Bengaluru: A female journalism student from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM) in Bengaluru was appointed as the British Deputy High Commissioner of the city for a day, on Friday, October 11.
Ambalika Bannerjee (24) recieved a unique opportunity to learn about the diplomatic ties between the UK and India by being appointed to the post.
Taking over from current British Deputy High Commissioner (Bengaluru) Jeremy Pilmore Bedford for a day, Bannerjee held meetings with British businesses and local citizens in an attempt to strengthen foreign relations between the two countries.
Speaking to ANI, Bannerjee said, “My day was power-packed as we had everything planned for the entire day. I got to meet all the employees of all the British Deputy High Commissioner’s office in Bengaluru. Then we went to Tesco in Whitefield and learned about how it functions.”
“There we also met Vidya Lakshmi who is so passionate about gender equality. It was a good experience, I had fun,” she added.
The contest to become a British diplomat for a day was held exclusively for young women as a means to showcase the UK’s commitment to women’s issues across the world, according to Deputy High Commissioner Bedford.
Further elaborating on the initiative, Bedford said, “This concept is built around the International Day of the Girl. We conducted this contest across Indian networks. We had so many young women for the contest. This is the second time we are doing this in India.”
“Most of the ministries in the UK are held by women and we aspire to have at least half of their overseas ambassadorship to be held by women,” he added.
It can be recalled that 22-year-old Ayesha Khan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, also received a similar opportunity when she was appointed as the British High Commissioner for a day, on October 4.
(with inputs from ANI)
