Making A Difference

O India! The Memoirs Of Jackie L

It's a bond that has enraptured me. I've learnt at her feet. I may have left the country but she's never let go.

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O India! The Memoirs Of Jackie L
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For almost four years, my husband, Richard Celeste, and I had the privilege of serving as President Bill Clinton’s envoys in India. Serving as the US ambassador and first lady is an extraordinary honour in itself, but doing so in India makes it all the more remarkable.

We travelled India’s every boundary and took in all her richness. We celebrated her births, fuelled the funeral pyre at her deaths, and rejoiced in the possibility of rebirth. We immersed ourselves in the emerald-green life-giving Ganges near her mountain source and floated oil candles in her sorrowful rush in the holy city of Benares. We were shown the meaning of "guest as god" in the majestic palaces of Indian royalty as well as in the splendid huts of straw and clay.

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During Holi, we doused ourselves in colour; on Diwali we lit the way for Lakshmi. We broke bread with our Muslim friends during Id, ate strictly vegetarian food with the Jains and offered prasad at the Golden Temple in Amritsar with the Sikhs. Our Buddhist friends shared with us the holy places in India—from the awe-inspiring cave temples in Ajanta to the tranquil beauty of the stupas in Sarnath. We stood in awe of how completely and beautifully each group worships.

In Rajasthan, we were entranced by the splendour of the desert. The fall full moon was spent amidst the tranquil lowing of 35,000 camels during the Pushkar fair. The millennium was celebrated under the stars, dancing around a blazing bonfire with stickdancers from Udaipur. In South India, we languished in the tranquility of the backwaters, as rice boats cut a slow-moving swathe through fields of coconut palms and tropical flowers.

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All of India inspires. In her simplicity, she teaches values. In her poverty, she teaches compassion. Her crowded streets remind us that we are insignificant, merely bit players in the theatre of life. Yet her temples and mosques, built with exquisite perfection, show us that man can make a lasting impression.

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Her people have been a blessing in my life—my gurus, my teachers, my friends. I have been exposed to so many ideas. I have been taught about family values—a commitment to parents, grandparents and the entire extended family that is unfaltering. I have learned about love and trust—how strangers can come together in marriage and grow that into a life-lasting bond.

I have left India, but India has not left me. In 2002 we moved to Colorado Springs, where Dick has taken on a new challenge as president of the Colorado College. Founded in 1874, Colorado College is an extraordinary top-ranked liberal arts institution with a unique approach to teaching. Students take one course at a time for a three-and-a-half-week intensive block session. The student body numbers around 1,950. The average size of a class is 11. This allows for some of the most unique and intimate learning environments anywhere in America: classes are taught in canyons and on mountaintops, on beaches and on glaciers, in cities all over the US and in countries worldwide. Faculty, alumni and current Colorado College students include Indians from Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Chennai, Cochin and many cities in between.

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This January, Colorado College initiated the first international exchange service trip to India, combining the commitment to sustainability with interest in the subcontinent. During their three-week visit they travelled to Arunachal Pradesh where they installed a solar electrical system at a Tibetan monastery. The trip was prefaced by a four-month cultural orientation and technical training. Each student had to himself raise the $2,500 for travel and for the supplies for solar technology.

Since coming to Colorado, we have tried to bring a taste of India to our students and the community at large. The Nrityagram Dance group performed here last March and is returning again for a command performance this March. The Kabir singers from Madya Pradesh put on a stunning performance in our chapel. Even one of the courses currently being taught on campus is called Bollywood and Beyond. We have also brought our friends to the campus. Delhi native and artist, Priya Singh, is currently headlining a two-month show in one of our galleries. Former Indian ambassador to the US, Abid Hussain; interior designer Sunita Kohli; Sanskriti Foundation founder O.P. Jain; former British high commissioner, Sir Rob and his wife Catherine; Bansri Shah; designer Vivek Narang; Edward Oakley of Obeetee Carpets in Mirzapur; and Bim Bissell of FabIndia have all been guests and many have lectured our students.

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The textiles and designs of India are still my passion. For the past five years, I have been working to promote Indian fashion designers in the US through my company Karma. In addition, I have been working to advance Indian artists and artisans, dancers and dreamers, poets and philanthropists. We have returned to India for at least a month every year since leaving in 2001. Last March, we led a delegation of 35 Colorado College alumni on a two-and-a-half-week, seven-city tour. The generosity of our friends in India to the visitors was extraordinary. We shall return again this November, with another delegation.

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(Jacqueline Lundquist is the wife of Richard Celeste, who served as the US ambassador in New Delhi from 1997-’01.)

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