Saturday, July 6, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian-Origin US Envoy Richard Verma Recalls Troubles Of 'A Minus' In School Report Card

Darpan News Desk IANS, 27 Jun, 2015 01:40 PM
    Indian-origin US envoy Richard Verma on Saturday expressed gratitude to the values of education and service that his India-educated parents instilled in him, including once of his parents spending days reviewing why their son got an 'A minus' in his report card when the other five were As.
     
    Addressing the convocation at Ashoka University here, Verma said: "For me, I am extremely humbled that my path has led me from a modest upbringing in Western Pennsylvania to become ambassador -- the first Indian American ambassador -- to the country my parents called home."
     
    Verma said his father graduated from DAV College in Jalandhar, Punjab, over 60 years ago, before migrating to the US to teach.
     
    "My mother was also a teacher. I am certain I don't need to tell you all what it's like to be the son of two Indian teachers! I remember coming home in the 9th grade with a report card of five As and one A minus. Yes, you guessed it, we spent the next days reviewing what happened, and what could have caused this A minus!" he said.
     
    "But as an adult, I am ever grateful for the important values of education and service that they instilled in me. I also know that from the alley-way of the Basti-Sheikh neighbourhood of Jalandhar where my family grew up to the road leading to the US embassy is not a likely path or one easily traversed - not without a lot of help, a lot of friends, teachers and mentors and a dedicated family.
     
    "I am also very mindful of the extra obligation we all have to help others who today may be living down that path or alleyway like we did, but who also dream of what the future holds.
     
     
    "So, leadership is also not forgetting where you come from and not forgetting about those who may have been left behind," he said.
     
    Touching on India-US ties, Verma said the relations were "soaring forward" following two very successful meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama.
     
    He said both sides were working together on over 80 initiatives and addressing all sorts of challenges.
     
    Verma said both sides were working on challenges like exploring the solar system and improving the quality of the air.
     
    "I think it is fair to say that progress on our agenda may in many cases define and enrich the lives of generations to come," he said.
     
    He said the bilateral relationship was "about more than just programmes and initiatives. It is about looking closely at the full expanse of our people-to-people, strategic, and economic ties and asking essentially, 'where do we go next?'
     
    "It is a relationship where, as PM Modi has recognised, the US and India should not be looking only at what we can do together, but also reaching further and aiming higher, looking at what we can do for the world.
     
     
    "And as we define what those next steps can be, we are finding many areas where it is possible for both of our countries to become stronger together," he said, according to a text of his speech provided by the US embassy.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    South Asia Fastest Growing Region In World: Report

    South Asia Fastest Growing Region In World: Report
    Far from being a non-performing region, South Asia is today the fastest growing region in the world, says a new report released on Thursday.

    South Asia Fastest Growing Region In World: Report

    $4 Bn Pledged For Nepal's Rebuilding; India Tops With $1 Bn

    $4 Bn Pledged For Nepal's Rebuilding; India Tops With $1 Bn
    Nepal was ravaged by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake on April 25 that killed over 8,800 people and left over 100,000 injured, one million displaced and damaged some one million private and public houses, structures and buildings. 

    $4 Bn Pledged For Nepal's Rebuilding; India Tops With $1 Bn

    Pakistan Rejects Afghan Spy Agency's Claim On Parliament Attack

    Pakistan Rejects Afghan Spy Agency's Claim On Parliament Attack
    Pakistan on Thursday rejected a claim by the Afghan intelligence agency that an officer of Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, and the Haqqani Network were involved in the attack on the Afghan parliament earlier this week.

    Pakistan Rejects Afghan Spy Agency's Claim On Parliament Attack

    Gurudwara Holds Iftar For Muslims In UAE

    Gurudwara Holds Iftar For Muslims In UAE
    The gurudwara in Jebel Ali organised the iftar for the second consecutive year. The guests of honour were people from Al Manar - a Quran study Centre, the Khaleej Times said.

    Gurudwara Holds Iftar For Muslims In UAE

    Bobby Jindal, 44, Set To Join White House Race

    US-born son of immigrant parents from India, he converted from Hinduism to Christianity as a teen, and was later baptised a Catholic as a student at Brown University.

    Bobby Jindal, 44, Set To Join White House Race

    South Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley Calls For Removal Of 'Secessionist' Flag

    South Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley Calls For Removal Of 'Secessionist' Flag
    One hundred and fifty years after the end of the American civil war, South Carolina's Indian-American governor Nikki Haley finally added her powerful voice to growing demands for removing the rebel Confederate flag from the State Capitol.

    South Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley Calls For Removal Of 'Secessionist' Flag