Skip to main content

A journey I will never forget


To become successful and to stamp your mark on the modern dynamic and highly connected world, one requires skills and a perspective of the world which goes beyond what one has learned at ones undergraduate degree or field of work. Geo-political situations such as Brexit , Belt and Road Initiative and developments in the field of national security has an immense impact on our lives though most of us do not have the right set of skills to analyze these  situations and to hedge for problems and to take up opportunities.

I too was oblivious to the field of diplomacy before setting foot on the grounds of the BIDTI. As a medical undergraduate of the University Of Colombo Faculty Of Medicine, my scope of study seemed far removed from the sphere of diplomacy. But having being a Prefect at school and represented Sri Lanka in many forums abroad I was interested in world affairs. I came upon the advertisement by the BIDTI on their website and applied for the course. Though I was very enthusiastic to start this program, my medical faculty exam scheduled clashed with the first few weeks of commencement of the course. I utterly dejected, contacted the BIDTI and asked whether they could excuse me and put me up for the next intake and not this one. I was amazed by their reply and friendliness as they were kind enough not only to excuse me but also to make special accommodations for me. Thus, heartened by this sense of friendliness I started my journey with the next intake. A journey I will never forget.

I found myself in a hall of learning which was much different to any other I had previously encountered. I found myself rubbing shoulders with Majors, Squadron leaders, Lawyers, Civil servants, Private sector employees, Journalists and students of numerous variety. The friends I have made and the conversations I have had would not have been possible if not for the BIDTI.
The Lecture panel consisted of the best of best. Nothing can beat learning about National security from a Former Chief of Staff or a general, learning about the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Report from the chairman of the LLRC and about diplomacy from the perspective of veteran diplomats. The learning environment was not that of a lecture but was interactive. The Q & A session following the presentation was where the students put the lecturers on the block and inquired about many aspects of their professions. It would be fair to say that they taught us more than facts but imparted us their many years of experience.

The subjects you learn are not merely rendered to pass exams, they are taught in order to expand ones view of the world. I once remember one of our lecturers teaching us about regional geo politics and quoted a work called “Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington. I read it out of curiosity and what I learnt has enabled me to see the true picture of the terrorism and social issues in a multi-cultural country.

I went from being a medical student, to someone who ventured beyond medicine. I applied and became Sri Lanka’s Youth Delegate to ECOSOC in 2019 and the Commonwealth in 2018. I was inspired to see newer aspects in medicine and did research on “ Medical Diplomacy” and presented two papers on that subject at two symposiums. I have been inspired to do and be more.
Investing your time in this course will be life changing, but do come with your thinking cap on for the limits are endless to what you will learn.
                                                                               
Raveen Charukya Lekamwasam was the Vernon Mendis Memorial Prize winner 2018 ( Batch XVI)
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and not the institutional views of the BIDTI, nor do they necessarily reflect the position of any other institution or individual with which the author is affiliated.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Communism, Nationalism, Racism to Separatism (The rise and fall of Tito’s Yugoslavia)

Introduction Yugoslavia, the land of the South Slavs was formed after World War I.   Although they spoke a common language (Servo-Croatian), the country comprised of six ethnic groups, with different histories, different beliefs, and distinct identities. During the last century, this nation achieved an incredible rise to power and had a devastating collapse in the span of nine decades. Yugoslavia experienced a variety of governmental structures 1 . The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was established in 1918, only to be substituted in 1943 by the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. Just three years later, the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed under the influential leadership of Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980) 2 . The country which existed for 85 years and flourished under Tito’s leadership, is now non-existent. It is argued that the continuous adoption of various ideology caused instability and eventually led to the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
Post a Comment
Read more

Reconciliation through sports diplomacy: An overview of the 1995 Rugby World Cup

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was an anti-apartheid political revolutionary who served as the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black President and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. This article discusses the trials and tribulations of the South African President and how sports diplomacy played a significant part in the country’s efforts at nation-building. Mandela decided to get involved in anti-colonial and African nationalist politics after South Africa’s National Party’s white-only government established a system of racial segregation that privileged the white community in the country. As a result of his political activities, he was arrested and imprisoned on several occasions (Nelson Mandela Foundation, n.d.). Having served 27 years of life in various prisons, Mandela was freed by President F.W de Klerk in 1990 owing to growing domestic and international pressure. Mandela and de Klerk jointly led efforts to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diploma in Diplomacy and World Affairs – An Experience like no other

In a rapidly evolving world in which major new developments take place in the blink of an eye, a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of the international arena is immensely beneficial for all individuals. Following the Diploma in Diplomacy and World Affairs offered by the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI) is the ideal opportunity for any individual to gain extensive knowledge about the field of international relations. When I first set foot in the BIDTI, I was a little fledgling who had just left school and was still months away from starting university. The knowledge I had pertaining to the field of diplomacy was practically non-existent. Fortunately, we were blessed with an extremely conscientious panel of lecturers who were well-aware of the fact that they were catering to a diverse group of students from different educational and professional backgrounds. Starting at the very basics of diplomacy, we went on to explore more complex realms li...
Post a Comment
Read more