Kolkata US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton interacted with young women rescued from human traffickers and listened keenly to their tales in her first programme after arriving in this eastern Indian metropolis Sunday.
Clad in a dark suit, Clinton, 64, also clapped enthusiastically during a four-minute welcome dance by the women at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations' Rabindranath Tagore Centre.
She encouraged the performers and asked about details and significance of the performance from Sohini Chakraborty, founder of Kolkata Sanved, an NGO looking after victims of human trafficking.
Chakraborty, a sociologist and dance activist, told her how dance therapy helped the girls return to the mainstream by healing the agony and psychological trauma they had endured in the past.
Clinton arrived on a three-day visit and is scheduled to meet West Bengal's first woman Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today. She also visited the iconic Victoria Memorial.
This is Clinton's second visit to Kolkata. She is also expected to announce major American investment for Bengal and discuss India-Bangladesh ties with Banerjee.
Apparently, it's Mamata who is proving to be the biggest road block for entry of foreign funds into those sectors. Political circles are abuzz with rumours, where many believe Clinton is here to sell Congress agenda.
