BENGALURU: Sanjana Hiremath (23) from Hubballi, North Karnataka, became the British Deputy High Commissioner in Bengaluru for a day, getting a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a diplomat and seeing the UK-India partnership in action. The British High Commission in India has organised the ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition every year since 2017, to celebrate the International Day of the Girl
Child (October 11).
This year, there were more than 180 applications from young women around the country, and Hiremath was picked as the winner. Hiremath holds a Master’s degree in media and communications, and is currently employed at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). Hiremath said: “Spending a day as the British Deputy High Commissioner in Bengaluru was a dream come true. I had the opportunity to interact with and learn from the British Deputy High Commission in Bengaluru’s team’s leadership and women leaders across wide-ranging fields. Like I said in my competition entry – I will continue to be the goalkeeper and make a difference.”
Chandru Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka & Kerala, said, “The ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition provides a platform to young women to raise awareness about girls’ rights and highlight the importance of women in leadership roles." As the UK’s top diplomat in Bengaluru, Hiremath got to experience a range of activities over the course of a packed day.
Her day started with breakfast with Iyer at the DHC’s residence in Bengaluru and followed by discussions at the British Deputy High Commission office in Bengaluru, where she spoke about her ideas to advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At lunch, she met Australian Consul-General Hilary McGeachy over a jolada rotti oota at Basaveshwara Khanavali and spoke about women in leadership as well as North Karnataka’s unique cuisine!
The day ended with a meeting with Chevening Gurukul Fellow and Additional Chief Secretary Uma Mahadevan (IAS) for a chat about democratising education through access to libraries, skills training, SDGs, Chevening scholarships, and women in leadership.