Queen Rania's Working visit to India: March 10-11, 2006

[Adry]

PPE
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[ChantalC]

Beautiful pics of Queen Rania.

Beautiful pics of Queen Rania on her trip to India! She always looks so beautiful! I hope to see more pics of her from her trip!

 

[Smartie2091]

She looks gorgeous as usual

 

[Claudia Lisa Remy]

She looks awesome...... as always..... Loved her outfits....

 

[sara1981]

she very lovely and glorious as Majestic Queen

 

[Little_star]

Thank you for all the pictures, I particularly liked the ones from her helping to vaccinate a child.

It's good to see her taking such an active role as UNICEF ambassador.

I believe Queen Rania is wearing a "dupatta" as a scarf in those last pictures!
She must've recieved it as a gift during her trip. This style of fabric is quite popular in Pakistan and I guess in India as well. I have a few of those in different colours myself and one that looks almost exactly like the Queen's. It was a gift from one of my aunts and its also got that multi-coloured/tie-dye effect like the one Rania is wearing. I cant remember the exact name of the fabric style but its kind of like chunri fabric. The cloth is all tied up for a certain period of time to give it that gathered look.
Its used both for dupattas (the scarves that are worn with the shalwar kameez) and even as trousers.

I thought that too when I saw the pictures!

 

[Anita]

Thanks for the pics ! Beautiful Rania ...

 

[Claudia Lisa Remy]

Does anyone know if Queen Rania works out daily. I know she runs, but i am curious if she works out everyday, a few days a week or not at all. She looks great and thin....Just wondering....... Merci......

 

[Little_star]

Does anybody know if any of Rania's children accompanied her on the trip to India?

 

[Veram98]

Interview:Queen Rania Al-Abdullah By Raj Chengappa

March 20, 2006
*

Few women from the Arab world have captured world attention as Jordan's glamorous Queen Rania Al-Abdullah. With her stunning good looks, impeccable fashion sense and deep commitment to a progressive agenda, Rania, at a young 35, has emerged as the Middle East's outstanding spokesperson. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents (almost half the population in Jordan is of Palestinian origin), she graduated in business administration from the American University in Cairo. While working with Apple Computers in Amman, she met her husband, then prince Abdullah II, at a party and they married in 1993. Just before he died in 1999, King Hussein, Abdullah's father and the region's longest serving monarch, in a surprise move changed the line of succession. Instead of his younger brother Crown Prince Hassan, he designated Abdullah, making Rania the world's youngest queen. A mother of four, Rania balances her multiple roles with elan. She insists on driving her black Mercedes SUV herself through the streets of Amman. Before she flew in to address the India Today Conclave, Rania gave an exclusive interview to Managing Editor Raj Chengappa.

Excerpts here:

http://www.jordanembassyus.org/speech_hmqr03202006.htm

I took this link because the access to the concerned site of INDIA TODAY is limited to Magazine subscribers.

 

[Laraib]

Iam proud of her. It would've been nice if she wore a sari.

 

[clymène]

At the moment Queen Rania shares with the visitors of her page her impressions while in India. Go quickly to this link if you don't want to miss it because it will nit last very long. www.queenrania.jo I still wonder if she really wrote that herself or not.

 

[Humera]

thanks for the heads up clymène. I haven't checked her site in a while so its a pleasant surprise.
Queen Rania frequently writes such messages on her website (ie. during Ramadan, after the terrorist attacks last year). I personally love this idea of her communicating directly with everyone.

Since this latest message will only be on the website for a short while, Im posting it here:

A WORD FROM
QUEEN RANIA​

Arrival

Recently, I was fortunate to visit India, Delhi specifically, for the first time. I would like to share my first impressions of this amazing and expansive city with you.

India is a vast country…almost a billion people live there. Let me put that in context … Jordan’s entire population could fit into Delhi!

I arrived in the late afternoon…all my senses instantly alert to the cacophony of sights, smells and sounds of a city which was, by then, bathed in a warm, soft apricot haze. It was the end of the day, but the streets were teeming with life. Old and new cultures merged effortlessly. Modern, fast cars, the latest models, slowed to make way for the sacred water buffalo that dreamily roamed the streets; auto rickshaws scooted alongside their more traditional counterparts, and motorcycles zipped in and out of them all, like bees. There is an energy and buzz about this vibrant city.

