Skand R. Tayal, India’s consul general for the Southeast United States, plans to take with him his experiences with capitalism and democracy as he leaves his post in Houston to become India’s ambassador to Uzbekistan.
“The U.S. examples of democracy and capitalism are good models for other countries, and in many ways, India and the U.S. share these models,” he told GlobalAtlanta at a farewell dinner held for him last Wednesday in Norcross. “I want to take these examples to the leaders in Uzbekistan.”
Mr. Tayal, who was in Atlanta June 29-30 to help greet an Indian delegation from the state of Maharashtra, returned here last week to attend a farewell dinner in his honor. He is to leave his post as consul general in Houston on July 28 to begin his ambassadorship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in September.
Although no more than 100 Indian families live in the country, Mr. Tayal said that ties between India and Uzbekistan have been strong since ancient times when silk-trading routes first linked the two countries. He also noted that India and the U.S. consider Uzbekistan important for the spread of democracy and capitalism in the region.
Members involved in the local Indian community gathered at the Palace Restaurant in Norcross to bid farewell to Mr. Tayal, who has served the Southeast since 2002, visiting Atlanta approximately 15 times over three years.
“Everytime we asked him to come here to help us, he always came, without question,” said Vir A. Nanda, president of the Atlanta chapter of the Indian professional group, The Indus Entrepreneurs, who spoke at the event. The evening was organized by Ani Agnihotri, co-founder, CEO and president of IIIrd Millennium Inc. and co-founder of the Georgia-Indo American Chamber of Commerce, and Paddy Sharma, founder of Global Teachers Research and Resources Inc. and director of the Atlanta Indian-American Cultural Association.
In his last Atlanta address as consul general, Mr. Tayal commended the group of approximately 50 Atlanta business and community leaders, most of whom were of Indian origin, for their successes in the U.S. and their representation of India abroad. “This country has given you the opportunity to realize your full potential, and you have all achieved so much,” he said. Before beginning his post as consul general in Houston, Mr. Tayal worked as chief passport officer for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, India. He has served in the Indian foreign-service since 1976 and has worked for the Indian government in Geneva; Johannesburg, South Africa; Moscow; Sofia, Bulgaria and Warsaw, Poland. For more information on Mr. Tayal or events in the Indian community, contact Mr. Agnihotri at Ani@thirdm.biz or visit www.giacc.org or www.ipnatlanta.net.