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
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.
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