The HSR Global Symposium 2024

The Gates Foundation, which funds our CHO mentoring project, contacted us a couple of months ago about the Health Systems Research Global Symposium in Nagasaki, Japan. The Foundation had been given a chance to talk about some of their health interventions in India, and wanted the CHO project to be highlighted as a part of their presentation. 

Here is a link to the HSR global symposium website 

 The CMC team decided that Rajan and I would go for this symposium. I was glad for the opportunity to connect with others from India and abroad who were interested in strengthening and developing health systems. From the Gates Foundation invitation letter, I could see that the Bihar project, that I had been a part of between 2015 and 2019, was also going to be presented. I was particularly excited at the opportunity to hear about how this project had progressed over the last 5 years, and to re-connect with some of my former colleagues from CARE, Bihar. 

I was not sure, until the last few hours, that I would be able to travel, because my visa application seemed held up/ lost in Mumbai, but it finally arrived at 3pm yesterday. To my surprise, I found that I have been given a 5-yr multiple entry visa to Japan. 

My kids have been super- excited about this trip. A couple of weeks ago, Anand reminded me that I was going to miss his birthday. "I am not at all upset," he said, "on the contrary, I feel very happy that you are getting more opportunities to speak, and your career is progressing. BUT..... It will be very nice if you can get me a small Japanese sword as a present! 

No pressure, and I won't be upset if this is not possible. But try to get one, ok?" 

Turns out, this is not going to be a simple matter of walking into a shop and picking up a sword. The internet seems to warn that it may not be fully legal to own a Japanese katana in India. At the very least, I may need to declare it at customs when re-entering India and pay duty. I may also then need to register the sword under the Arms Act and so on. I have explained all this to Anand, but promised to try my best. 

(See this article: Is it legal to own a katana in India) 

Nam was so excited about this trip that she couldn't sleep last night. She sat up with me well past midnight, chatting, helping me decide what clothes to wear, and helping me pack. She was up again at 5.45am to make sure I was ready in time for my morning cab. She wants me to bring different sorts of edible seaweed from Japan. 

Dheeraj gave me a shopping list!

It reads: 

Box of sand: 4 (He has given me 4 small plastic boxes, in which he wants me to bring sand or pebbles from the site of the 1948 atom bomb!)

Chopsticks: 10 

Fans:10 (He means the Japanese fans which can be used as wall hangings)

Tea cup: 2

Bowl: 2 

Knifes: 3

Raman: 5 (Japanese noodles must taste different when sourced from Japan, isn't it?!)

As a kind concession, he has added that I can get what I can!

Dheeraj made sure to keep this shopping list in my purse, along with my credit cards, so that I do not forget. As an added precaution, he has informed me that he will be sending this list by email as well.

Talk about pressure!