THE JADAVPUR ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING 2013
ANNUAL REPORT (2012-2013)
REPORT OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY 5th APRIL, 2013
Good afternoon everybody.
It takes me immense pleasure to welcome you all to the Annual General Body Meeting (201213) of the JAIR. The Jadavpur Association had embarked upon its journey way back in 2007
with a vision of creating a meaningful academic platform for those keen about the discipline of
International Relations. JAIR undoubtedly has come a long way since then. Since its very
inception the association has been functioning upon certain principles which are as follows:

The association revolves around the principle of building a robust nexus between the
academia and the policy makers

The association also functions upon the strong conviction that young scholars and
students of International Relations ought to be provided with opportunities so that they
can forward their perspectives on issues.

Jadavpur Association of International Relations encourages people from diverse
professional fields to be active members of the body thereby accentuating the
interdisciplinary nature of the discipline
JAIR has been relentlessly working towards creating awareness about the issues of International
Relations which are increasingly gaining relevance. In all these years the association has not only
grown in terms of total membership but has also etched its mark in the national canvas as a
significant forum dedicated to the field of International Relations. We have been able to
accomplish this because of the enthusiasm and active support lent by our patrons, esteemed
members and most important of all the student members of JAIR.
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# An inter college round table on Internet, State and Democracy: Wikileaks and Beyond was
organized in collaboration with the School of Media, Communications and Culture (Jadavpur
University) in early last year. The round table was attended by eminent journalists, students and
scholars from different colleges of Kolkata and around.
# Interaction of the Southeast Asian Scholars with Ambassador Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty,
Special Secretary, Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of
India on 27th April, 2012 at Jadavpur University.
# The association thereafter hosted a lecture on the Arab Spring by Ambassador Rajendra
Madhukar Abhayankar in collaboration with the Department of International Relations (Jadavpur
University).
# A students’ seminar on the theme USA’s Role in South Asia in the 21st Century in collaboration
with the American Center (Kolkata) was organized by the association in early 2012.
# The association in collaboration with the Raja Ram Mohun Roy Memorial Museum organized
a seminar titled Re Reading Ram Mohun Roy: A 21st Century Perspective in the year 2012.
# the Association organized an International Conference on The Viswakabi & Internationalism:
Rabindranath Tagore in the Contemporary World in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture
(Government of India) under the Tagore Commemoration Grant Scheme on 27th-28th July 2012
at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The programme was attended by the Foreign Secretary of
Bangladesh and noted academics / Tagore scholars of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
# JAIR organized an International Conference on India and Her Neighbours: Revisiting
Relations with Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh in Imphal
(Manipur) on 17th-18th August 2012. The event was supported by the Public Diplomacy Division
(Ministry of External Affairs, GOI) and was held in collaboration with the Central University of
Manipur (Imphal), the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (Kolkata). The
keynote address of the conference was delivered by the Honourable Foreign Secretary of India
Shri Ranjan Mathai. The conference was duly noted by the Ministry of External Affairs in their
annual publication India Perspective. The Association contemplates to organize an international
conference on India’s Look East Policy in Rajgir this year.
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# The Association has published its second edited volume titled India’s Consructive Engagement
in Asia and Around which has brought together the proceedings of the BIMSTEC Conference of
2010 (Shillong) and the International Relations Convention of 2011 (Kolkata).
#JAIR was honoured to have Ambassador Muchkund Dubey, Former Foreign Secretary to the
Government of India for a discussion on the book India’s Foreign Policy: Coping with the
Changing World in November 2012
# The Association completed its five years and celebrated the same on 28th April, 2013 in the
Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University.
# The members of the Association was also invited by the Hon’ble Consul General of Bhutan in
recent times on the occasion of celebration of Bhutan Day. The Association was also kept a very
close relation with the Consulates of Foreign Delegations in Kolkata.
# Smt. Riva Ganguly Das, Joint Secretary,Ministry of External Affairs held a meeting with the
office bearers of JAIR on 22nd February, 2013 at Kolkata.
# The Association organized a lecture programme by Prof Anne Cheng from College de France
organized in collaboration with ICSSR, Institute of Chinese Studies New Delhi and H.P Biswas
India-China Cultural Study Programme.
# The Association has already submitted its proposal to the Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry
of External Affairs, Government of India for organizing an International Conference in August,
2013 scheduled to be held at Rajgir, Nalanda
The very nature and focus of the events which have been organized by the association in the past
year underlines the principles which have been mentioned at the very outset of this report. The
association has successfully taken the deliberations of the conferences held beyond the confines
of seminar halls by sending them back as policy inputs. The frequency at which students’ events
has been hosted indicate the importance JAIR ascribes to the infusion of fresh ideas in the
discipline of International Relations. The association has also time and again highlighted the
interdisciplinary character of International Relations by inviting resource persons from other
professional fields to share their views.
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On behalf of JAIR, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Public Diplomacy Division (Ministry
of External Affairs, Government of India) for having been one of our foremost patrons and
pillars of support. It is indeed our pride that our active association with them over the past years
has been put on record in the Ministry of External Affairs Annual Report of 2011-2012. I also
thank the director and staff of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, the Indian Council of
Social Science Research (Northeastern and Eastern Regional Centre), Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad Institute of Asian Studies (Kolkata), the African Studies Association of India (Mumbai),
the American Center (Kolkata), the School of Media, Communications and Culture (Jadavpur
University), Secretary, Raja Ram Mohun Roy Memorial Museum and last but not the least the
Head of the Department, faculty members and the staff of the department of International
Relations (Jadavpur University). We look forward to your active collaboration and support in the
coming years as well. I thank each and every member of Executive Committee and the Advisory
Body of the association. A special thanks to all the students, scholars and volunteers associated
with JAIR without whose enthusiasm and interest, the association would not have been able to
accomplish whatever it has. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the
distinguished members present, my teachers, colleagues and most of all, my students for
gathering here and being patient with the rather long annual report.
Thank you all.
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