Wednesday, March 15, 2017

WOMEN SPECIAL...... WOMEN WITH A MISSION (7)

WOMEN WITH A MISSION (7)

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Aashna Kanhai Ambassador of Suriname

Reached India: April 2012

Credentials: A political appointee, she graduated in law from the Netherlands

What she loves in India: Visiting temples

When Aashna Kanhai arrived in Delhi she was a single mother with a baby daughter. In the last few years, her daughter has grown up even as Kanhai explores life in India.

There have been challenges -one of the worst being harassment by a former disgruntled male employee of the embassy from whom she faced cyber bullying. “But I took u the matter with the Delhi Police like any wom an in Delhi would do rather than use my diplo matic influence,“ she says. The matter has been sorted out and she is all praise for the po lice and the Indian government.

She says her fluency in Hindi helps her to blend in easily. “My daughter and I travel around a lot in the Metro and autorickshaw. W go for picnics and visit monuments and parks, she says. Kanhai enjoys a special bond with Ex ternal Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who communicates with her in Hindi. “I feel inspir and empowered by her. Last year, on International Women's Day, she invited all the women heads of mission in Delhi for tea and that was.
Ishani Duttagupta

ETM5MAR17

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