An 18-year old girl from Delhi had the unique opportunity to spend a day as a British High Commissioner in India. Chaitanya Venkateswaran from New Delhi had the unique opportunity to spend the day as the UK’s senior-most diplomat in India with the initiative aimed at empowering and highlighting the challenges faced by women across the world.
The British High Commission has been organising the ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition annually since 2017, inviting young Indian women aged 18 to 23 years to take over as their most senior diplomat. Chaitanya is the fourth young woman to take over as the British High Commissioner in an annual competition run by the UK mission in celebration of International Day of the Girl Child on October 11.
In a statement to The Print, she said, “I used to visit the British Council library in New Delhi when I was younger, and that’s where I cultivated my love of learning. Building on that knowledge, to be the British High Commissioner for a day was a golden opportunity. My day was full of diverse experiences which have really broadened my perspective on the role of women and their representation in fields of media, policing and STEM. I am now more determined than ever to use my new knowledge and experience to help promote equitable treatment of women everywhere,” she said.
