A group of Indian Parliamentarians came to the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut, on October 9 for a five-day leadership program with Yale faculty that was complemented by a three-day program of meetings, discussions, and interactions with US government and business officials in Washington, DC.

According to Yale President Richard C Levin, "The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program program will provide the parliamentarians with opportunities to critically think about the challenges of leadership and to explore freely, away from the legislative arena, the issues facing India."

The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program was developed in consultation with parliamentarians and the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians, and reflects the belief that exposure to new fields and ideas can offer insight, perspective, and new ways of thinking for on'’s own work.

The India-US Forum of Parliamentarians is a body of leading Indian parliamentarians representing the broad political spectrum of India from both Houses of Parliament. The forum was formed five years ago with the support of FICCI.

The Forum, constituted on the lines of 'Senate Friends of India' group and the 'India Caucus' in the United States Congress, today, has more than 130 lawmakers cutting across party lines. Encompassing all aspects of Indo-US relations, the Forum makes an effort to facilitate wider exchange of dialogue on crucial issues of bilateral and global concerns between parliamentarians of India and their counterparts in the US.

Image: The delegation of Indian MPs with Yale University officals at the graduation ceremony.
Photographs: Jay Mandal

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