CALCUTTA -- Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming tonight and joining us as we celebrate the 230th Anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence.  In reflecting on this anniversary, I feel fortunate to be hosting this event here in Calcutta.  The United State’s relationship with Calcutta goes back almost to the founding of our country.  It was in 1787, only four years after the end of the American Revolutionary War, that the first American ship sailed into Calcutta’s port.  The arrival of U.S. Consul-designate Benjamin Joy in 1794 makes Calcutta one of our oldest diplomatic postings.  However, we did have a rocky start.  Joy’s timing was not the best as the then Governor General Lord Cornwallis apparently was still smarting from the ignominy of having surrendered to General George Washington and our French allies at the battle of Yorktown and refused to accept Joy’s credentials. 

These early difficulties have certainly been overcome and now in the early years of the 21st century we can speak of the growing strategic partnership between the United States and India.  So, in addition to feeling privileged at being assigned to Calcutta, I also feel especially fortunate to be here at a time when the bilateral relationship between our two countries is at a historic high.  Just in the past year, we have seen the visit of Prime Minister Singh to the United States and President Bush here to India.  During those visits, major agreements were signed on cooperation in civil nuclear technology, scientific research, agriculture initiatives, economic relations and a host of other areas.  Many senior officials also have visited, to include our Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury and Commerce, among others.  Our cooperation even extends to outer space with the highly productive visit in May of NASA Administrator Michael Griffin to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).  The focus on India has been reflected in the private sector as well, with the announcement by corporate giants like IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and Dell of billion dollar investments in this country.  This is clearly a time of great developments.

In the past year, we at the Consulate have made it our goal to see the great progress being made at the international level effectively implemented here in East India.  We have tried to translate this greater cooperation into concrete programs and initiatives.   Some of the results of our work include the support of U.S. business interests in this region, with the formation of a new American Chamber of Commerce Chapter.  We also contributed to the visits of the West Bengal Finance Minister, Commerce Secretary and the Chief Secretary to the United States and hosted the visit of our Treasury Under Secretary Timothy Adams here to Calcutta.  In support of our strategic partnership, we assisted with COPE-India, the largest joint-air force training exercise held by our countries, and the joint infantry training at the jungle warfare school in Mizoram.  In addition, we have promoted a range of social and environmental efforts in areas like HIV/AIDS, trafficking of persons and social development.

The Consulate’s work is a collective effort and all our offices contribute to our engagement with East India.  Our Public Affairs office has conducted hundreds of programs to develop greater mutual understanding.  Highlights of their work include hosting the impressive performance by the Kenny Garrett Quartet and members of the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz as well as performances by the Latin American Jazz Ensemble.  Public Affairs has also provided grants through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation to the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) West Bengal Chapter to assist efforts to restore the art, architecture and culture of Bishnapur, the site of many beautiful Malla terracotta temples.  They have also given grants to the East and West Educational Society in Patna to survey and protect Islamic and Hindu, 15th and 16th century architecture in Bihar.   The office has this year implemented an English Language Fellowship Program (ELFP) to bring American scholar and language experts to East India to help train teachers in English language instruction.

Also in the area of education, our United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI) office manages our Fulbright Scholarship program and advises prospective students seeking to study in the United States.   The number of Indian students in the United States is growing every year and now stands at over 80,000, representing the largest group of foreign students in the United States.  As a result of this trend, USEFI saw a record number of 40,000 students and parents seeking counseling services, an increase of over 12,000 clients from the previous year.  Not content to wait for people to come to it, USEFI also conducted an extensive outreach program traveling throughout Northeast India. 
Further contributing to person-to-person exchange, our Consular section processed a record number of non-immigrant visa applications, with over 24,000 cases in the past year.  Demand in India for non-immigrant visas to the United States has gone up exponentially, increasing by approximately 20 percent every year for the last several years.  India now leads in the number of temporary work visas to the United States.
In taking stock of what we have accomplished, I would also like to note that sadly tonight’s event is also a farewell to someone who played a very important role in the work that we did this past year and over the last three years.  Our American Center Director Susan Shultz will be leaving the end of this week to return to the United States to begin her training for her next assignment in Slovenia.  Sue will be spending the next year in Washington, D.C. studying Slovene.  I am sure once she has completed her studies, she will be the United States Government’s expert in all things Slovenian and do an excellent job as our person in Ljubljana.   Please join me in thanking Sue for her outstanding work and wishing her the best of luck in her new assignment.

While Sue’s departure is a great loss for the Consulate, I am glad to note in the coming year we are, though, going to see an expansion of our staff at the Consulate.  Reflecting the great importance that the United States Government gives to its relations with India our Mission will be receiving a significant increase in personnel.  As a result, the Consulate General will also grow to respond to the enhanced relationship.  At the end of this month, we will have a new Commercial Officer, Ms. Aileen Nandi.  In August, we will welcome a new State Department Officer handling political and economic affairs.  And, to address the growing visa demand, we will be adding a new Consular officer later in the year.
With more staff, the Consulate will be able to implement more programs, respond more quickly to local issues and needs and make a greater contribution to the community in East India.   As I said in my opening, I feel very fortunate to be in the right place and the right time to make a difference in the strong and developing relationship between our two countries and I would like to close by offering a toast to two great democracies – the United States and India.

Thank you.