Mrs Ira Malhotra: Our first lady of the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, a crusader for the cause of education

Shegufa Merchant (IIK); Photo: Anwar Sadath Thalassery

Monday, May 3, 2010

A woman who is a student of human behaviour, a psychologist, an academic, a researcher by nature and a passionate educationist … she is also a woman in love … with pottery!!! Yes, our very own first lady of the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, Mrs. Ira Malhotra, is a woman of pure substance. In our meeting with her about a fortnight ago, as IndiansinKuwait.com (IIK) asked her about her life we discovered in her a crusader for the cause of education and, quite in contrast, also a person who has matured to a fine level of peace, accepting and making the best of what life has to offer and then spicing it up with the ingredients of a true Indian at heart!

IIK : Mrs. Malhotra, we know you are highly qualified with a MPhil in Psychology. You have been involved with Education. Please tell us more about yourself and your journey till date.

Mrs. Malhotra: I am basically a student of human behavior. I am curious about everything and enjoy observing and learning. I have a Masters in Psychology from Delhi University and a M.Phil. in Psychology from Jawaharlal Nehru University. I also started work on my Ph.D thesis entitled ‘Personality Characteristics of Effective Teachers in Higher Education’, but got married before I submitted my doctoral thesis.  While on a home posting I was offered the opportunity to help set up a school in New Delhi and I took up the challenge. I worked as a Resource Person involved with their Teacher Development and Curriculum Development programmes. I was very interested in promoting education that went beyond imparting skills and providing an educational qualification to the child, to also considering the psychology of the child and the inculcation of values. Later, as the founding Editor of ‘Parenting’ magazine in India, I had ample opportunity to put my educational background and ideas to use in an area that is very dear to me.

IIK: What are your views on Education in India ?

Mrs. Malhotra: Education is not only to qualify a student academically, but should also encompass the entire personality. It is not merely about imparting information to a child. It should make the child constantly curious to learn and inculcate humanistic values in the citizens of tomorrow. A striking feature of education in India is that it follows a slightly rigid pattern and is extremely competitive. In contrast, education in the western world is less so and encompasses a wider range of extra curricular activities. We should take the best from both systems to make a workable and sustainable amalgam for imparting a quality education and a life-long quest for learning to our children..

IIK: Your passion for education is obvious, what are your other interests?

Mrs. Malhotra: I love the arts and crafts. I have great respect for the craftspeople of India and other parts of the world. They have a compulsive and innate need to create. The fine work, the patience and the whole idea of creating something must be their driving force. I love all handwork and craft, but am especially partial to textiles and pottery. I did a college course in hand-built pottery during my stay in the USA. I love working with my hands and clay and it is something that I can spend a whole day engaged in, without feeling bored. There is something very therapeutic about working with clay. For me, it is not only the feeling of creating something, but I have a philosophical view about working with clay. It teaches us many lessons of life. One can beat the clay into any shape you want, yet the clay has a life and mind of its own. You may plan and visualize it to be something, still, the final product can come out completely different. Irrespective of how it turns out, ugly or beautiful, it is still your own creation, and you love it. There are so many areas of life that this message can be carried over to. There is something very basic and beautiful about pots. They are non pretentious and yet strong and useful. We cook in them, eat in them, drink from them, serve and share in them..

IIK: Please tell us about your children.

Mrs. Malhotra: We have two children, a daughter and a son. Our daughter has a Masters in International Affairs from New York and is currently working in New Delhi. Her areas of interest encompass public health, design, art, mapping and photography. Our son has a BA in History and Sociology, is presently interning in New Delhi, and will be returning to the US later this year to pursue a Masters in International Affairs. His areas of interest include music and current affairs.

IIK: Do you feel overshadowed as an educated woman by your husband’s career?

Mrs. Malhotra: No, I am extremely proud and happy for him. His career is of his choice and making and I respect that. Getting married to a diplomat was a choice I made and I knew I would have to make adjustments, given the kind of life we lead. There have been many women in a similar position to me who have carved out a path for themselves. Teaching at a university was a career interest for me. I didn’t follow it through, but had opportunities to do other things. I look at things very  philosophically. The wealth of exposure that I have got would never have happened any other way. Besides, I have been very busy supporting and anchoring my family through all the years of moving across so many countries and have enjoyed every move and experience.

IIK: How do you balance your personal routine with the constantly changing scenario in so many countries? Don’t you and your kids feel uprooted and lose friends?

Mrs. Malhotra: In all we have gained and learned a lot. Our Government has a very supportive policy whereby our children either attend Indian schools, international schools or at least schools where the medium of instruction is English. So even though adjustments had to be made, there was a certain degree of continuity for the children. There can also be some benefits of growing up in a diverse, multi-cultural environment. Still, it is because of the frequent changes that I felt it so necessary to be the anchor for our children. Both my husband and I have an army family background, so we are reasonably attuned to such a way of life. Even then we were constantly moving from one posting to another with our families and have lived happily this way.

IIK: How would you define your journey towards serving India through your husband’s professional obligations?

Mrs. Malhotra: The journey has been enriching and it is a great privilege and honour for me to represent my country. My role while doing so is indirect and informal. I interact with foreigners and Indians. With foreigners I provide insights about India and an exposure to my country. I also help change stereotypical views of India that may have developed over the years. I basically engage in activities that will strengthe

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