All The President's 'Desi' Men And Women

Thursday, 28 November 2013, 01:21 IST
35
cmt right
35
Comment Right
69
cmt right
9
cmt right
Printer Print Email Email
Washington: As Nisha Desai Biswal officially became Washington's first Indian-American pointperson for South and Central Asia last week, her boss mentioned that she is known as "somebody who speaks softly and carries a big stick".

But whether it was with her soft speech or her big stick, Biswal's efforts to bring peace between the feuding begums of Bangladesh even before she was formally sworn in won praise from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

"This week in Bangladesh, Nisha showed how she never misses a chance to speak up or stand up for America's values," Kerry said, recalling her meetings with both Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

"She spoke forcefully about the need for leaders to rise above partisan differences and find a peaceful way towards the ballot box," said Kerry, who first met Biswal in 2004 when she was volunteering on his presidential campaign.

Kerry called Biswal's story a "great American" story "of a woman who left a small town in India at age 6 to come to America and now becomes one of the most important leaders in the Department of State as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia".

But it's now becoming an increasingly common story as President Barack Obama has turned to more and more accomplished Indian-Americans to take up key jobs from arts to science to commerce to diplomacy.

Read More:
Obama Willing To Carve Immigration Bill Into Pieces
Indo-U.S. Ties A Defining 21st Century Partnership: Nirupama Rao


Source: IANS
next new