Perhaps a missing link in all these conversations is science—an underutilized means of diplomacy worldwide, and particularly in South Asia. This is especially ironic since the subcontinent is perhaps the most "geek-friendly" place on Earth!

PDiN Monitor Editorial Staff
Sherine B. Walton, Editor-in-Chief
Naomi Leight, Managing Editor
Marissa Cruz-Enriquez, Associate Editor

President Pratibha Patil, who is on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Wednesday inaugurated the Indian Islamic Centre (IIC) here and said the centre will prove to be a cultural bridge between the two countries.

They are veteran Mexican pianists but James Demster and Fernando Garcia Torres are just beginning to savour the delights of Carnatic and Hindustani classical music and dance on their maiden tour to India. It has bred in them a desire to collaborate on a fusion project.

The programme is aimed at improving confidence of teachers in using English, to create an atmosphere for students to interact in English and to encourage teachers to adopt child-centric methods in the classroom.

In fact, efforts have been underway since 2009: the Earth Institute’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) has been working for the past two years with India’s Ministry of Agriculture and other institutions to improve forecasts of the seasonal monsoon rains that water much of the nation’s farms, and to help farmers manage drought.

The post-mortem has begun on the recent visit of US President Barak Obama to India. Preliminary autopsies suggest a heavy leaning towards optimism and even braggart assertions about the bilateral relations.

They are completely in love with the traditional dance forms of India. They take inspiration from Indians when it comes to dressing up. They relish Indian delicacies. But most importantly, one thing they truly cherish than anything else is to strike a conversation in Hindi. And it doesn’t end here.