Our common humanity by Kamran Rizvi

 

Our common humanity by Kamran Rizvi   It is so easy for us to allow our sense of reverence for ‘higher-ups’ to interfere with our ability to make a true connection with them. They are, after-all, people, just as we are! This very thought is what liberates our minds and fosters free exchange of ideas among people from a variety of backgrounds and traditions. Thought of the common humanity we share with others was put to the test in 1985, when, quite by chance, I got the opportunity to meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Marlborough House, in London. Sir Sridath Ramphal, the then Secretary General of the Commonwealth, had invited my boss, manager of BCCI’s Park lane Branch in London, to attend the Commonwealth Day celebrations. Since he was on leave, I was called upon to fill the gap. Hundreds of dignitaries had gathered that evening. They included foreign ministers, ambassadors, leading scholars and corporate heads. I was apparently the odd one out. At the time I was only...read more