Our Man In Rome

ROME

Mark Twain once said diplomacy was based on the principle of give and take --give one and take ten. And without seeming to, I might add. There areambassadors who do it with flair, scooping up friends and influencing people tosecure their country’s interests. They glide rather than plod, engage ratherthan lecture, and present rather than pontificate. It is always sad to see thesefine practitioners depart their post except for the satisfaction of knowing theywill weave their magic elsewhere.

Recently, India’s ambassador to Italy, Himachal Som, and his accomplishedwife, Reba, left Rome after a thunderous three years, leaving many friendsbehind. Even though we met only a few times before it was already time to bidfarewell, their generous spirit and their ability to help connect people wereremarkable. It is rare that a professional diplomat allows one to look beyondhis carefully cultivated exterior but with Himachal you knew the real person wasno different inside and outside. Warm and open-hearted, he didn’t stand onceremony. The welcoming guffaw was enough to break down any barriers. He wasinclusive and willing to share his knowledge and assessment, ready to help anewcomer feel settled. He didn’t force an "appropriate" amount of time tolapse before granting an appointment. It is a true sign of confidence when adiplomat doesn’t have to prove his "station" with small actions designedto showcase the hierarchy.

Until the 1980s Indian diplomats had a reputation for being starchy andlecture-prone. They weighed the room down, blocking exit routes to deal-makingand even harmless chatter. Over the years one has heard stories from theirinterlocutors, both western and developing world types, about encounters thatended with no or little business transacted. True, it was a time when India hadan inflexible posture on anything to with the western world but there were otherflag-bearers of the Non-Aligned Movement who extracted more in trade whileupholding their anti-western credentials.

But as India’s foreign policy began to change in the 1990s, so did theexecutioners. The younger lot, largely unscathed by the ideological divide ofthe Cold War, were already miles ahead and nimble footed. They were like abreath of fresh air. The senior lot had a tougher time adapting but not Himachal.He argued for India, not an ideology.

Himachal’s last day of work was also his last in the foreign service -- abittersweet moment when you are at the end of the known and standing on the edgeof the unknown. But he is ready to take on an assignment with the World FoodProgramme and become its global ambassador. He must leave Rome knowing that inthree years he managed to enhance the relationship, pushing and pulling theItalians to recognize India as a destination.

The been-there, done-it crowd had to be cajoled in both capitals. In Indiawhere relations with the United States loom large and in Italy which isconstantly under the gun to curb its deficits under EU rules, it was difficultto focus on what the two countries could do together.

The highlight of Himachal’s tenure was surely the visit by Italy’sPresident Carlo Azeglio Ciampi to India earlier this year. Accompanied byItaly’s top businessmen, Ciampi saw the advanced training centres such as theST Microelectronics complex at Noida near Delhi, the research laboratories ofthe Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnologies, which has a twin inTrieste where over 6,000 Indian researchers have been trained. The presidenturged Italian industrialists not to miss the growing Indian market bolstered bya young population and hungry consumers. The landmark trip was coveredintensively by the Italian media.

Apart from forcing the political and economic relationship into gear,Himachal and Reba did something more important -- they connected with thepeople. Their farewell, attended by a glittering spectrum of Italian society,was testimony to how many friends they had made. From ministers to businessmen,from artistes to filmmakers, from writers to professors, their villa came alivewith a never-ending line of people bidding them a fond farewell.

Reba, an academic whose Gandhi, Bose, Nehru and The Making of the ModernIndian Mind examined relations among the three giants based on primarysources, carved out her own special place, whether through her soulful renditionof Rabindrasangeet or her exposition of India. Always sophisticated andimpeccably turned out in the choicest saris, Reba was a star in her own right.And another ambassador.

They did India proud.