The Canadian whose kids were made in India

Nadir Patel Canadas High Commissioner to India was only nine when he first stepped foot in India As both his parents were born in Gujarat he flew in to Mumbai with his brothers to meet their extended family for the very first time It was August in the early 80s and for a kid who had never left Canada the first few moments here came as a shock I vividly remember getting out of an Air India flight As soon as the doors flung open I felt this incredible wall of heat and a smell of a different country Patel recalls adding how eventually this twomonthlong holiday in Mumbai and Gujarat gave him the most amazing memories to cherish for lifeWatch video ofNadir Patel High Commissioner of Canada to India who speaks to MiddayFast forward to a couple of decades later in January 2015 Patel was appointed Canadas High Commissioner to India Ambassador of Canada to Nepal Canada and Bhutan Now with his tenure drawing to a close Patel made a quick trip to Mumbai last week for a final address to his colleagues here Caught amid meetings first with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and then with subordinates from the Canada Consul office in Mumbai Patel still manages to take out some time to see us at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel With the neighbouring ballroom filling up fast by those who have come to bid him goodbye Patel says he is stoked But one can tell the mixed emotions he is going through as we begin talking about his fiveyear stay in India Agreeing to this thought he says Anytime I am in Mumbai it is very special A part of it is because it is a unique characterfilled city another part is the culture food and warmth of the people hereWhen Patel flew in to India with his wife Jennifer Graham to take charge of his post he felt a lot had changed since the 80s The first thing you notice is a worldclass airport in Mumbai You also cannot miss the airline regional connectivity ecosystem which is now third largest in the world he shares But being wellversed with the local language and the Indian culture did not make the journey easier No matter how prepared you are every posting for anyone has its ups and downs Many High Commissioners before me who did not speak Hindi turned out to be successful So you dont have to be of Indian origin to become successful But it certainly is an asset I understood a joke in Hindi or could speak to the Prime Minister in Gujarati I also understood the regional dynamics the food etcBut there were challenges nonetheless The infrastructure in India remains a work in progress the air quality in Delhi where I am deployed is a huge concern Also my job requires a lot of stamina as you are busy with a lot of visits and visitors he adds When you are a part of the Indian diaspora in Canada you learn how much Canada embraces diversity Anyone in Canada can succeed in any position Therefore I put extra pressure on myself because I knew I had to do a good job here just as I had done back homePatel recently trekked to the Mt Everest Base Camp to promote bilateral relations between Canada and Nepal When asked whats his biggest achievement here in India he says jokingly When Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Make In India I decided to make two babies in Delhi That is probably my biggest contribution here Continuing on a serious note he adds On the work front trade investment and peopletopeople ties hit record numbers in 2018 And that continued to thrive this year The commercial relation between the two countries has grown over 60 per cent in the last five years Trade is up by 60 per cent and investment is skyrocketing from seven billion dollars to 37 billion dollars most of it contributed by Canadian investors here Tourism is up by 90 per cent and education relations have quadrupled in terms of the number of Indian students in CanadaBut his biggest achievement is the highlevel engagements between both the governments during his term Patel informs PM Modi came to Canada in April 2015 making it the first time we had a standalone visit by an Indian Prime Minister in Canada in 40 years In 2018 Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited India I think the political relationship building has been great in the last few yearsBut Canada he says is now focussing on areas apart from trade We want to expand now in areas like arts culture fashion literature films and sportsNow that Patel is returning to Canada he says he is never going to bid goodbye to India While it is always good to be back in Canada we will always stay connected to India Our kids are born here it cannot be more special than that India will stay in us foreverCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates