

Courtesy Prajwala

By Jane Varner Malhotra

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15 16

22

38 Travel

4

WILL MORRIS © AP-WWP

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MICHAEL SCHOUT/Courtesy Flickr

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

GERHARD MENCKHOFF

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Reviewing Editor Branden L. Young

Editor Deepanjali Kakati Associate Editor Suparna Mukherji Hindi Editor Giriraj Agarwal Urdu Editor Syed Sulaiman Akhtar Copy Editor Shah Md. Tahsin Usmani Editorial Assistant Yugesh Mathur Research Services Bureau of International Information Programs, The American Library

Art Director Hemant Bhatnagar Deputy Art Directors Qasim Raza, Shah Faisal Khan Production/Circulation Manager Alok Kaushik Printing Assistant Manish Gandhi

Front cover: Collage by Hemant Bhatnagar.

Photographs courtesy the respective exchange program participants. Artwork by Aditi Gupta.

Citizen

I

By KATHERINE A. CARO and SHAILEY TUCKER

Celebrating 75 years of exchange programs between India and the United States.

4 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

n the aftermath of World War I, the U.S. Department of State designed an exchange program for emerging leaders from various fields and nationalities to visit the United States, with the goal of fostering greater mutual understanding and international collaboration. Over the past 75 years, this program has evolved into the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The IVLP has paved the way for other educational, cultural and professional exchange programs sponsored by the U.S. State

Department, building bridges between over one million citizens of the United States and other countries.

Each year, more than 50,000 students, professionals, politicians, journalists, artists and musicians from around the world participate in these programs. Our exchanges offer the opportunity to gain diverse and new perspectives, hone leadership and communication skills and build connections with counterparts from other countries. The participants develop strong ties that not only strengthen civil

Diplomacy

society and businesses back home, but also promote international cooperation, economic prosperity and global security.

The international exchange alumni community includes 385 current or former heads of state, 63 Nobel laureates and countless leaders from the private and nonprofit sectors. India has over 15,000 exchange alumni, including six former and current heads of state, over 35 former and current Members of Parliament and 11 former and current chief ministers. In addition, our programs

also include more than 1,000 young people from underserved communities.

In India, the international exchange programs began in the 1960’s and exemplify the strong historical ties between our two countries. The programs range from the professional, like IVLP, Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership and the Professional Fellows Program, to the political, like the American Council of Young Political Leaders and National Council

—President Barack Obama

”

for State Legislators. They also include educational and cultural exchanges like the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship, Study of the United States Institutes, Near East and South Asia Undergraduate Exchange Program and Tibetan Scholarship Program, and youth-focused ones like the Community College Initiative Program and Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study. Over the years, these programs have provided Indian participants from all spheres and strata

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 5

EXCHANGES

Collage by HEMANT BHATNAGAR

“

Simple exchanges can break down walls between us, for when people come together and speak to one another and share a common experience, then their common humanity is revealed. We are reminded that we’re joined together by our pursuit of a life that’s productive and purposeful, and when that happens, mistrust begins to fade and our smaller differences no longer overshadow the things that we share. And that’s where progress begins.

SAURABH DAS © AP-WWP © World Economic Forum, swiss-image.ch/ REMY STEINEGGER

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Former Prime Minister of India IVLP, 1960

Shekhar Gupta Vice-chairman of the India Today Group IVLP, 1986

STEFAN MENTSCHEL

© World Economic Forum/MATTHEW JORDAAN

K.R. Narayanan Former President of India IVLP, 1969

Oommen Chandy Chief Minister of Kerala IVLP, 1983

Mahesh Dattani Playwright IVLP, 1993

Barkha Dutt Consulting editor, NDTV Salzburg Global Seminar, 2002

© World Economic Forum/ BENEDIKT VON LOEBELL

Binalakshmi Nepram Secretary general of Control Arms Foundation of India and founder of Manipur Women Gun Survivors’ Network Conflict Transformation Across Countries (CONTACT SAARC), 2012

Hasina Kharbhih Founder and chief executive officer of Impulse Social Enterprises IVLP, 2002, and Gold Stars IVLP Tour, 2013

Courtesy Mahesh Dattani

AJIT KUMAR © AP-WWP

Indira Gandhi Former Prime Minister of India IVLP, 1961

Courtesy Hasina Kharbhih

PUSHKARV/Courtesy Wikipedia © AP-WWP

Girish Karnad Playwright, actor and director IVLP, 1972, and Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, 1987

NICHOLAS (NICHALP)/Courtesy Wikipedia

Anjolie Ela Menon Contemporary artist and muralist IVLP, 1981 Courtesy Ramoji Group

Devendra Fadnavis Chief Minister of Maharashtra National Council for State Legislators (Citizen Exchange), 2006

Anil Dharker Founder and director of the Mumbai International Literary Festival IVLP, 1993

UJWALA PRABHU/Courtesy Flickr

© AP-WWP RAJANISH KAKADE © AP-WWP

Narendra Modi Prime Minister of India American Council of Young Political Leaders, 1993, and Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars, 1999

Cherukuri Ramoji Rao Media entrepreneur and founder of Ramoji Group IVLP, 1979

of society a chance to visit the United States, usually for the first time, and to experience American culture with host families, build professional networks, share best practices and learn more about their fields of interest.

“The essence of intercultural [exchange] is the acquisition of empathy—the ability to see the world as others see it, and to allow for the possibility that others may see something we have failed to see, or may see it more accurately,” wrote J. William Fulbright, founder of the Fulbright Program, in “The Price of Empire.” Most of our Indian participants echo how their exchange visit was a lifechanging experience. It created lasting

bonds and left a deep impact, not least in the way that it inspired them and boosted their self-confidence to implement their ideas in their local communities.

We believe that Rashee Mehra, alumna of the Study of the United States Institutes for Student Leaders and board member of Diksha Foundation, sums up the spirit of exchanges perfectly when she says, “Exchanges are a way to reaffirm what we all inherently know but are forced to forget— that the world is one large family.”

Katherine A. Caro is the First Secretary, Education and Exchanges, and Shailey Tucker is the Cultural Affairs Assistant for Alumni Outreach and Programs at the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi.

