Previous Consulate Programs - February 2008

Madurai District Collector, S.S. Jawahar and Wesly Robertson, Information Officer, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai  at the inauguration of Traveling Exhibition in Madurai on February 26.

American Library celebrates African-American History Month and Women’s History Month in Madurai

As part of its “60 years of service in south India” celebrations, the American Library organized a Traveling Exhibition in Madurai from February 26-28, 2008 co-sponsored by Lady Doak College.  The two-day exhibition attracted nearly 2500 students, academics, government officials, media representatives and legal professionals, from in and around Madurai.  The exhibition included book displays, film screenings, discussions and lectures on a variety of topics.  The overall theme of the event was a celebration of both African-American History Month and Women’s History Month.  The exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. S.S. Jawahar, I.A.S., District Collector of Madurai on February 26th.  Recalling his association with the American Library during his student days in Chennai, Mr. Jawahar urged students to make use of such libraries to enhance knowledge.  Highlighting the importance of reading and libraries, he also noted that “A great library contains the diary of humanity.”  In his welcome address, Mr. Wesley Robertson, Information Officer, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, described  the resources offered by the American Library and explained how people from Madurai can make use of them.  Dr. Nirmala Jeyaraj, Principal of the College, thanked the American Consulate for choosing their college to hold such an event.  In addition to the American Library, the United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI), displayed posters on higher education in the United States and the staff made presentations to students and faculty from several colleges in Madurai.

CSR Seminar/Exhibition organized by the U.S. Consulate and Indo-American Chamber of Commerce-Tamil Nadu in conjunction with South India’s Exchange Visitor Alumni Association

With the aim of bringing potential donors and recipients together to better understand each others needs, requirements and operating procedures, U.S. Consulate-Chennai invited NGOs, the media, businesses and academia on Friday, February 22 to a seminar and exhibition on corporate social responsibility (CSR).  Representatives from smaller companies that may not have well-established CSR programs as well as multinationals who are recent investors in India and may need guidance in setting up an India-based CSR program were also invited.  Rs. 1,25,000 in CSR donations were committed during the initial minutes of the event itself.  The program began with a presentation by Ms. Foram Nagori, Head, CSR - Taj Group (which also provided the hospitality and venue for the event free of charge) on how corporations should analyze, assess and engage potential CSR partners.  Next, Mr. Mustafa Moochhala, a prominent NGO consultant spoke on how NGOs should package and market themselves and be accountable to corporate donors.  After the initial presentations, the corporate participants toured stalls set up by 30 NGOs from across Tamil Nadu representing a wide range of issues including literacy, child abuse, human rights, HIV/AIDS, environment, and cultural preservation.  Finally, in a special workshop for the NGO participants, Dr. S. Ramamurthy, Head of the Cognizant Foundation (the CSR branch of the IT giant Cognizant Solutions), Ms. Madhu Sharan, Executive Director, The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health (BALM) and Ms. Bettina  Mueller, Stakeholder Relations, The Banyan, Chennai provided useful tips on how NGOs should approach corporations for funding and support.

U.S. Embassy Adjusts Consular Exchange Rate

Effective Wednesday, March 12, 2008, all United States consular sections in India will adjust the consular exchange rate from Rs. 40 to the dollar to Rs. 42 to the dollar.(more)

Announcing the 2009 International Fulbright Science And Technology Award For Outstanding Foreign Students

Application Deadline: May 1, 2008

Chennai, February 21, 2008: The United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI) is pleased to announce the 2009 International Fulbright Science and Technology Award for Outstanding Foreign Students for Ph.D. study at top U.S. institutions in science, technology, or engineering. This award is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is designed to be the most prestigious international scholarship in science and technology. (more)

Consul General David Hopper Highlights U.S. Government Support for English Language Teaching at Annual ELTAI Conference

Consul General David Hopper Highlights Government Support for English Language Teaching at Annual ELTAI ConferenceConsul General David T. Hopper, U.S. Consulate - Chennai attended the inauguration of an international conference on “Learning to Teach: A Lifelong Journey” at Sathyabama University in Chennai.  The three-day 3rd International and 39th Annual conference was organized by the English Language Teachers’ Association of India (ELTAI) with support from the Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the British Council.  In his address, Consul General Hopper highlighted the U.S. government’s support for promoting quality English language teaching in India through several programs: the English Language Fellow program for teacher training, the Access Microscholarship program for underprivileged students and the resources available at American Libraries and Corners.  Consul General Hopper said that “English is the key to a much more empowered job market.  With the possible exception of the mass media, jobs in all modern sectors favor candidates with good knowledge of English.”

Paul Theroux’s journey as a writer

For noted American writer Paul Theroux, “Writing is a way of releasing your inner life.”  In a workshop for budding, unpublished writers at the American Consulate General in Chennai on February 15th, Theroux said:  “I discovered what it was I intended to write about.  It was somewhere in my imagination and I needed to release it.  Imaginative writing is groping toward a conclusion of which you are unaware.  You’re going into a place that is dark, that you’re shining a light into.  The struggle of writing is that you don’t know everything.”  In response to the question of one workshop participant, Mr. Theroux explained that his books are written in longhand four or five times in their entirety before they are typed.

In Landmark Book Store in Bangalore and Chennai, Mr. Theroux regaled his listeners with anecdotes about his journey as a writer and the many influences that had inspired his writing over forty years.  Mr. Theroux also spoke to a select gathering of about 300 bibliophiles at an event arranged by the Madras Book Club, where he discussed travel writing and the return journey to places he had written about many years previously.

Mr. Theroux met with noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran, novelist Shreekumar Varma, poet and novelist Tishani Doshi, translator C.T. Indra and short-story writer Subashree Krishnaswamy over lunch, regaling them with stories of his writing as well as his friendship with Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul.

Fulbright Foundation Month Program: USEFI Organizes A Panel Discussion On The Topic: “Increasing Awareness, Availability And Accessibility Of Services For The Differently – Abled”

Chennai, February 25, 2008: United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI) is organizing a panel discussion on “Increasing awareness, availability and accessibility of services for the differently – abled” to mark the Fulbright Foundation month on Thursday, February 28, 2008 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Stella Maris College, Chennai.  The program will be in collaboration with Vidya Sagar, an NGO focusing on communities with special needs and their rehabilitation.(more)