Of Indian Carpets And Carpetwallahs : An Appreciation

Norwegian diplomat <b>Jon Westborg</b> was born in Darjeeling, India, in 1946, but spent most parts of his childhood at different mission-stations in Assam, and at a boarding school in Shillong, then the capital of Assam. At the age of thirteen, he moved to Norway.<br><br> He began his professional career as a town planner in Norway after securing multiple degrees in engineering. In 1972, he began working in refugee rehabilitation work in Bangladesh, subsequently moving on to work in roles spanning project administrator to secretary general in various countries in South Asia and Africa with NGOs, governments, and private sector organizations. After earning an MPhil from the Cranfield School of Management, UK, in 1990, he joined as Councillor and Representative of NORAD in India, Bhutan, and Nepal at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, and became its deputy director general in 1993. Three years later, he was appointed Norway�s Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives and was a central figure in the Norwegian facilitation of the Sri Lankan peace process and ceasefire. In 2003, he was appointed Ambassador to India and Bhutan; he returned to Norway after four years. Prior to his retirement in 2010, he served as Ambassador/Special Envoy to the South Asia region. He is a Knight Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit and is recognized as an Overseas Citizen of India. His fascination with carpets dates back to his childhood, but only became a real passion and a subject of study during his first posting in Delhi in 1990.