Lush greenery flanked the roads; leafy canopies provided shelter for pedestrians (and troops of curious monkeys) who ranged from sharp suited businessmen doing deals on their cell phones, to dhoti clad street vendors selling green palm juice – a welcome refreshment in the balmy air.

The first signs of Spring were everywhere…from the fuscia bougainvillea cascading over walls and weaving through branches, to the elegant khrishnapuri tree…a bare tree, with seemingly bald branches… until right at the very end of the branch, an explosion of color burst forth, attesting proudly to the life pulsing through its veins.

As we made our way to the hotel, the majestic silhouettes of India’s parliament buildings loomed elegantly and, in the distance, the defining arch and eternal flame of India Gate (a memorial to the Indian soldiers killed in World War I) framed the evening sky.

If this was just my journey to the hotel, what wonders did tomorrow have in store?

Friday

Light showers overnight meant a cooler morning, a welcome change to the previous evening. I was grateful; we had a busy day ahead.

We set off to the KusumPahari district, one of Delhi’s most disadvantaged areas, home to some 130,000 people. As we moved through the narrow alleyways, I was greeted with the brightest smiles and most graceful namastes. Between the industriousness of the street barbers, the shopkeepers stacking his shelves and women hanging out washing, there was a real sense of purpose and vibrancy in this little community.

In places like Kusum Pahari, many families are so poor that they need their children to work and earn money. That means the children, sadly, often have to drop out of school. The Ritanjali Learning Center, in the heart of this community, is trying to remedy thatwitha combination of courses, compromise and commitment. Serving about 150 students, the dedicated and innovative volunteer teachers cater for youngsters and adolescents alike. And they really do provide something for everyone.

I was honored to light a diya lamp and offer my blessings for continued success before entering the learning center. I joined a class of bright and eager pre-schoolers learning subtraction, and then I watched an art class in action. The aim of these ‘catch-up’ classes is that the students can be reintegrated into mainstream schooling and complete their school certificates.

Downstairs, I chatted with some teenage girls who were totally absorbed in vocational training classes. They were learning hair-braiding, manicures, embroidery and henna painting…the tools of any good beautician. Nearly at the end of their six month course, some of the girls told me they were already working in malls, bringing home money for their families. It was a win-win situation: they learned new skills, they gained independence, they generated their own income. How proud I felt of these young, strong, determined women.

Later in the day, the pace slowed and I was honored to visit The Raj Ghat, the last resting place of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. The memorial stone is a simple square platform made of black stone – emblematic of the humility and simplicity with which he led his life.

Saturday

With 25 million babies born annually in India, ensuring they all have a safe and healthy start to life is a considerable challenge. This morning, I visited the Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, one of India’s oldest and most prolific vaccination strongholds. At 50 years old, with some 900,000 patients a year, and only basic resources at hand…the hospital is not without its challenges. The wards are small and the demand is high, but good will abounds, and the staff’s tireless professionalism, compassion and commitment means that everyone is given the best care possible.

I was given a fascinating insight into the busy lives of the doctors, nurses and administrators as they strive to dispense life-saving vaccines to India’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens. As a mother of four young children, and a member of the GAVI Fund, I know how effective this simple interventionist medicine can be. And so does the Indian government. Thanks to their responsible vaccination program and its comprehensive coverage, last year only 66 cases of polio were reported. In a country numbering a billion people, that is a remarkable achievement.

In my conversation with the parents of 4 month old baby, Snetha, to whom I gave some polio drops, they expressed their appreciation of the care and medication they were receiving. Like parents anywhere, they wanted the best possible start to life for their baby. Judging by Snetha’s healthy glow and alert eyes, I had no doubt that she had received it, and would continue to blossom.

And with that, my short but, memorable, trip ended. My experiences have certainly whetted my appetite to explore India further, and I am very much looking forward to a return visit in the not-to-distant future. To those of you who haven’t visited India, I encourage you to go…not just for the culture, color, and cuisine, but for the warmth, hospitality and graciousness of the Indian people.
www.queenrania.jo

 

[salma]

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