‘Younger Asian societies will provide future world requirements’
The Hindu
India is the youngest country in the world, says Denmark Ambassador
Making a demographic comparison between Asian and Western countries, Denmark Ambassador to India H.E. Freddy Svane has said that India and other Asian societies are younger and will fulfil the world’s requirements in the days to come.
“India is the youngest country in the world. India and other Asian countries have more young population compared to the Western countries where the aged population is dominant. The future of the world relies on India which will turn into the world’s talent hub. The world needs you,” Mr. Svane said in his address to mediapersons at PDA Engineering College here on Wednesday.
He was here to inaugurate an innovation lab established at the college as part of a collaboration with Danish companies and institutes.
When asked why an institution from backward Kalyana Karnataka has been chosen for the initiative, the Danish diplomat said that the region has relatively better and untapped talents as compared to mega cities Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai.
“India and Denmark have partnerships in various areas, including renewable energy. I could have gone to Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and other cities for a talent hunt. But, all these areas are already mapped and identified. This region (Kalyana Karnataka) has a lot of hidden talents that remain untapped. I feel that the future of India is in its rural areas. With our collaboration with PDA College, we are trying to connect local talents with global exposure and opportunities by exchanging technological innovations,” Mr. Svane said.
After inaugurating the innovation lab, which has been set up to facilitate and develop innovations in the fields of Internet of Things, green energy, climate change mitigation, agricultural applications and electric vehicle systems, among others, Mr. Svane stressed the need for the development of in-house skilling to face global challenges such as global warming.
Manager of Karnataka Skill Development Corporation Kavita Gouda, President of Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society Bhimashankar Bilgundi, Principal of PDA College of Engineering S. S. Kalashetty, CEO and MD of Flexitron R.S. Hiremath and others were present.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”