KATE BROOKS/The Elders

http://exchanges.state.gov/ non-us

International Exchange Alumni

Ela Ramesh Bhatt Founder of Self Employed Women’s Association American Center for International Labor Solidarity, 2006

http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/ exchangesalumni.html

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

Go Online

Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

7

SHASHI MANDAL

8 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

Venture-ing Into a New

World

A

s a single mother of two young children, Anvita Arora knew she was taking a significant risk when she chose to leave the security of academia to start her own company.

An architect and urban transport planner, with a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Arora had a wealth of academic knowledge, but had not faced the challenges of entrepreneurship. However, her resolve was bolstered by a three-week visit to the United States in 2012, under the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

“I hadn’t been to the United States before, and I wanted to understand the U.S. because it has a tradition of entrepreneurship, of people making successes of themselves,” says Arora. “I also wanted to know more about women entrepreneurs in particular. After the program, I had much

more confidence in the choices I had made.

In the environment I had been in, I was constantly defending those choices, with people telling me that owning my own business was risky, that I had a good job and why would I want to do this. My time in the U.S. gave me much more confidence—I felt I could make it work.”

She was right. Innovative Transport Solutions (iTrans) Pvt. Ltd, the company Arora founded in 2008, now provides consulting services on sustainable urban transport issues to clients like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, Delhi Finance Commission and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Through the exchange program, which focused on women and entrepreneurship,

Anvita Arora shares the story of her journey from academia to starting her own business.

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 9

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

By STEVE FOX

Photographs courtesy iTrans

Anvita Arora

www.itrans.co.in/people.html

Innovative Transport Solutions (iTrans) Pvt. Ltd

www.itrans.co.in

iTrans works on sustainable urban transport issues, ranging from transport policies, planning and modeling to public transport planning and operations.

10 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

Photographs courtesy Anvita Arora

Above: Anvita Arora (left) at an event on “Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development” in Chandigarh.

Above right: Arora speaks at a workshop on sustainable transportation in Hyderabad.

Right: Arora and other IVLP participants during their visit to Portland to meet women entrepreneurs.

NARENDER YADAV

Arora, who is managing director and chief executive officer of iTrans, met 18 women from other countries and had the opportunity to learn about the challenges women in the United States face in starting and operating their businesses.

“One highlight was the College of Business at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs,” says Arora. “We met with the vice chancellor, who was a woman, and there was a lot of discussion about the practical aspects of running a business. In Portland, we met women who were entrepreneurs and talked to them about what it took to start their own businesses, how they managed their companies and where they were in their own life cycle when they started their business. Also, as an urban planner who works a lot with cycling, I got to see how Portland handles that, which was fantastic.”

Although many people in India aspire to lifetime employment in large companies, Arora found a different scenario in the United States.

“I learned that in the U.S., most jobs are created by small businesses,” she says. “In the U.S., small businesses and women play a large role in the economy; they don’t stay on the sidelines. The perception back home in India, where people generally want to work in large corporations, is very different. But things are changing in India, with more people opting out of the nine-to-five routine and trying their own things.”

Based on what she learned in the United States, Arora made some changes in her work life.

“I realized that I enjoyed managing the projects, that I was far more interested in content than some of the other aspects of running a business,” she

says. “So, I did take on other people in the business whose skills complemented mine and let me focus more on what I enjoyed. I also realized that my business doesn’t have to be big. I don’t have to have 100 employees. It’s more important to me to have flexibility between work and home, and to have time with my children. Having that flexibility is one of the reasons I started my own business.”

Arora also realized that life in the United States isn’t all about work.

“There’s a respect for philanthropy in the United States that, I think, is very, very unique,” she says.

“The U.S. has a long history of philanthropy, and philanthropy is part of the business and individual culture.”

Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

11

Courtesy Ranjan Panda Courtesy Ranjan Panda

RANJAN PANDA

Courtesy Ranjan Panda

Ranjan Panda

12

shares his experiences of the IVLP visit to the United States and how it shaped his environmental advocacy.

Right: Ranjan Panda’s IVLP visit to Florida included a session on promotion of entrepreneurship in floriculture.

Top left: Panda introduces a IVLP co-participant.

Above left: Panda with the other IVLP participants.

Left: A session on soil health detection technology at the University of Florida.

Left: Panda at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay.

Grassroots Environmental Advocacy

By JANE VARNER MALHOTRA

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 13

ENVIRONMENT

institutions working on water, environment, energy, climate change—fields in which I have been working. So, it was a good experience both ways—learning from U.S. examples and from the other group members.”

The tour included meetings with government officials, academics, media professionals, community leaders and officials from the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, says Panda. In addition to a standard schedule prepared for the entire group, participants had the opportunity to meet specific people from their fields.

“We were divided into five groups by interest areas,” he explains. “I was more into

RANJAN PANDA

E

nvironmental activist Ranjan Panda works tirelessly to protect Odisha’s waterways. Many know him simply as “The Water Man of Odisha.” Thanks to his work in this field, Panda was selected for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). In 2006, he embarked on a memorable three-week journey across the United States to share ideas and build cultural understanding with American and international counterparts. The theme of his session was “Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection.”

“I was the lone man from India in a group of professionals who joined from more than 20 countries,” recalls Panda. “They were from

Courtesy Ranjan Panda

www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com

RANJAN PANDA

RANJAN PANDA

Go Online

Water Initiatives Odisha

Top: Ranjan Panda on a cruise at Chesapeake Bay. Above and above right: Panda and other IVLP participants observe wildlife conservation at the Everglades National Park in Florida.

14 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

climate change and water, but some were more into technology, for example. We all spent 10 days together in Washington, D.C. and then, the rest of the time, we traveled to different cities in small groups.”

Panda enjoyed trips to the Everglades in Florida and to a conservation program at the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. He visited a university and the Cleveland Zoo in Ohio, and had an informative interaction with representatives from the Lower Colorado River Authority in Austin, Texas. He met with leaders of local citizen action groups, including Tom “Smitty” Smith, director of Public Citizen’s Texas office, who was working to collect information on people’s perceptions about climate change. Panda also enjoyed Austin’s renowned live music scene.

The overall experience, including the cultural aspects of the program, surprised him in many ways. Before coming to the United States, Panda admits, he harbored some preconceived notions about Americans as often being self-centered and consumer-driven.

However, the interaction with the program volunteers and hosts in different regions provided an added personal bonus to a professionally enriching experience.

“I found a lot of care and fellow feeling from volunteers who assisted us during the exposure,” says Panda. “IVLP gave me a good exposure, both personally and professionally, and it sharpened some of my advocacy skills. I was also able to establish some networks with people from different kinds of institutions.”

