23-year-old Sanjana Hiremath hailing from Hubballi had a unique opportunity to step into the shoes of the British Deputy High Commissioner in Bengaluru for an entire day.
To celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child, the British High Commission has offered Indian girls aged from 18 to 23, a chance to spend a day as one of the UK’s top diplomats in India.
‘The High Commissioner for a Day’ program is a celebrated tradition that started in 2017 on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child. The program is a testament to the United Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to empowering girls and women worldwide.
Sanjana emerged as the winner competing with more than 180 talented young girls from across India. Sanjana has a Master’s degree in Media and Communications, she is currently working at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).
Expressing her happiness on Twitter, Sanjana Hiremath said “It feels so surreal, I consider myself privileged to have won this opportunity. Stepping into the shoes of British Deputy High Commissioner for a day felt like a dream”.
How the day went? DHC For A Day winner Sanjana Hiremath began her stint with a breakfast meeting with Chandru Iyer (British Deputy High Commissioner) and James Godber to discuss the day’s agenda.
After the breakfast, Sanjana chaired the weekly coordination meeting at UK in Bengaluru (Office of the British Deputy High Commission in Bengaluru).
At lunch, DHC Sanjana Hiremath met Australian Consul General Ms Hilary McGeachy over a ಜೋಳದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ ಊಟ (‘Jolada Rotti Oota’) at Basaveshwara Khanavali where they spoke about Diplomacy, Public service, Women in leadership, and North Karnataka’s unique cuisine.
Later, Sanjana met the Additional Chief Secretary & Chevening Gurukul Fellow Ms Uma Mahadevan (IAS) and learnt about Democratising Education through Public libraries, Skills training, Women in leadership roles, SDGs, Chevening & more.