Discover how Herbert from Austria and Shovana from India managed their relationship and family while working in different continents. The ingredients of a successful intercultural marriage and much more…
1. “Find the commonalities and emphasize them” Dr. Herbert Traxl, the former Austrian ambassador and Shovana Narayan, the multifacetted Indian Padma Shri Awardee have been married for over 40 years and managed living, working and raising a family from two sides of the globe. When I hosted Herbert on my podcast and asked him about his east-and-west relationship, what I got was not only a phenomenal love story uniquely lived but also life lessons on diversity and inclusion. Do listen to this short episode. It warmed the cockles of my heart!
2. “The world is a global village” he said.
Herbert not only philosophizes but practices. The world is one global village, he says and his way of life and that of his family´s clearly shows that. Tolerance, respect and acceptance of others with one requirement. It should be a two-way street. Wise words practised both in his diplomatic career as well as in the private sphere. In the divided world we inhabit, his parting words “resolve conflict with mutual acceptance” bring a finality to the discussions on diversity and inclusion that have suddenly gained prominence in this decade despite having existed since times immemorial.
3. Two souls from different parts of the world meet and decide to unite in marriage. But how do they keep the marriage together if they are physically working in different continents? This is a dilemma that crops up ofter now than before, perhaps because the world has shrunk in our minds and become more porous in the digital age. Usually, it is the women who then take a step back in their careers to follow their hearts and go the family way, then return to the workforce or try and find alternatives. This is a different story...and inspiring both in the way the journeys were handled and the way it turned out. A while ago, I caught up with Dr. Herbert Traxl to find out how he and his wife Shovana Narayan managed straddling continents for more than 40 years. Distance had no chance. Respect, trust and confidence are the ingredients which kept the union of Herbert and Shovana alive. They found their own unique way of sharing emotions, thoughts and events across the ocean with audiotapes. Isn´t that cute? But how did they manage to bring up their child? How did their careers pan out with this kind of a unique arrangement? I invite you to find out in our chat
4. “My skin might be white, my skin might be brown, whatever is the colour of my skin, the blood beneath is the same” said Dr. Herbert Traxl in our chat which covered his unique east-and-west marriage as well the subject of diversity and inclusion. I have not come across a better line to describe the attitude of one who has deeply embraced diversity in his personal and professional life and knows his place on this earth. “One foot in Austria and one in India”, he said in a summation on the question of identity and belonging.