The group visited some unexpected venues, including a small business manufacturing products using sustainable practices—the Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland.

“Visiting the beer manufacturing company adhering to clean standards offered us a different take on sustainability,” says Panda.

“We got some free beer also!” he laughs.

Today, Panda leads two active environmental networks. Water Initiatives Odisha is a grassroots watchdog organization, where volunteer academics, researchers, farmers, students and civic leaders work on water conservation and protection, along with other environmental issues in the state. His other program, Combat Climate Change Network-India, is a national online platform for information and debate on local and global climate change issues.

The benefits of the IVLP continue long past the conclusion of the visit, says Panda. Being part of the worldwide alumni network helps keep him informed about global issues and approaches that impact his work in India.

“The IVLP alumni group is a great resource for enriching your knowledge constantly. The consulates have helped us maintain some of the links by facilitating visits of related professionals to us from time to time,” he notes. “The IVLP experience is continuous and ever-evolving.”

Jane Varner Malhotra is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.

#ExchangesAre a journey of amazement and a step toward achieving global citizenship.

Aadil Fahim Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program, 2007-08

#Exchange program is a passport to be a global citizen.

Abhishek Patil NESA UGRAD, 2014-15

#ExchangesAre all about fostering relationships by providing a wide spectrum of cultural and community perspectives.

#ExchangesAre a way to reaffirm what we all inherently know but are forced to forget—that the world is one large family.

Rashee Mehra SUSI for Student Leaders, 2008

Rishika Makam Benjamin Franklin Summer Institute, 2012

#ExchangesAre meant to experience the future and improve the present on your return—all in one lifetime.

Shubhalaxmi Vaylure Fulbright, 2003, and Humphrey, 2009

#ExchangesAre about connecting with not only people, but cultures.

Sukanya Agarwal SUSI for Student Leaders, 2011

#ExchangesAre when you dream in one language and open your eyes to the world of another.

Sana Zaidi YES, 2007-08

#ExchangesAre

#ExchangesAre one of the best ways to rediscover yourself.

Learn, unlearn and relearn.

Aditi Gupta IVLP, 2015

#Exchange programs mean connecting across times, across geographical borders.

Vasanthi Ranganathan East-West Center, 1987-1991

#Exchange programs reinforce the hope that together, we can change the world for the better.

Tenzin Jamyang Tibetan Scholarship Program, 2013-15

15

A Tree of Life

By MICHAEL GALLANT

hether they live on the streets of San Francisco, New Delhi or anywhere else in the world, homeless and mentally ill people can be among the most vulnerable members of society. That’s a problem Vandana Gopikumar works hard to fix.

Gopikumar is the cofounder of The Banyan, a Chennai-based organization that offers comprehensive aid for poor and homeless people living with mental

16

Courtesy The Banyan

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Children of persons with mental health issues at The Banyan’s rural mental health program. The Banyan provides consistent support to the children of clients who use the organization’s services.

Vandana Gopikumar

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

and her organization, The Banyan, help those dealing with homelessness, mental illness and poverty.

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 17

“ ” Photographs courtesy The Banyan

The banyan tree, indigenous to India, has long been associated with being a safe haven, shelter and open space accessible to all.

Top: A resident from The Banyan’s shared housing program works in a garment export company.

Above left: Persons with mental health issues and their caregivers at The Banyan’s annual usercaregiver advocacy meeting.

Above: Vaishnavi Jayakumar (from left), Ashok, Vandana Gopikumar and Kamala Easwaran. Jayakumar and Gopikumar are founder trustees of The Banyan.

Left: Residents work on an order for wedding cards at The Banyan’s vocational training unit.

Below left: Residents employed in the kitchen at The Banyan’s transit care center work together to make rotis.

18 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

Courtesy Vandana Gopikumar

illness. Founded in 1993, the organization has touched the lives of thousands of homeless women dealing with mental health issues, while The Banyan’s youth-oriented outreach programs have helped hundreds of children.

Two decades ago, Gopikumar was selected to participate in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange trip, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, which focused on the development of non-governmental organizations like hers.

Excerpts from an interview.

What inspired you to start The Banyan?

During my college days, my friend, who then went on to become my partner in founding The Banyan, and I had a chance encounter with a woman who was homeless and extremely distressed. She was similar to us in age, and we were struck by how different our life trajectories were. While we had the freedom and luxury of dreaming big and endless choices, she seemed trapped, stuck and unable to free herself from a cycle of distress, trauma and pain. In combination with this, I felt the need to be entrepreneurial, to start something new, and the excitement of taking on a challenge with my friend was exciting.

Why did you choose the name “Banyan?”

The banyan tree, indigenous to India, has long been associated with being a safe haven, shelter and open space accessible to all. It is with this same philosophy, of wanting to be open and accepting, and wanting to reach out, that the name was chosen.

What’s one of the most valuable things you learned during your travels?

That suffering, loss and resilience are universal concepts. Only the extent varies. I saw that homelessness in the U.S. was as bad as in India, and the extent of mental health issues was also similar. What was different was the nature of responses to these problems and the extent of societal engagement.

Structural barriers that are pronounced in India weren’t so in the U.S. There seemed to be a greater sense of balance and equity, as a

result of which human life felt more valued.

Many inequities in India are somewhat accepted, which widens the chasm between the privileged and those who live experiencing scarcity. On the other hand, family structures, particularly in rural India, seemed stronger than in the U.S. As a result, the dominant trend was to support people with different abilities, or the elderly, in their homes, or in other non-institutional settings.

Did the exchange program have a significant impact on how you lead The Banyan?

The Banyan

www.thebanyan.org

The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health www.balm.in

I first felt the need to adopt a transdisciplinary approach to our work during the exchange. Mental health isn’t a health issue alone; it’s also a deprivation, inequity, discrimination and structural violence issue.

Thus, the responses have to be equally robust, particularly in a country like India.

Why is that?

I feel we work under difficult circumstances in India, in terms of the diversity of language, culture and identity. The uniformity in the U.S., in some ways, meant greater equity and sameness. Problems seemed less persistent in nature, even if they were complex. Also, I felt that social innovations were far more valued in the U.S. But things have changed since then. The Indian government and the corporate sector are now opening up to welcome civil society organizations that are doing development work.

Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

19

K

gM

P

n

Voice

Giving Everyone a Akhtarul Wasey works to protect the rights of linguistic minorities.

