India’s ambassador to the United States emphasized the elements that unite the two nations, even as he stressed India’s autonomy in shaping foreign policy, in a speech in Boylston Hall last night.

Ambassador Ronen Sen devoted a 20-minute speech to the relationship between India and the United States and then spent over an hour fielding questions on topics ranging from the caste system to the “brain drain” that occurs when Indian academics stay in the U.S. after completing their studies.

The well-attended speech was sponsored by the South Asia Initiative at Harvard.

Sen said India and the United States share a commitment to the war on terrorism and common concerns over nuclear proliferation.

“Our relationship is based on the shared values of democracy and the rule of law,” he said.

But the ambassador was quick to point out that India would not be pressured by the foreign policy directives of other nations, stressing that India and the United States are not always in agreement. He mentioned the invasion of Iraq as a specific example of political divergence between the two nations.

“India has and will retain independence of judgment on issues of international relations,” Sen said.

In response to a question from a Crimson reporter, the ambassador emphasized India’s independence again by explaining why the nation initially refused to accept foreign aid for victims of the tsunami that struck last December. The ambassador said that India could largely respond to the disaster without outside assistance.

“We were in a position to respond in a matter of hours, not only in our country but in our neighborhood,” Sen said, adding that foreign aid would not have been helpful and would only have “clogged up the supply line.”

He denied any political motivation to the decision to forgo foreign aid, though he added that India would “welcome multilateral assistance in rebuilding destroyed infrastructure.”

Sen expressed optimism about President Bush’s expected visit to India this fall. When a student asked if Indian government officials would be discussing any specific problems with Bush, Sen responded that India’s representatives would not have an agenda going into the meeting.

“Lets put it this way,” Sen said. “We don’t have any problems to solve. This will simply be a reaffirmation of shared approaches.”

Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs Sugata Bose, one of the coordinators of the event, thanked Sen for his candor in answering unplanned questions and said he hoped the event would increase exposure to the study of South Asia.

But not all audience members were satisfied with Sen’s responses.

Aneesh K. Venkat ’08 said afterwards he was “extremely disappointed” that Sen declined to provide an in-depth response to his question about the relationship between India and Pakistan. Sen said only that the two nations were working toward a more amicable partnership and he hoped that “commitments given voluntarily will be honored.”

“I understand he has to be diplomatic,” Venkat said. “But considering [Pakistan’s] importance it should have been more fully addressed.”

—Staff writer Sarah E.F. Milov can be reached at milov@fas.harvard.edu.