Chennai's Shreya Dharmarajan Becomes UK High Commissioner For A Day

Shreya Dharmarajan, a 21-year-old woman from Chennai, became the top boss at the British High Commission in India for a full day after winning a competition that was organised to empower the next generation of women leaders.

Ms Dharmarajan is the seventh winner of the India edition of the 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition organised annually since 2017, according to the British high commission.

She became the British High Commissioner to India for one full day, getting a rare behind-the-scenes look at the life of a diplomat and seeing the UK-India partnership in action, the British High Commission said.

Ms Dharmarajan holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi and currently teaches in a government school in Mumbai as a Teach for India fellow. She is passionate about education and child psychology.

''It was fantastic to follow Shreya for the day, her conversations from the role of young women in tackling global challenges to the UK-India partnership on science, technology and innovation," Alex Ellis, Deputy High Commissioner for the Day (on other days, High Commissioner to India), said.

The High Commissioner for a Day competition is a great reminder for us all on the potential of a world with gender equality. When women rise, we all rise," he said.

She was 'High Commissioner for a Day' on September 26.

As the UK's top diplomat in India, Ms Dharmarajan got to experience an exciting range of activities over the course of a fully-packed day, the high commission said in a statement.

She led discussions at the United Nations office in New Delhi on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), engaged with the inspiring women leaders of the Chevening SheLeads programme and met Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Ajay Sood, to review plans to bolster UK-India research collaboration following the G20 Summit, it said.

As High Commissioner for the Day, Ms. Dharmarajan also launched a new report on electric vehicle charging infrastructure with the Delhi transport department, as part of the Accelerating Smart Power and Renewable Energy in India (ASPIRE) bilateral technical assistance programme.

"Spending a day as the British High Commissioner to India was an incredibly enlightening, enriching, and fulfilling experience," Ms Dharmarajan said.

"I had the opportunity to interact with and learn from inspiring examples of women's leadership in wide-ranging fields. I was fortunate enough to be a part of lively discussions about India's efforts toward further achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," she said.

The British High Commission in New Delhi has been organising the 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition every year since 2017, to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (11 October).

"I witnessed first-hand the wonders of the India-UK ASPIRE Programme in helping the development of electric vehicles in India and was honoured to speak with the Principal Scientific Adviser," she said.

"I have brought back with me life-long learning about gender equality, wholesome education, and the wider scope of the SDGs. This experience has instilled in me a newfound confidence and motivation, and I look forward to putting all my learnings to fruitful use as a young woman in the field of education," she added.

The high commission said the UK is committed to engaging with girls and shifting "our power to them as change makers and future leaders." Protecting and promoting freedoms for women and girls in the UK and around the world is the right and smart thing to do; it is integral to creating resilient economies and strong, free societies. it said.