20 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

rotecting the civil liberties of minorities is a tireless fight; one that needs outspoken champions at its forefront.

Akhtarul Wasey is one such champion, protecting the voices of linguistic minorities in India. Appointed Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India by President Pranab Mukherjee in March 2014, Wasey oversees all Constitutional protections and safeguards provided to speakers of non-majority languages in every state. The job is challenging, he says, “because of the linguistic diversity and sensitivity” in India.

“A language which is spoken by the majority in a particular state, with a change of geographical location, becomes the language of minority speakers,” says Wasey.

Balancing the interests of the majority with the rights of various minorities requires topnotch conflict resolution skills. Wasey has

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

honed these skills and it is evident from the honors and distinctions he has earned. He was conferred the Padma Shri award in 2013 for his work in the field of literature and education.

Wasey’s academic work focuses on Islamic studies. He has written and spoken about the importance of interfaith dialogue and about the pluralism inherent to the Indian Muslim community.

Wasey was one of the chief guests at the launch of the U.S. Embassy’s Urdu website in November 2014. “Through Urdu we can spread the message of love,” he said at the event. “In a world that is full of differences and terror, if love has to prevail then it has to be through languages.”

Wasey’s focus on peace, as well as protection and promotion of Indian Muslims, has taken him to the United States several times. In 2008, he was awarded a Fulbright

Courtesy Akhtarul Wasey

r

President Pranab Mukherjee awards the Padma Shri to Akhtarul Wasey (left) in 2013.

Akhtarul Wasey http://goo.gl/gbLNuR

National Commissioner Linguistic Minorities http://nclm.nic.in

Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York Citybased freelance writer.

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 21

LINGUISTICS

the resolution of conflicts,” he says.

Wasey found the discussions productive and the participants open to expression and consideration of contrary views. This practice of honoring different perspectives is something he has applied to conflict resolution back home, and he finds it relevant on so many levels.

“Conflicts may not always be at regional or international level, but they can be in your family and workplaces as well,” he says.

No matter where the conflict is, Wasey credits his IVLP experience with giving him a new way to look at problems. “One should be patient,” he says, “but, at the same time, decisive, to a great extent objective and simultaneously sympathetic to the other party involved.”

Go Online

Fellowship, one of the first in Islamic studies.

His projects led to affiliations with several American schools, including Temple University in Philadelphia, Xavier University in Cincinnati, University of Denver and The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The Fulbright followed Wasey’s participation in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2000. Through the IVLP, Wasey examined prevention diplomacy and conflict resolution. He visited government institutions in Washington, D.C. as well as universities across the country.

During the IVLP exchange, Wasey and other participants “deliberated, discussed and debated the issues that are threatening peace at micro and macro levels, and what should be the ways and methods to ensure peace through

Sunitha Krishnan’s blog http://sunithakrishnan. blogspot.com

Prajwala

www.prajwalaindia.com

Sunitha Krishnan’s TED Talk http://goo.gl/p1DElH

The SAGE Project www.sagesf.org

Sunitha Krishnan pulls women and children out of sex trade and gives them a new lease of life.

The Road to Ind 22 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

Courtesy Prajwala

S

ependence

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 23

SOCIAL ACTIVISM

ocial activist Sunitha Krishnan has rescued more than 12,500 girls from sexual slavery.

Every day, Krishnan sees firsthand, the destruction caused by this human rights abuse. Then, she turns it around. Through her Hyderabad-based organization, Prajwala, she provides these girls shelter and lifeskills training. Krishnan and her staff train them as welders, carpenters, cab drivers, masons, security guards, camera assistants and more, empowering them to support themselves and live independently. She gives them confidence and the assurance that they can rebuild their lives.

“ ”

Courtesy Prajwala

Seeing various interventions in the U.S. gave me a better perspective on how I would look at my interventions in my own country.

MARC BRYAN-BROWN

Above left: Sunitha Krishnan (center) at an economic rehabilitation unit, where survivors of trafficking are provided lifeskills training.

Left: Krishnan (center) at the Women in the World Summit 2015, in New York City, where she spoke about her “Shame The Rapist” campaign.

Krishnan embodies the turnaround story that she seeks to realize for each of the girls she helps. At the age of 15, she was gangraped by eight men. As Krishnan describes in a TED Talk from 2009, she doesn’t remember much about the rape itself. What she remembers is her anger in its aftermath. She was ostracized and isolated for two years following her rape, a manifestation of victim shaming.

Krishnan put her anger to use. She became a mental health professional and devoted her life to treating trafficked girls. While her efforts improve the lives of the people she rescues, Krishnan faces many challenges. She has been attacked numerous times in the course of these rescues. Because of one assault, she even lost hearing in one ear.

But the biggest challenge she faces is changing society’s mindset about the victims of sex trafficking. Too often, people and organizations don’t associate with the survivors of the sex trade. They are kept away from other children, out of people’s homes and without good jobs due to the social stigma.

However, they need to be embraced by society and given support. “They need your compassion. They need your empathy. They need, much more than anything else, your acceptance,” says Krishnan in her TED Talk.

To gain a global perspective on issues related to sex trafficking, in 1999, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the U.S. State Department’s exchange program for professionals.

Krishnan traveled to many places in the United States, including Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco and the northern area of Nevada. She met with leaders of organizations working to combat human trafficking, like The SAGE Project in San Francisco. In Nevada, she visited the Mustang Ranch brothel to “understand prostitution in its totality,” she says.

24 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

“Even after so many years, I still distinctly remember that trip for the learning I gathered that time and some very important things that made a very big impact,” says Krishnan. “Seeing various interventions in the U.S. gave me a better perspective on how I would look at my interventions in my own country.”

The efforts to combat trafficking Krishnan witnessed in the United States didn’t translate directly into new programs in India, but they did influence Krishnan’s decisions in the years that followed.

“I understood there are other possibilities, multiple ways of doing things. Many years later, I built a community campaign called ‘Men Against Demand’ [for prostitution]. It was inspired by a legal intervention I saw in San Francisco, but I couldn’t do it exactly the same way in India because of legislative constraints,” says Krishnan.

She returned to New York in April 2015 for a one-day gathering of IVLP participants. She enjoyed the chance to learn through the program again and would like to have more consistent exchanges with the participants. Krishnan also hopes that American practitioners in her field will come to India to visit programs and understand the nuances of how things work in the country.

