Banashri Bose Harrison

Though she loved reading and languages from childhood, Banashri opted to study Economics instead. After obtaining her Master’s degree, she taught at Delhi university and thoroughly enjoyed communicating with young minds. In 1981, she joined the Indian Foreign Service which gave her the golden opportunity to immerse herself in different milieus across the world, learn new languages and appreciate the benefits of exchanges between cultures. During her tenure as the ambassador of India to Sweden and Latvia, she played a key role in the birth of “Namaste Stockholm', a festival showcasing India’s culture, cuisine, crafts and yoga to thousands of visitors. The fact that this festival has become an annual event that is much looked forward to by city dwellers illustrates the power of culture to transcend boundaries and forge enduring links between peoples. Since retirement, she has been active in promoting the use of culinary diplomacy to project India as a top global gastronomic destination. She also remains engaged in promoting relations between India and Scandinavia since she is convinced that there is much to be gainfully learnt and exchanged between the two regions in the economic, cultural and social fields.