Indian woman spends day as British High Commissioner

21-year-old Shreya Dharmarajan from Chennai became the British High Commissioner to India for a day.

Dharmarajan got a rare behind-the-scenes look at the life of a diplomat and saw the UK-India partnership in action. 

The British High Commission in New Delhi has organised the ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition every year since 2017, to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (11 October). The UK is committed to engaging with girls and shifting our power to them as change makers and future leaders. Protecting and promoting freedoms for women and girls in the UK and around the world is the right and smart thing to do; it is integral to creating resilient economies and strong, free societies.

This year’s winning entry was chosen from a pool of more than 180 applications from talented young women around the country. Dharmarajan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi and currently teaches in a government school in Mumbai as a Teach for India fellow. She is passionate about education and child psychology. Dharmarajan’s trip to Delhi and stay was made possible through the kind contribution of partners Vistara airline and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

Shreya Dharmarajan, High Commissioner for the Day, said: “Spending a day as the British High Commissioner to India was an incredibly enlightening, enriching, and fulfilling experience. I had the opportunity to interact with and learn from inspiring exemplars of women’s leadership in wide-ranging fields. I was fortunate enough to be a part of lively discussions about India’s efforts toward further achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“I witnessed first-hand the wonders of the India-UK ASPIRE Programme in helping the development of electric vehicles in India and was honoured to speak with the Principle Scientific Adviser. I have brought back with me life-long learning about gender equality, wholesome education, and the wider scope of the SDGs. This experience has instilled in me a newfound confidence and motivation, and I look forward to putting all my learnings to fruitful use as a young woman in the field of education.”