In the meantime, she’ll continue to pull young women and children from the throes of sexual slavery. Her request to the rest of the world remains the same as the one she expresses in her TED Talk of six years ago: “In your limited world can you open your minds? Can you open your hearts? Can you just encompass these people too? They’re also a part of us. They’re also part of this world. … No child, no human being, deserves what these children have gone through.”

Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York City-based freelance writer.

HEMANT BHATNAGAR

Studying in the

Cloud

By STEVE FOX

shares the impacts of the innovative School in the Cloud program.

W

hat happens when you give children access to computers and get out of the way?

“Their thinking ability, reading ability, comprehension, dealing with abstraction are completely changed and improved,” says Ritu Dangwal. “They learn how to attack problems and how to work in a group, learning from what the other kids are doing. Not just that, you can see the confidence level among these children building. It’s phenomenal.”

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EDUCATION

Ritu Dangwal

RAKESH MALHOTRA RAKESH MALHOTRA

Dangwal is research and project coordinator for School in the Cloud, a program funded by a $1 million TED Prize that has helped establish five Self-Organized Learning Environment (SOLE) labs in India and two in the United Kingdom.

SOLE labs require only computers, Internet connections and children who want to learn.

Educators—some on-site and some online—pose “Big Questions,” like why do people use maps?

Do trees think? Students form small groups to find answers. They can move around, exchange information, change groups and, finally, share what they learnt with the whole class.

School in the Cloud grew out of the pioneering experiments by Sugata Mitra, professor of educational technology at Newcastle University in England. In 1999, Mitra placed a computer near a slum in New Delhi, and let children use it without supervision, an approach in line with his concept of “minimally invasive education.” This, and similar experiments, persuaded Mitra, who subsequently persuaded others, that children could learn to use computers and the Internet for most

tasks done by lay users, teach themselves enough English to use email, chat and search engines, improve their English pronunciation, as well as their math and science scores in school—all with minimal supervision.

“I feel we have moved completely away from ‘teaching’ to ‘learning’—a huge shift,” says Dangwal. “Technology has changed the face of education, and we all need to accept it. Children are becoming independent learners and we should embrace that fact, and encourage and make use of this paradigm shift.”

Dangwal had been working with Mitra for a number of years when, in 2012, she was chosen for the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, which in her case focused on “Education, Computer Science/Technology, and Youth Mentoring.” She visited colleges and schools in several U.S. cities, learning more about America’s approach to education from officials and teachers.

“I love the place; I love the people; I love their fierce love for independence and attitude toward

Courtesy Ritu Dangwal

Go Online

Left: Ritu Dangwal (sitting, center) with the students of Korakati-SinC Lab 1, the School in the Cloud in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.

Far left: Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel (center, back row) visits the New Delhi School in the Cloud in 2014.

Below far left and below: School in the Cloud uses technology to help children, especially those from marginalized sections of society, acquire knowledge and learn skills.

School in the Cloud www.theschoolinthecloud.org

Self-Organized Learning Environment (SOLE) Toolkit http://goo.gl/ftMvj8

Sugata Mitra

RAKESH MALHOTRA

https://goo.gl/eNVFIu

life. I am deeply touched and honored by the way I was treated,” says Dangwal.

Although the U.S. and Indian educational environments are very different, Dangwal found a common thread. “What resonated for me was how instructors related to the kids,” she says. “They were wonderful. Children everywhere want to learn. If you supply the right ingredients at the right moment, things happen that are very unexpected.”

While School in the Cloud has helped Indian children acquire knowledge and learn skills, Dangwal points out that there has been a deeper impact.

“These kids come from marginalized sections of society, but they have aspirations now. And most of them have chosen professions that can

change the lives of other kids,” she says. “Just like School in the Cloud has changed their lives, they wish to do the same for others. One girl from the Delhi School in the Cloud said, ‘I want to be a lawyer because I want to do justice and help people who have been wronged.’ ” Dangwal and Mitra want to see the School in the Cloud program grow. “We were able to construct schools and the necessary infrastructure,” says Dangwal. “Now, we are focused on sustainability. We have shown that Schools in the Cloud can work, and now we need someone to take the concept forward and support it.”

Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

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“

This program not only helped me in my professional life, but also helped all those who have worked with me, as I was able to guide and mentor them using global standards.

”

Learning Globally, Reporting Locally

I

Illustration by HEMANT BHATNAGAR, photographs © Thinkstock

The exchange program helped Ajay Umat learn new facets of journalism.

By MICHAEL GALLANT

n 2009, Ajay Umat spent four weeks traversing the United States, shuttling between Washington, D.C.; New York City, New York; San Francisco, California; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. A vacation? Not at all. The journalist and newspaper editor had been chosen to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the professional exchange program of the U.S. Department of State.

Through the IVLP, leaders from different walks of life travel to the United States to learn more about the country, grow within their disciplines,

Ajay Umat http://goo.gl/7uBKz

NavGujarat Samay 28 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

navgujaratsamay.indiatimes.com

Photographs courtesy Ajay Umat

Above: Ajay Umat at his NavGujarat Samay office.

Right: Umat at a newspaper kiosk near The Washington Post office during his visit to Washington, D.C. in 2009.

Umat’s journey to the United States left him with wonderful memories, including that of his American host family in San Francisco boisterously and unexpectedly singing to him to celebrate his birthday. He learned powerful lessons, which he has since worked hard to incorporate into his work as the editor of NavGujarat Samay, a regional language paper of The Times of India group.

“The exchange program broadened my horizons and helped me understand new facets of journalism,” says Umat. “Since then, I have adopted best practices of U.S. journalism and implemented them at the newspapers I have worked at. Of particular importance are sting operations and investigations, as well as human interest stories that are widely done in American dailies.” The IVLP also helped him understand the vital relationship between print and online media, a perspective that made him focus on NavGujarat Samay’s online and social media presence.

“This program not only helped me in my professional life, but also helped all those who have worked with me, as I was able to guide and mentor them using global standards,” says Umat. “I was able to learn that readers’ empowerment is important. To give people a voice, listen to them and empower them are the basic duties of a journalist.”

Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

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JOURNALISM

and build relationships that span borders and continents. For many participants, the journey is a life-changing one.

“It was an enlightening experience,” describes Umat. “I was exposed to such a high global standard of journalism in the U.S. I was able to experience the heights of freedom of expression that U.S. media enjoys.”

