Expect the unexpected in Central Asia – Story of Nisar Keshvani, Head of Communications at University of Central Asia

How one PR pro from Singapore is trying to change the culture of reporting in the remote mountain republics

As a teenager, I spent a month in Bangladesh. It was one of my first solo journeys and it left a lasting impression. It was an immensely enriching cultural experience, which has resonated in my professional life.

Any seasoned traveler is unfazed by the discomforts and mishaps of a new place – pollution, massive traffic jams, a roundabout taxi journey, pick pocketing, just to name a few. As I immersed myself in my new environment, my local friends introduced me to the term “hota hai” – Hindi for “it happens”. Every adventure, mishap, or surprise was laughed over, and tossed out of the window with a hota hai. “Expect the unexpected,” they educated me.

In my four years working in Central Asia’s public relations and media industry, leading communications at the University of Central Asia in Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan, I’ve certainly learnt a thing or two about the unexpected.

More Expect the unexpected in Central Asia | PR Week.

 

Earlier related at Ismailimail Archives:

Nisar and Malathi Keshvani: From Singapore to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Related University of Central Asia at Ismailimail Archives:

• UK: Retrospective | Muslim Education: Historical 1957 London video interview of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
• Honoring a Visionary: A Pictorial Tribute to His Highness the Aga Khan IV by the University of Central Asia
• University of Northern British Columbia and University of Central Asia sign partnership for student and faculty exchanges
• Hear voices from the roof of the world: Episode 1: Bears on the Brink​ #CoveringClimateNow #Climatechange
• SPOTLIGHT | The first class: Making history at the University of Central Asia | @akdn @ucentralasia
• Historic First Convocation of University of Central Asia
• Voices from the Roof of the World (VRW): The Aga Khan University, The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and The University of Central Asia Joint Collaboration #ClimateChange

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