Chatterjee, now a citizen of the United States, took the comatose chapter of the IAFPE, with its 20 members, to an organization with over 450 members and made it the most powerful chapter of the national body that would soon propel him to its presidency. In taking over as national president of IAFPE in 1998, his priority became turning around Helms, then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, from his vehemently anti-India stance to one of more understanding of India, its people and also an appreciation of the contributions of the Indian-American community.
After much persuasion, he convinced Helms to be the chief guest and keynote speaker at the IAFPE convention in Raleigh, and won him over with a mix of Indian culture, Bengali hospitality and a discussion and interactive session between Helms and the many Indian Americans present. This was a great victory, because much of the Indian-American community had virtually written off Helms as far too anti-India to ever be understanding of it, let alone be sympathetic to President Clinton's efforts to forge a strategic partnership with that country.
The coup accomplished, Chatterjee prepared for the annual Congressional reception hosted by the IAFPE on Capitol Hill. More than a hundred Senators and Congressmen had confirmed their presence. Helms too had promised to grace the occasion. But that very evening came the news that India had conducted a nuclear test in Rajasthan and all hell broke loose. The closest friends of India, who were aghast, went public with their condemnation and Helms declared that India had 'not only shot itself in the foot, but shot itself in the head,' and vowed never to lift the punitive sanctions imposed on it as long as he was chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Chatterjee was down, but not out. He started working on Helms, trying to explain to the Senator the rationale for India's tests. Helms began to listen, not entirely convinced, but amenable to try and comprehend India's rationale. Chatterjee, sensing that the time was ripe, brought then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to meet with Helms, along with then Ambassador Naresh Chandra. President Clinton, nearing the end of his second term, was also itching to go to India and the ice was slowly but surely melting.
Professionally, Chatterjee, who had been working for Brandt Instruments, had worked his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming executive vice president and buying the company in 1990, then selling it two years later to Control Equipment, Inc. which later sold out to Onix Systems Inc. in 1998. All of these companies continued to retain him as CEO.
Image: Swadesh Chatterjee, centre, with US Congressman Gary Ackerman, left, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Photograph: Kiran Jagga
Also see: America honours Padma Bhushan winner
Advertisement
