Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao, delivers the Harish C. Mahindra Memorial Lecture at Harvard University

Nirupama Rao, Foreign Secretary of India, delivered the Harish C. Mahindra Memorial Lecture and she also spoke on India's global role at Harvard University. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) September 22, 2010 - Mumbai - India's Foreign Secretary, Ms. Nirupama Rao, delivered the Harish C. Mahindra Annual Endowed Lecture at Harvard University in Massachusetts, USA. A Harvard graduate herself, Ms. Rao spoke on 'India's global role". Dr. Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of History and Director of Harvard's South Asia Initiative, chaired the lecture.

Held in memory of the late Harish C. Mahindra, this lecture series is co-sponsored by the Harvard Business School and is an ideal forum for the next generation of global leadership.

Excerpts from the Foreign Secretary's speech:

"It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to be here today. Coming back to Harvard - and all the wonderful memories it brings back of the year I spent in 1992-93 as Fellow at the Center for International Affairs or the Weatherhead Center as it is now called...The annual Harish C. Mahindra memorial lecture series has become one of the most talked-about events in Harvard promoting exchanges with South Asia specialists and public figures from South Asia as also in understanding the challenges facing the region.."

"Harish Mahindra has been justifiably compared to someone like a prince of Florence, truly a Renaissance figure, a man who personified the true spirit of intellectual and entrepreneurial endeavour and who knew the beauty of life. In this context, the topic of this evening's discussion, "India's Global Role", has a resonance and topicality that will, I am sure, prove to be a catalyst for an even greater involvement between Harvard and India."

"India has consciously sought to engage and develop its partnerships with both its neighbours and also the major powers in this process, with the strategic aim of ensuring that the balance of interests thus created ensures that we are able to better deal with the challenges that confront us and that we derive tangible political, economic and security benefits as a result. In an Asia-centred century, we would naturally wish to ensure a role for India that is commensurate with its size, its growing economic strength, its democratic stability and proven capacity to manage its enormous diversity, its contributions to global peace and security, and its justified quest for a greater voice in a multilateral system that is balanced, equitable, and representative of new global realities" (Please see Annexure for the complete speech transcript).

Ms. Rao spoke about India's growing role in global polity. She also touched upon various aspects of development and partnerships guiding India on this path, including education, nuclear energy, security, trade and manpower, citing India's inclusive growth strategy as defining India's role on the global stage today.

In his message on the occasion, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, said, "Harvard is among the premier US educational institutions that understand the growing centrality of the relationship between the world's two largest democracies, as well as their increasing business and social ties. Hence we applaud Foreign Secretary Rao's decision to appear there". "Mahindra & Mahindra, as a company, and the Mahindra family, have a long business and cultural connection to the United States. And therefore, we are putting more of our resources behind Indian and US institutions that promote understanding between the two countries," he further added.

The goal of the South Asia Initiative is to provide a forum for scholarly exchanges among Harvard faculty and students, notable South Asia specialists from the U.S. as well as other countries, and prominent public figures from South Asia. The Harish C. Mahindra lecture series is an important component in continuing the education and understanding the challenges facing the region.

Mr. Harish Mahindra, born in Calcutta on 19th March 1923, graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Science degree and took his Master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, USA. He was a Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and played a significant role during its early days. He was responsible for the establishment of the marketing of the Vehicles division and helped create its fabled pan-India network of dealerships. He was a visionary and the driving force behind what Mahindra Ugine Steel Company Ltd. is today. He was the Founder Chairman and enjoyed unanimous support of the Board right through his tenure from the inception of the Company.

Mr. Mahindra joined the Congress Party in 1956 and served as a member of the BPCC. From 1963 to 1967, he was the Treasurer of the BPCC and later held the post of Vice President. He was also the President and Chairman of various organizations, most notable among which were the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Indian Merchants Chamber, and the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Mahindra was the force behind the setting up of The Mahindra United World College of India, located at Pune. He was also the Founding President of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce, and in recognition of his services to the cause of Indo-French relations, the French Government awarded him the Chevalier de Legion D'Honneur. Throughout his career, he retained his passion for the field of Advertising, and was most intimately associated with the rise of advertising as a discipline in India. He was the Chairman of the Indian Society of Advertisers and was recognized with the Khatau Gold Medal for Excellence in Advertising.

About the Mahindra Group

Mahindra embarked on its journey in 1945 by assembling the Willys Jeep in India and is now a US $7.1 billion Indian multinational. It employs over 1,00,000 people across the globe and enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, tractors and information technology, with a significant and growing presence in financial services, tourism, infrastructure development, trade and logistics. The Mahindra Group today is an embodiment of global excellence and enjoys a strong corporate brand image.

Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top tractor brands in the world. It is today a full-range player with a presence in almost every segment of the automobile industry, from two-wheelers to CVs, UVs, SUVs and sedan. Mahindra recently acquired a majority stake in REVA Electric Car Co Ltd. (now called Mahindra REVA), strengthening its position in the Electric Vehicles domain. The Mahindra Group expanded its IT portfolio when Tech Mahindra acquired the leading global business and information technology services company, Satyam Computer Services. The company is now known as Mahindra Satyam.

Mahindra is also one of the few Indian companies to receive an A+ GRI checked rating for its first Sustainability Report for the year 2007-08 and has also received the A+ GRI rating for the year 2008- 09.

Please visit our website www.mahindra.com for further details

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