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The Japan News Indian Ambassador to Japan Sibi George delivers a lecture to junior high and high school students at The Yomiuri Shimbun in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Nov. 11.
By Atsuko Matsumoto / Japan News Staff Writer
20:00 JST, November 22, 2024
Indian Ambassador to Japan Sibi George told junior high and high school students at a recent seminar to keep their minds open to what is going on around them and in the world as the international community faces multiple challenges.
“Keep your eyes and ears open to the world, geopolitics, geo-economics,” the envoy said, stressing the importance of seeing how things are connected. “When the Ukraine-Russia conflict started, the oil prices went up. And when the oil price goes up … energy price goes up. Energy price goes up, the commodity prices go up. So, the impact is huge on the world for every development.”
From global affairs to India’s culture, the ambassador covered a wide range of topics at the seminar held at The Yomiuri Shimbun in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Nov. 11.
Students from seven schools in Japan took part in the lecture, with 59 at the venue and another seven participating online. The event was held amid growing interest in India and its presence as part of the Global South of emerging and developing nations.
Initially looking nervous, the students soon relaxed as the envoy cheerfully interacted with them, frequently asking them questions. The venue was often filled with laughter.
Oohs and aahs were heard from the audience as the ambassador shared some facts about Japan-India ties. He said an eighth-century Indian monk had conducted the consecration ceremony of the Great Buddha statue in Todaiji temple in Nara, which some of the students had visited on a recent school trip.
Asked about the importance of diplomacy by a student who wants to work as a foreign service official, the ambassador described diplomacy as “the art of negotiation.”
“Anywhere in the world there is no war, it is the success of diplomacy,” he said. “Diplomacy is the first [and] most important step to stop or avoid war.”
To focus their attention and help his young listeners understand the content of the 35-minute lecture in English, the envoy used maps and charts, including a map of the world — deliberately displayed upside down.
“When you see anything, look at it from different angles. Whether it is a map, or a diagram, or a picture, or anything you see in life, you should be able to look at from different angles. That’s a very good lesson I learned in my life,” the ambassador said. “It gives a different perspective of the world.”
A student from Oin Senior High School in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, said after the lecture that she never thought about seeing the map upside down.
“I found it very striking and intriguing. I should have known it’s important to look at things from various perspectives, but I tend to see things narrowly,” said the 16-year-old, who aspires to be a lawyer or a doctor. “I think what I saw today will stay in me for good.”
The seven schools are among the 272 private integrated junior high and high schools that offer up-to-date information on their school activities on the website https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/kyoiku/support/
