A journey I will never forget

To become successful and to stamp your mark on the modern dynamic and highly connected world, one requires skills and a perspective of the world which goes beyond what one has learned at ones undergraduate degree or field of work. Geo- political situations such as Brexit , Belt and Road Initiative and developments in the field of national security has an immense impact on our lives though most of us do not have the right set of skills to analyze these situations and to hedge for problems and to take up opportunities.

I too was oblivious to the field of diplomacy before setting foot on the grounds of the BIDTI. As a medical undergraduate of the University Of Colombo Faculty Of Medicine, my scope of study seemed far removed from the sphere of diplomacy. But having being a Prefect at school and represented Sri Lanka in many forums abroad I was interested in world affairs. I came upon the advertisement by the BIDTI on their website and applied for the course. Though I was very enthusiastic to start this programme, my medical faculty exam scheduled clashed with the first few weeks of commencement of the course. I was utterly dejected, contacted the BIDTI and asked whether they could excuse me and put me up for the next intake and not this one. I was amazed by their reply and friendliness as they were kind enough not only to excuse me but also to make special accommodations for me. Thus, heartened by this sense of friendliness I started my journey with the next intake. A journey I will never forget.

I found myself in a hall of learning which was much different to any other I had previously encountered. I found myself rubbing shoulders with Majors, Squadron leaders, Lawyers, Civil servants, Private sector employees, Journalists and students of numerous variety. The friends I have made and the conversations I have had would not have been possible if not for the BIDTI.

The Lecture panel consisted of the best of best. Nothing can beat learning about National security from a Former Chief of Staff or a general, learning about the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Report from the chairman of the LLRC and about diplomacy from the perspective of veteran diplomats. The learning environment was not that of a lecture but was interactive. The Q & A session following the presentation was where the students put the lecturers on the block and inquired about many aspects of their professions. It would be fair to say that they taught us more than facts but imparted us their many years of experience.

The subjects you learn are not merely rendered to pass exams, they are taught in order to expand ones view of the world. I once remember one of our lecturers teaching us about regional geo politics and quoted a work called “Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington. I read it out of curiosity and what I learnt has enabled me to see the true picture of the terrorism and social issues in a multi-cultural country.

I went from being a medical student , to someone who ventured beyond medicine. I applied and became Sri Lanka’s Youth Delegate to ECOSOC in 2019 and the Commonwealth in 2018. I was inspired to see newer aspects in medicine and did research on “Medical Diplomacy” and presented two papers on that subject at two symposiums. I have been inspired to do and be more.

Investing your time in this course will be life changing, but do come with your thinking cap on for the limits are endless to what you will learn.

Raveen Charukya Lekamwasam Vernon Mendis Memorial Prize winner 2018 ( Batch XVI)