Dhruva Suravarapu

HE is young, intelligent and a leader in whatever he does, wherever he is. The future is to become an aerospace engineer. The present is full of thoughts of a trip to the US of A to attend a conference of future leaders! Exciting, but 17-year-old Dhruva Suravarapu is not overawed.

Last month, Dhruva was faxed a message c/o his mom Dr. Rashida of Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah: "Congratulations! You have been accepted and registered to be among the 350 outstanding students who will attend the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC), which will commence in Washington D.C. on July 28, 2002 and conclude in New York City on August 8, 2002. Together with fellow young leaders from more than 75 countries, you will have the opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with many of today's global leaders."

Dhruva is a student of the Westminister School. Waiting (not with anxiety as would be in the case so many of his peers) for his 12th standard examination results, Dhruva plans to join a local college and then study his way to a university in Canada for that degree in aerospace engeineering. It was his school that decided to send in his name to the Congressional Youth Leadership Council for selection to the Global Young Leaders Conference, if the council found him qualified to be selected.

No worry there! The council found him more than qualified. The theme of the GYLC is: Leaders of Tomorrow Preparing for the Global Challenges and Responsibility of the Future. Suravarapu will interact with key leaders and newsmakers with powerful influence over politics, finance, culture and diplomacy. Besides, he will also take part in a carefully designed curriculam which includes thought provoking simulations to build leadership skills.

City Times spoke to Dhruva. "I am excited, so are members of my family. I owe everything to them and to my school, which sent in my name for selection to the conference," he said. That he is 'outstanding', as the fax message mentioned, is not a point to debate. His list of achievements is indeed impressive. He has been school prefect, house captain, school headboy, winner of inter-house debate competition and has been chosen as the 'best outgoing student of Westminister School' for academic year 2001-02. As if that was not enough, he has also participated in activities like the Young Times Water Conference, in MTV dance competitions and was a runner up at the Al Attar Boggie-Boggie dance competition.

Suravarapu believes post-9/11 it is important to confront global issues in an impartial manner. "I will highlight nothing controversial at the conference. Diplomacy is the key word. The world is confronted by a host of issues that threaten its very existence and I intend to strike a harmonious path of resolution of all issues to everybody's satisfaction," Dhruva said. His world-view seemed to gel with that of the council. "The Global Young Leaders Conference challenges students to cross cultural barriers, using teamwork in order to address many conflicts facing the world today," said council executive director Michael Lasday in a statement.

The statement said that the programme will include welcoming remarks at the National Press Club, a briefing at the US Department of State, an address at the United Nations and site visits at financial institutions on Wall Street, culminating with a Global Summit in the UN General Assembly. And Dhruva appears ready to make a mark at that summit. At least that's the impression he gave us. Like CYLC said in the fax message, "Dhruva, congratulations!"