The World is my home.”

Dr. Rabinder Malik has enjoyed a 40-year long distinguished career with the United Nations: from 1955 to 1975 working with the WHO and UNDP in India and Indonesia; and from 1976 to 1996 with the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Malik decided to stay on in Japan after retirement and has now lived there for 44 years - half of his life - and feels well adjusted to life in Japan. Dr. Malik has been living in the City of Urayasu in Japan for the past 40 years, where he has been participating actively in community activities. In 2007, the Mayor of Urayasu City gave him a special award for his activities in promoting harmony between the Japanese and foreign residents of the city.

Dr. Malik is leading a very active retired life, and has been teaching courses on International Relations at a number of universities in Japan. For the last 20 years, he has been serving as the Coordinator in Japan of “The Energy and Resources Institute” (TERI), the well-known Indian research institution, and helping in the promotion of India-Japan collaboration in the areas of energy, environment and sustainable development (website: www.teriin.org). As the operations of TERI in Japan are carried out in close collaboration with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Dr. Malik’s office is located in the IGES Sustainability Forum in Tokyo (website: www.iges.or.jp).

Dr. Malik has also undertaken several other distinguished assignments, including: (1) A semester as Visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, USA; and also, he served later as the Resident Director of the University of Wisconsin’s Study Abroad Program in Latvia; (2) A semester as Visiting Professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa; (3) On two occasions, he served as Adviser/Lecturer on board the “Ship for World Youth” (SWY) Program, sponsored by the Government of Japan; and (4) he served as the Director of the Tokyo Centre of the IES Study Abroad Program in Japan for students coming from American universities.

As a long-term Indian resident of Japan, Dr. Malik has been actively engaged in promoting social and cultural relations between the peoples of India and Japan and is serving as President of the “Discover India Club” in Japan.

Dr. Malik’s abiding hobby is singing, and he has found many intriguing similarities between the traditional folk music of India and Japan. For many years, Dr. Malik has been learning to sing different genres of Japanese folk music referred to as “ENKA” and “MINYO”. He has won many awards while singing on stage and television. Along with his Music Teacher, he also joined a Trio called “Oyaji Gumi”, resulting in the release of a CD. More about his music here.

RABINDER REMEMBERS HIS LIFE

I am amazed at the twists and turns that my life has taken since I was born in 1934 in a town in Punjab State in undivided India. My father was a rich businessman and also owned lands. Unfortunately, in 1947, when India became independent and was divided into two countries (India and Pakistan), my birthplace became a part of West Pakistan and my family was forced to move as refugees to India because of religious reasons. My father lost everything - his business, property and lands he owned. We settled down in New Delhi in India, where like millions of other displaced persons, our life was a struggle for survival.

Fortunately, my elder brother was able to get a good job in New Delhi, India, and he supported our family during those difficult days. He also helped me to go to school. After finishing High School at the age of 17 years, however, I had to start working in an office in order to support my family. I first worked for an insurance company and was later able to get an interesting assignment with the newly-established Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). It was hard work but while working in an office during the day, in the evenings I went to a College for higher studies. Soon after I obtained my university degree in 1955, I was lucky to get a good assignment with the United Nations Agency, World Health Organization (WHO), in its Regional Office for South-East Asia located in New Delhi, India.

This was a major change in the course of my life and was the beginning of my 40-year long career with different United Nations Agencies, which also involved staying for long periods in foreign countries, as shown below:

(1955-1965) - WHO in India and Indonesia;
(1965-1970) - United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in India;
(1970-1975) - United Nations Technical Assistance Program in West Papua on the Island of New Guinea, Indonesia;
(1976-1996) - United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan.
See more about my UN career here.

I started working for the World Health Organization (WHO) in its Regional Office for South East Asia in New Delhi, India, in 1955. After four years, in 1959, I was promoted and reassigned to work as Administrative Officer in the WHO Country Office for Indonesia in Jakarta. My family also joined me in Jakarta. The assignment was very interesting and we were happy living in Indonesia but, unfortunately, in early 1965, there was a political revolution in Indonesia, and Indonesia decided to resign from its membership of the United Nations. This led to the closure of all UN programs in Indonesia, including those of the WHO, and I had to return to India without a job.

Fortunately, however, soon after my return to India, I was selected by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to work as Administrative Officer in its office in New Delhi, India. I enjoyed working for the United Nations in my own country and continued to work there for five years.

Meanwhile, Indonesia had rejoined the United Nations, and I was selected by the United Nations for an assignment in Indonesia again. However, this time the assignment was in the remote area then called “West Irian” (current name: “West Papua”) on the Island of New Guinea, to work as Administrative Officer for the UN Project for the development of Coastal Sea Transportation in that area. The living conditions in West Papua were extremely hard because of lack of development of basic facilities like roads, ports, schools, etc. My family also joined me there but as there was no school for my children in West Papua, they had to go back to India to continue their studies in a Boarding School there. Life was very hard for us and for our children but they were able to get good education in a famous boarding school in India.

After five years of stay in West Papua, my project was completed and I had to look for another assignment. Fortunately again, because my work in West Papua was much appreciated by the United Nations, I was selected for an assignment with the newly established United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan. I came to Japan to start working for the United Nations University (UNU) in February 1976. My status at the United Nations University (UNU) was that of an official of the United Nations, and the work was quite interesting but challenging because this was the first international organization to set up its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, at the invitation of the Government of Japan. I worked with the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo for 20 years, and after retirement in 1996, have continued to stay on in Japan.

Before I conclude, I would like to add that in preparing my homepage I have received great help and support from Ms. Kelly Atkins, who was introduced to me as part of a project entitled “Artists and Elders” - she being the Artist and me the Elder.  You can learn more about this project here.

Titles
Former Executive Officer, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
Former Visiting Lecturer, Keio University, Tokyo

Coordinator, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Japan President, "Discover India Club" (DIC), Japan 

Links

"Discover India Club"
Personality Profile of Dr. Rabinder Malik in The Japan Times
Rabinder’s Article in the magazine of the Japan India Association (pages 5-6)