During meetings and conversations with American journalists from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and other outlets, Umat learned about U.S. laws like the Whistleblower Protection Act, which shields those who report governmental violations from harm, and the Freedom of Information Act, which gives citizens the right to access information from the federal government.

Umat’s path to investigative journalism began early in his career, due to an eyeopening internship at a multinational corporation in India. “I came across incidents that showed how crony capitalism thrives at the cost of helpless farmers,” he says. Displaced farm workers were not receiving proper compensation, and the sight of such injustice gave him new insights and a new career direction. “I realized that becoming a journalist would give me an ideal opportunity to raise pertinent social issues,” he says, “and, in certain cases, help victims get their due. I took up journalism immediately after [completing] my studies and I’m proud to be a whistleblower helping society.”

Umat says that besides his primary duties at his newspaper, he used to actively participate in television debates and provide input to global media houses like the BBC. Based on his enthusiasm and accomplishments, Umat’s supervisors at the time, who had participated in previous IVLPs, referred him as a candidate for future exchanges.

Courtesy Rosemary Dzuvichu

Rosemary Dzuvichu explores the intersection of human rights, feminism and American literature.

American Literature

I

From

By PAROMITA PAIN

hated flying. But I thought, when a country is interested in you, your people and your work, then it’s a privilege I shouldn’t lose,” says Rosemary Dzuvichu. An associate professor at Nagaland University specializing in American literature and drama, Dzuvichu was a participant of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on American Studies in 2000. “When I was selected for the program, I didn’t even have a passport,” she laughs. “I managed to get everything ready in three months. That was an achievement.” Dzuvichu is an adviser to

the Naga Mothers Association, a gender consultant trained in conflict resolution and is actively involved with organizations working on human rights and political empowerment in Nagaland.

Inspiration Reading fostered her love for literature. “I grew up with books,” says Dzuvichu. “In Nagaland, books were hard to come by, but I grew up listening to and reading a huge and rich variety of fairy tales.” Her parents inspired her to work in the area of human rights.

“Traditional Naga society is very

Go Online Ximagination/iStock/Thinkstock

Rosemary Dzuvichu http://goo.gl/Y42y4I

30

Grassroots Activism patriarchal in its outlook. But my father never distinguished between my brothers and me,” she says. Her mother was among the first women in Nagaland to raise a voice for women’s rights and represent women in the Tribal Council.

“My parents made it possible for me to break more barriers than my counterparts in Nagaland,” she says.

Dzuvichu was the first woman coconvenor of the Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights and a part of the Joint Action Committee on Women’s Reservation that works to implement the Nagaland Municipal (First Amendment) Act, 2006 and ensure the 33 percent reservation for women, besides demanding municipal elections.

New avenues Being a part of the IVLP on American Studies gave Dzuvichu’s work a new stimulus. “It was a great learning experience,” she says. “There were

15 participants from trouble-torn countries like Yemen, Palestine, Pakistan and Israel. We came from either a university or similar academic background, and were able to exchange different ideas on how we could improve the social and education systems in our countries. It opened my eyes to questions we weren’t asking at that time.”

The program involved traveling to different universities across the United States, including Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland and the University of Iowa. “The multicultural aspect of U.S. education is arresting,” says Dzuvichu. “This stayed with me and raised many questions that academics in India weren’t debating then.”

“Meeting policymakers in the U.S. showed me how important it was to lobby with those who actually create policy,” she says. “This is something that I then started in my activism work, back in my own country.”

Another element of American life that influenced her was the active role that volunteers played in their communities.

“Everywhere we went, there were groups of people who would show us around the city, host us and give us insights into life in the U.S.,” she says.

Dzuvichu came back with a renewed sense of involvement in social causes.

“ ”

Rediscovering American literature What she enjoyed the most was the reintroduction to American literature. No stranger to American literary culture, having done her doctoral dissertation on feminism, Alice Walker and Naga women writers, she met a number of authors working on this topic and rediscovered the similarities between the struggles of Native Americans and the citizens of Nagaland. “Now, when I talk to my students about different issues like the struggles of slavery, I am able to better articulate the nuances,” she says.

Dzuvichu encourages her students to apply to U.S. universities for further studies. “Students need to see the larger world,” she says. “They need to learn from different cultures, different people and appreciate the values of a global education.” Between her teaching and activism, time is always at a premium.

She loves poetry and wishes she had time to write more. “Unlike writing essays and other prose, poetry forces us to introspect,” says Dzuvichu. “You need to sit down and listen to your thoughts.

One day, I will find the space and time to document the struggles of my people in verse.”

Paromita Pain is a journalist based in Austin, Texas.

It opened my eyes to questions we weren’t asking at that time.

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LITERATURE

to

Researc

“

Illustration by HEMANT BHATNAGAR, photographs © AP-W WWP, © Thinkstock

In many ways, the security threats faced by India are no different than those faced by the rest of the world—the growing influence of the Internet, the growing threat of cybercrime and the growing threat of lone actors.

”

32 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

hing

ary LaFree is the director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland and a professor with the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

START was founded in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Its mission is to provide homeland security policymakers with the highestquality, data-driven findings to help shape counterterrorism policy through forward-thinking research.

LaFree visited Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, New Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Mumbai in April 2015 to discuss some of the security issues facing India’s future.

Excerpts from an interview.

What led you to pursue new research on terrorism? What were the areas and topics that you felt could be improved or expanded with your work?

Throughout my career as a criminologist, I have been interested in archival To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 33

COUNTERTERRORISM

G

By JASON CHIANG

CHRIS GARDNER Š AP-WWP

Terrorism

MAREN WINTER/iStock/Thinkstock

Go Online

Gary LaFree

http://goo.gl/eLwRj9

START

www.start.umd.edu

Global Terrorism Database

www.start.umd.edu/gtd/

India’s unique security needs?

I think the START model would have promise for India. It is highly interdisciplinary and highly networked, flexible and cost-effective. It puts a premium on education and training, as well as basic research. We now have an entire international network of scholars committed to the scientific study of terrorism.

During your three-week visit to India, you spoke on countering several prevalent myths about terrorism.

What are some of the most common misconceptions?

