America
US envoy recalls troubles of 'A minus' in school report card
Sonepat, June 27
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.