Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Relaxing in the warmth of the sunny morning hours near the banks of river Brahmaputra, the American trade specialist and academic, Geza Feketekuty, predicts a great future for the Northeast.

?The Northeast has tremendous potential to carve out a niche for itself on the map of the country by achieving the needed socio-economic development,? he says. ?But to script such a success story, the region needs to build up expertise in terms of human skills and resources.?

Recently, the expert was recently in the city to deliver lectures on trade issues at different venues in Guwahati such as Finer, NEDFi Haat, Gauhati University, Cotton College and the Indian Institute of Technology. On the first day of his stay, Feketekuty interacted with the business community of the city and got an overview of trade scenario in the region. During the discussions, the American expert had several tips to offer on how to make the city a paradise for trade and investment even for the international market.

?I have visited India on many an occasion, but this is my very first visit to the Northeast,? says Feketekuty. ?Although I haven?t seen much of the city, but the landscape is captivating and people are quite warm and friendly.?

?I must say India is a pool of talent and if channelised in a proper way the entire country can achieve a lot,? opines the expert. ?However, what disappoints me is that the people indulge in too much of debate and discussion, instead of putting the energies into creative and constructive pursuits.?

A graduate of Columbia and Princeton universities in economics, Feketekuty has also completed the advanced management program of the Harvard Business School. He is a much sought after academic, this professor of the Monterey Institute of International Studies has developed an innovative new degree program in commercial diplomacy.

The expert, a member of Phi Beta Kappa ? the 250-plus-year-old US institution that has become synonymous with academic achievement, stresses commercial diplomacy as the road to India?s goal of emerging as an economic superpower.

?Students can pursue a master degree in commercial diplomacy to gain a complete knowledge of commerce, upwards from the grassroots level ? where a farmer in the rural belt produces the raw material ? to the ultimate point of creating a market for the final product.India, too, needs a similar course in commercial diplomacy for better chances of achieving success in the international arena.?

He also serves as the academic director of Ron Brown Centre for Politics and Commercial Diplomacy and as president of the International Commercial Diplomacy Project, a non-profit organisation devoted to the development of training materials in commercial diplomacy.

Being a master of many trades, by his own admission, is not easy. ?It is really difficult to give your best in all the organisations and institutes where you work,? he smiles. ?To be a specialist in the field of trade and commercial diplomacy, one has to visit places and learn from meeting people of different sections of the society. But, I swear, many helping hands come forward and the meeting of different minds and ideas bring enthusiasm to a project.?

Feketekuty writes, lectures and travels around the world giving consultations on a wide range of trade policy topics and providing customised training courses in the area of trade policy and international trade negotiations. Little wonder that he prefers to describe himself as a world citizen.

He works closely with various international organisations such as the OECD, UNCTAD and the World Bank in the development and delivery of training courses in trade policy management and negotiation.

?With the dawn of modernisation and breaking down of barriers, the free flow of people and ideas is something I greatly cherish. The world is a captivating place and with right blend of skills and infrastructure and right policies to convince the authorities, we can make it even greater.?

Feketekuty enjoys cruising, sailing across different rivers and seas. Landscape gardening is another passion with the trade expert. At his home, he has created an oriental garden with fish ponds.

Another stress buster is books. ?Reading takes away the blues of daily existence,? he smiles. ?Science fiction and historical novels are what I hunt in any library. But my wife sometimes insists I read a mystery and most often I succumb to the temptation.?

Maitreyee Boruah