Most people think of terrorists as highly skilled, sinister operatives employing incredibly sophisticated technology; killing hundreds in their attacks; rarely making mistakes and exceedingly difficult to defeat. This myth of the “super terrorist” is belied by the facts on the ground. Most terrorist attacks involve readily available weapons—usually firearms or explosives. The majority of attacks result in no fatalities. Terrorists often fail and miscalculate. We see that a common terrorist group is like the typical business startup—it fails within the first year of operation.

How do these myths pose a challenge for your team’s ongoing research and goals?

Most policies on terrorism are often set by high-profile events, like the Mumbai attacks, even though these attacks are actually quite rare and unpredictable. It is obviously important to develop policies that counter the big high-profile events, but we should also be mindful of the full range of attacks to enact more robust policy.

data on violence. I became interested specifically in terrorist violence just before 9/11, when I learned about a large data archive on terrorism by a private security firm.

This data became the basis of the original Global Terrorism Database, our open-source database that now includes information on more than 140,000 terrorist events around the world since 1970. Studies of terrorism had often lagged behind many other areas of the social sciences. One of the main goals of the START Center has been to try and advance a social scientific understanding of terrorism.

Are there any specific elements that make India more or less vulnerable to terrorism?

India is geographically located in a very dangerous neighborhood. The three countries with the most terrorist attacks in the world have been Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, India is also a very interesting country in terms of its diversity—an incredible array of languages, ethnic groups and religions. The many religious groups living in harmony can act as a buffer against terrorist groups, which often wish to drive a wedge between religions.

What do you feel makes START a suitable model for

34 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

What are some of your latest findings about the nature of terrorism today? Do these trends indicate anything about future terrorism?

One of the most striking things about modern terrorism is that it is wave-like and it moves quickly. In many ways, the security threats faced by India are no different than those faced by the rest of the world—the growing influence of the Internet, the growing threat of cybercrime and the growing threat of lone actors. Many of the most lethal terrorist organizations in the world, in recent years, have been affiliated with Al Qaeda and/or ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]. These groups will represent the single greatest terrorist threat in the short term.

Do you have any lasting takeaways from your India visit?

I was overwhelmed by the kindness I experienced in India. I was also impressed by how many of the Indians I spoke with admired their [more than] 60-year democratic history. And, of course, all visitors to India experience the rich history and the ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity.

Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

M “ © AP-WWP

By JANE VARNER MALHOTRA

Fulbright

program The builds mutual understanding between countries and people.

Courtesy USIEF

Above: Betty Castor.

Right: U.S. FulbrightNehru student researchers Kanchan Wali-Richardson (left) and Alexandra L. Masi in Varanasi.

”

ost visitors to the port city of Baltimore, Maryland, enjoy the world-class aquarium, watch a baseball game or grab a delicious dinner in Little Italy.

But this group had a bigger agenda.

In March, 60 scholars from around the world gathered in Baltimore to learn firsthand about the struggles faced by the city’s poor communities, in a three-day program titled, “A Tale of Two Cities: Focus on Public Health.” Panel discussions, volunteer opportunities and site visits to nonprofit aid organizations gave the visitors a chance to better understand the economic disparity in Baltimore and its impact on health care access, violence and substance abuse.

FULBRIGHT

Fulbright Future

35

Right: U.S. Fulbright-Nehru student Kainaz Amaria during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai.

Top: U.S. Fulbright-Nehru scholar Noah Sachs (right) with his son at a tourist resort in Karnataka.

Top right: U.S. Fulbright-Nehru scholar Christine Bernie (center) provides health education to children in a village in Tamil Nadu.

Above right: U.S. Fulbright scholar Greg Thielker, who was based in New Delhi for his project on “Painting Along the Overlap of the Grand Trunk Road and Golden Quadrilateral.”

Far right: Indian Fulbright-NehruCII fellows with participants from other countries at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

36 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

The visitors were Fulbright scholars— participants of the flagship educational exchange program established by the U.S. Congress in 1946. The program offers grants to non-U.S. citizens to study, research and teach at colleges and universities in America, and to U.S. citizens to do the same in other countries. To date, more than 325,400 scholars from 155 countries have participated in the exchanges, designed to nurture people-to-people connections and bring international relations to the individual level.

Fulbright exchanges between the United States and India began in 1950. In 2008, the program expanded, as both countries became financial and administrative partners in the exchange. The awards were renamed Fulbright-Nehru

Fellowships.

“Since the agreement in 2008, the numbers of exchanges with India have really mushroomed,” says Betty Castor, chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, which oversees the selection of Fulbright scholars worldwide. “We now have about 300 FulbrightNehru exchanges a year.”

The Fulbright-Nehru grants are administered by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). Indian nationals and citizens at various stages of graduate study and professional work are eligible to apply for the program. The types of awards include master’s fellowships, doctoral and professional research fellowships, postdoctoral “Scholar-in-Residence”

academic friendships and contacts that will serve them a lifetime.

Photographs courtesy USIEF Courtesy Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

http://eca.state.gov/fulbright/about-fulbright

Betty Castor http://goo.gl/9fjrdU

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships http://www.usief.org.in/US-Fulbright-NehruFellowships.aspx their field and bring back the interests and knowledge to their home countries.”

Applicants to the United States propose a specific project to research. But if they are accepted into the program, they receive exposure to a broad range of topics during the fellowship. When Fulbrighters come to the United States, they do not just conduct research in the back bookshelves of a university library. They are encouraged to get to know the different communities and cultures around the country, so that they develop an authentic understanding of the past and current issues in America. Participants attend the Fulbright enrichment programs that take place in locations around the United States. These include studying innovation in the Pacific Northwest, civil rights in Atlanta and Native American life in Oklahoma. The seminars immerse scholars in regional American culture and history, offering them context and human connections around some of the country’s toughest issues.

Just a month after the Fulbright seminar concluded in Baltimore, protests, and later, riots broke out across the city, sparked by deepening concern about police brutality toward African Americans. “Anyone who attended the enrichment seminar in Baltimore would better understand some of the challenges there,” says Castor, who also participated in the session.

With nearly 70 years of professional and educational exchanges, increased mutual understanding through people-to-people connections is exactly what the Fulbright program is about. And the impact endures, adds Castor. “Fulbrighters build academic friendships and contacts that will serve them a lifetime.”

Jane Varner Malhotra is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.

Courtesy USIEF

“ ”

Fulbrighters build

The Fulbright Program

Go Online

grants and the “Distinguished Awards in Teaching” program.

Castor’s advice for anyone interested in the program: “Apply!”

