Sanjibita R McDonald Tariang Sen. The name will put even William Shakespeare in a quandary. “Was there anything in a name? Did I miss it?” Yes, guess so, the venerable Bard did miss it. Sanjibita explained how.
“It is an amalgamation of the names of my elder brother and sister, Sanjib and Sangeeta. But later I came to know that my name has a unique meaning. The remaining part of the name is from my father and mother and later my husband,” said the 44-year-old when asked about such an elaborate name.
Sanjibita means rejuvenating and that, she said, she came to know when she was a teenager.
But her name is not her only identity. Sanjibita is the regional development and communications officer for Middle East, North Africa and South Asia at the British Deputy High Commission in Kolkata.
Born in Guwahati, Sanjibita grew up in Shillong and “I have a strong bond with this state”. She recently visited the city to conduct a crisis workshop along with state agencies.
Sanjibita, who is married to a Bengali from Kolkata, moved to the city of joy after completing her BEd in Shillong. Talking about her family, she said it is an epitome of international integration.
“My father has Khasi, British and Bengali blood and my mother is Scottish. Now I am married to a Bengali. So you can understand the integration. But I never felt any identity crisis,” she laughed.
When in school, Sanjibita — an alumnus of St Mary’s School, Lady Keane College and North-Eastern Hill University — was part of the National Cadet Corps and she attributed much credit to this association for the discipline in her life and the achievements. She had also visited Canada as part of a student exchange programme.
“I was also Miss Shillong in 1997 and Miss North East in 1998. But these are things which I usually do not share with people nowadays,” her eyes twinkled as she reluctantly talked about her days in Shillong.
As the conversation shifted to her job, Sanjibita explained the purpose of her coming to Shillong. She conducted a crisis management programme here “similar to what I did in West Bengal and Assam”.
“There is of course an official angle to it. But personally too, I wanted to do something for the state and with the people here. It is my way of giving back to the place where I grew up,” she said.
“During a crisis, for example a natural calamity, besides the state and local agencies, the role of a diplomatic mission is also crucial. Many tourists come to Meghalaya including those from the UK. In that case we (the British Deputy High Commission) need to know the local stakeholders for fast action,” she added.
The workshop focused on sharing the best practices in disaster management, bridging the gap not only between the local and state agencies but also with stakeholders outside the state and mapping the region, among other things. It also identified the hurdles and loopholes and the teams would work on those to make co-ordination glitch-free in time of crises.
“After the workshop we came up with an action plan. The workshop here was really engaging and the state authorities really appreciated it.”
Sanjibita, who is the rapid development team leader for the programme, will be back in August with a team of specialised people from Kolkata for the training session.
“Meghalaya is the only state where even the Horticulture Department took part in the crisis management workshop. It was a great experience for us too and we got much co-operation from the state agencies,” she informed.
Meghalaya is a beautiful place and has much potential in the tourism sector that needs to be tapped, according to Sanjibita. At the same time, she said much needs to be done to attract not only domestic tourists but also visitors from around the globe.
“There are no public toilets and that is an impediment. For women visitors, it is really a problem and something needs to be done. Also, there are no streetlights and many localities remain dark after sunset. This has to change,” she pointed out the drawbacks of her beloved city.
When asked how the inner line permit, if implemented, would affect the blooming tourism sector in the state, the official remained tight-lipped and only said it was up to the state government and other stakeholders to find the best solution.
She chose her words carefully when it was pointed out that the autonomous district council was coming down heavily on tribal women marrying outsiders. “I respect both the views. It will be sad if a tribe gradually loses its identity and culture. We cannot let that happen. At the same time, we cannot stop people from falling in love, can we?”
Besides being a deputy high commission official, Sanjibita also works on social issues like child rights and women empowerment and “I earnestly want to do some good work in the city where I grew up”.
~ NM
