Know your High Commissioner
The wait is finally over - we have a new High Commissioner of India in New Zealand. If you have been curious to know more about him since the public announcement of his appointment, here's a close-up of the man of the moment.
His Excellency Mr Sanjiv Kohli is the person who played an important role in the world’s biggest human evacuation from a war zone, which was recently adapted into the super hit Bollywood film Airlift.
Indian Weekender spoke to Mr Kohli during his first public interaction at the ITA business meet in Auckland on March 15 to find out more about him.
Swati: Indians living in New Zealand want to know more about their High Commissioner. Please tell us more about yourself.
High Commissioner: I am an engineer by education. I did my engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. I got married in 1988, the same year when I joined [Indian Government] service. My wife Ruma is a medical doctor, a paediatrician.
I have two daughters and a son. My eldest daughter Sakshi is married to Ekant and works in Bangalore. My second daughter Richa has come with me. She’ll probably do a Master’s programme here. My son Aditya is studying in Delhi.
Swati: How is your new home treating you?
HC: It has been two weeks but I think this place is absolutely fascinating. You get such a good feel when you go out, people are so good. I think there’s a lot to learn from this country and its people.
Swati: How was your experience at the first public gathering in New Zealand?
HC: I am still in a learning phase and events such as this are ideal for me to get a sense of the state where our relationship is, what are the expectations of the businessmen from both sides and how the embassy can facilitate solutions to what our businessmen want.
Swati: It is exciting to know that you are the character Sanjiv Kohli from the movie Airlift. Tell us about that.
HC: I don’t know if I am that character or not because that character has been given a certain role. As far as I am concerned, I was a part of the evacuation exercise. I was posted for two months at the border between Iraq and Jordan to help in the evacuation process. We were the first point of contact for the Indians who were coming from Kuwait and we were to help them facilitate the return to India. It was a challenging assignment but it’s also a matter of pride that I was part of an exercise, which still ranks as the biggest evacuation exercise from a war zone.
Swati: What would you like to say our readers?
HC: My 15 days in New Zealand have taught me that people who are living here are really blessed. Its’s a country with a history of friendship with India. I think we, especially the diaspora, represent India here. They [form] a strong bridge between India and New Zealand. They’ve earned a name for themselves and I would like them to keep the Indian flag flying high.
The wait is finally over - we have a new High Commissioner of India in New Zealand. If you have been curious to know more about him since the public announcement of his appointment, here's a close-up of the man of the moment.
His Excellency Mr Sanjiv Kohli is the person who played an important...
The wait is finally over - we have a new High Commissioner of India in New Zealand. If you have been curious to know more about him since the public announcement of his appointment, here's a close-up of the man of the moment.
His Excellency Mr Sanjiv Kohli is the person who played an important role in the world’s biggest human evacuation from a war zone, which was recently adapted into the super hit Bollywood film Airlift.
Indian Weekender spoke to Mr Kohli during his first public interaction at the ITA business meet in Auckland on March 15 to find out more about him.
Swati: Indians living in New Zealand want to know more about their High Commissioner. Please tell us more about yourself.
High Commissioner: I am an engineer by education. I did my engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. I got married in 1988, the same year when I joined [Indian Government] service. My wife Ruma is a medical doctor, a paediatrician.
I have two daughters and a son. My eldest daughter Sakshi is married to Ekant and works in Bangalore. My second daughter Richa has come with me. She’ll probably do a Master’s programme here. My son Aditya is studying in Delhi.
Swati: How is your new home treating you?
HC: It has been two weeks but I think this place is absolutely fascinating. You get such a good feel when you go out, people are so good. I think there’s a lot to learn from this country and its people.
Swati: How was your experience at the first public gathering in New Zealand?
HC: I am still in a learning phase and events such as this are ideal for me to get a sense of the state where our relationship is, what are the expectations of the businessmen from both sides and how the embassy can facilitate solutions to what our businessmen want.
Swati: It is exciting to know that you are the character Sanjiv Kohli from the movie Airlift. Tell us about that.
HC: I don’t know if I am that character or not because that character has been given a certain role. As far as I am concerned, I was a part of the evacuation exercise. I was posted for two months at the border between Iraq and Jordan to help in the evacuation process. We were the first point of contact for the Indians who were coming from Kuwait and we were to help them facilitate the return to India. It was a challenging assignment but it’s also a matter of pride that I was part of an exercise, which still ranks as the biggest evacuation exercise from a war zone.
Swati: What would you like to say our readers?
HC: My 15 days in New Zealand have taught me that people who are living here are really blessed. Its’s a country with a history of friendship with India. I think we, especially the diaspora, represent India here. They [form] a strong bridge between India and New Zealand. They’ve earned a name for themselves and I would like them to keep the Indian flag flying high.
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