“You can go online to get an idea of the basic requirements,” explains Castor. She also recommends contacting academic institutions in India, as many have a key staff person involved with the Fulbright program. “But the best way to learn more is to talk to a Fulbrighter—someone who has the experience already.”

Although the variety of opportunities and eligibility qualifications can be overwhelming, the USIEF website offers details on each program, and they host information sessions for interested applicants. They also help students connect with Fulbright alumni for more information.

One of the grants is the Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship. Designed for Indians interested in pursuing a master’s degree at selected U.S. academic institutions, the program offers study in one of the following fields: arts and culture management including heritage conservation and museum studies, environmental science/studies, higher education administration, public health, urban and regional planning, and women’s studies/gender studies. The program looks for highly-motivated leaders who have completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree, have at least three years of work experience and who commit to return and contribute to their communities after the one- or two-year fellowship. The grant includes J-1 visa support, round trip airfare to the United States, tuition and fees, and living and related expenses.

“The Fulbright program builds mutual understanding between countries and people,” says Castor. “The program provides the unique opportunity for students and scholars to not only become deeply involved in their own research, but to learn in another environment, meet new colleagues in

Explore America’s history underwater at some of the best wreck diving sites in the country.

Diving Into History

F

By ANNE WALLS

or history buffs, there’s nothing more exciting than the experience of a piece of the past. And what if you could explore famous battleships and decades-old sunken schooners?

Wreck diving lets you do exactly that and more. A kind of recreational scuba diving, it focuses on exploring shipwrecks. The United States offers a variety of interesting wreck dives around the country.

38 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

MARK YOKOYAMA/Courtesy Flickr

TRAVEL

y

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 39

BARRY PETERS/Courtesy Flickr

Outer Banks, North Carolina http://goo.gl/dVOOP4

40 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 NOAA'S NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE/Courtesy Flickr

MILLERM217/Courtesy Flickr

Vought F4U Corsair

http://www.corsairwreck.com/

Above left: Divers from the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and Eastern Carolina University photograph the U-352.

Left: The wreck of the historic U-352 in Outer Banks.

Above: Divers explore the wreck of the Vought F4U Corsair fighter aircraft in Oahu.

Outer Banks, North Carolina For centuries, the treacherous waters off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks have claimed hundreds of sea-faring vessels. Known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” the coast is a haven for wreck divers. The premier wreck of the area is a historic World War II German U-Boat, the U-352.

On May 9, 1942, the U-352 was prowling North Carolina’s coast for enemy targets when it opened fire on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Icarus, but the Germans’ torpedo missed. Icarus retaliated and sunk the German submarine. The U-352’s conning tower is still intact, giving wreck divers a truly intimate look into the past.

Another sunken gem in the area is the W.E. Hutton, better known as the Papoose.

During the early stages of World War II, German U-boats sank numerous Allied merchant ships. In the confusion, the wreck of the W.E. Hutton was misidentified by U.S.

Navy as that of Papoose.

The upside down 435-foot tanker is a wreck diving favorite, thanks to clear waters from the Gulf Stream and a plethora of aquatic life, including sand tiger sharks.

Oahu, Hawaii Oahu’s waters are steeped in history, and several wartime wrecks lie on the ocean floor surrounding the island. Many shipwrecks are not open for divers to explore, including some vessels in Pearl Harbor. But the Vought F4U Corsair fighter aircraft and the USS YO-257, a former U.S. Navy yard oiler that was stationed off Diamondhead State Park, provide epic experiences for wreck divers. Purchased in 1989

by Atlantis Submarines and relocated 100 feet underwater, the YO-257 is a highlight of Oahu.

For wreck divers, the YO-257 offers a rare gift: a picture-perfect swim-through on the ship’s stern.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

41

Photographs by PAT KIGHT/Courtesy Flickr

MICHAEL SCHOUT/Courtesy Flickr

Right: The unique ramshaped figurehead of the Sandusky.

Below: Whitefish Point is known as the “Graveyard of the Great Lakes,” because of the high number of wrecks here.

Below right: Artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake Superior in 1975, displayed at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

The Great Lakes The Great Lakes is the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world, and its chilly waters preserve hundreds of shipwrecks, some dating as far back as the American Revolutionary War. Explorers still search the lakes’ waters for undiscovered shipwrecks, even using sonar to uncover lost pieces of history.

Most wreck divers flock to the lakes in July and August for the rare chance of swimming alongside wooden schooners like Lake Superior’s 135-foot Bermuda, which is perfect

42 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

The Great Lakes http://goo.gl/1ccEZR

for novice divers, and Lake Huron’s 138-foot Cornelia B. Windiate.

The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve in Lake Superior is especially famous for wreck diving and the 100-foot American cargo ship Alexander Nimick is a favorite among divers.

The Straits of Mackinac Underwater Preserve in Lake Michigan alone boasts of 13 historic dive sites. The Sandusky, the preserve’s oldest wreck that sank in 1856, sits upright, complete with a prominent jib boom and bowsprit, and a unique ram-shaped figurehead.

Pensacola, Florida

marine life. And, because the ship was sunk in 2006, its condition makes it an underwater photographer’s dream come true.

Exploring the remains of a historic ship on the ocean floor teeming with sea life is unlike any other experience. So, it’s no surprise that wreck diving continues to grow in popularity.

If you want to go on a wreck dive, you must have open water diving certification and, depending on the level of the dive, may need to complete a wreck diving specialty course.

Anne Walls is a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California.

Photographs courtesy U.S. Navy

A mere 38 kilometers off the coast of Pensacola is the world’s largest artificial reef— the sunken aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Built just after World War II, the USS Oriskany, or “Mighty O,” had a successful career, earning two battle stars for service in the Korean War and 10 battle stars for service in the Vietnam War. The USS Oriskany, nicknamed “the Great Carrier Reef,” appeals to a variety of diving levels and is one of the most popular diving destinations in the United States. Wreck divers will be pleased to discover an array of vibrant

Pensacola, Florida

ROBERT/Courtesy Flickr

http://goo.gl/itxENp

Above: U.S. Navy Personnel Specialist 1st Class Kevin Armold, from Naval Air Station Pensacola, is reenlisted by Army Maj. Shean Phelps on the main deck of USS Oriskany in 2007.

Far left: USS Oriskany or “Mighty O.” Left: USS Oriskany being sunk to form an artificial reef.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

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