In what promises to be the beginning of an exciting partnership, the Indian Consul General of New York, the Honorable Mr Sandeep Chakravorty, came to the campus of Bronx Community College on Friday, April 12, along with Deputy Consul General the Honorable Mr Shatrughna Sinha, Prof. Chetan Solanki of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India and Mr Yachneet Pushkarna, CEO of the Govardham Ecovillage in Bombay, India

The event was a follow-up to an earlier visit to the Consulate in Manhattan by Dr. Neal Phillip, chairperson of the BCC Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, and Prof. Paramita Sen to plan a sustainability-themed trip to India this summer by BCC and CUNY students with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

The Consul General’s return trip included a meeting with BCC President Thomas A. Isekenegbe, followed by a discussion of potential collaborations with India; a tour of the campus; and a sustainability-oriented seminar in Nichols Hall. Addressing a packed house, BCC President Isekenegbe told the students “The world is getting smaller every day. We have asked you here today to open your eyes. Use the opportunities that are available to you, go out and seize the moment.” Dr Solanki talked about his Gandhi Global Solar Yatra (“journey”) to 40 countries to educate students about renewable energy and non-violence in honor of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150^th birth anniversary on October 2, 2019.

A solar lamp workshop led by Prof. Solanki followed. The day ended with lunch and discussions of the next steps in the collaboration

As a Bronx/CUNY team did when it travelled last year to Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Townsville, Australia, the team traveling to India this summer will donate and install a weather station in New Delhi and post the data on the internet. They will also work with the Indian government and local academic institutions on the deployment of specially designed CUNY backpack weather stations that measure climate conditions and pollution levels on a micro-scale Local students and the community will also benefit from the experience, as the team trains them in a range of sustainability activities and technology using collective social learning and thematic communication techniques. Collaborators from Townsville, Australia will also be joining the Bronx/CUNY team in India.