Outgoing Consul General in New York, Randhir Jaiswal, says attempted to 'tell what India means to the world today'

New York: India’s outgoing Consul General in New York, Randhir Jaiswal, has said he has endeavoured to “tell the world what India means to the world today' as the Indian-American community members lauded his efforts to boost bilateral ties and organised receptions to bid him farewell.

Several diaspora organisations have been hosting farewell receptions in and around the city in honour of Jaiswal, who will soon leave for Delhi where he will assume his new role as the Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.

Jaiswal said that as Consul General, he has endeavoured to “tell the world what India means to the world today. It is a country which is progressing, which is reaching out to the moon, a country that is developing technologies that are going to define the pathway to the 21st century. It is a country which believes in peace, non-violence, in the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi,' Jaiswal said at the farewell reception hosted in Long Island by community members Harish Thakkar and Ajay Patel on Sunday.

Jaiswal joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1998 and has so far served in Portugal, Cuba, South Africa and at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in New York.

He took up his assignment as Consul General of India in New York in July 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw efforts to facilitate the travel of stranded and desperate Indian tourists, students and diaspora members back to India amid restrictions imposed due to the pandemic.

“We have opened the doors of the Consulate so that we can connect with each one of you,” Jaiswal said, adding that the Consulate and his team have endeavoured to celebrate the diversity and achievements of India with the community and American society through myriad programmes and initiatives.

Jaiswal added that during his tenure, he and his team also tried to see how the Consulate could become the focal point of “economic diplomacy” because “that is the need of our times”.

“If India has to become a developed country by 2047, that is the big aspiration and dream that we have, led by the Prime Minister, we all have to pool in resources, we all have to do more and we all have to do more for the India-US relationship to grow and for India to grow,” Jaiswal said.

He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit in June and the presence of about 8000 members of the Indian-American community who were invited to the White House.

“It has never happened in the history of this country that so many people were personally invited” by the US President. Jaiswal said that this speaks of the honour accorded to India, “it was an occasion to show where India is today” and it also highlighted what the Indian-American community today represents and its tremendous contributions.

With New York set to host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, along with Dallas and Florida, Jaiswal called on members of the Indian-American community to do their best to make “cricket diplomacy” in the US a “big success”.

“When cricket comes, you’ll have more of India coming and when you have more of India coming, you will see many more connections with India being forged,” Jaiswal said.

India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who is currently in the city, also attended the farewell reception.

“Delighted to attend farewell reception for Consul General Randhir Jaiswal @Randhir_JK @IndiaInNewYork, organised by the Indian community and American friends of India in #LongIsland,' Sandhu tweeted.

In his address at the reception, Sandhu lauded Jaiswal for taking the Consul Generalship to “new heights” and recalled the work done during challenging times, especially during the pandemic.

“You would recall that Covid was at its height and we needed to do a lot of things but at the same time the situation did not permit,” Sandhu said, adding that it was during those challenging times that he saw Jaiswal 'delivering in impossible situations”.

The Consulate General of India in New York serves the North East states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Sandhu recalled efforts by Jaiswal and the Consulate during the peak months of the pandemic in helping those in dire need, saying that he “measured up” to the difficult task and “he and his team performed a fantastic job” in transporting community members and Indians back to their motherland amid challenges.

On bilateral ties, Sandhu applauded the Indian-American community for its achievements and contributions in taking India-US ties to new heights over the years.

“There are revolutionary changes taking place in India,” he said, adding that many Americans are becoming conscious of it now.

He highlighted that the State Visit of Prime Minister Modi to Washington “very clearly reflected” the bilateral potential and collaboration as evident in the outcome document that focussed on technology, IT, and semiconductors among other priority areas.

In healthcare too, India is a “very important partner” for the US, Sandhu said.

The India-US relationship is “now on the roll and the future economic recovery of the world will come through this partnership', Sandhu said.

Jaipur Foot USA Chairman and Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) President Prem Bhandari also voiced appreciation for the efforts and initiatives undertaken during Jaiswal’s tenure, particularly during the challenging months of the pandemic.

Bhandari said the Consulate under Jaiswal’s leadership played a significant role in several areas from the promotion of yoga to millets and further streamlining the processing and delivery of visas and passports.

Whether it was on a weekend or during snowstorms, the Consulate under Jaiswal’s leadership has been proactive and issued emergency visas, alleviating the distress of those in need, Bhandari said.

Earlier last week, Jaipur Foot USA and RANA hosted a farewell reception in honour of Jaiswal at the Consulate General of India in New York.

Leading diaspora organisation, the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) -- one of the oldest and largest non-profit grass-root umbrella organisations -- also organised a farewell reception for Jaiswal in New Jersey.

Established in 1970, the FIA represents the growing Indian diaspora in the Northeast US (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine State).