Venu Rajamony

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Venu Rajamony
Officer on Special Duty (External Cooperation) to the State Government of Kerala
Assumed office
17 September 2021
Ambassador of India to the Netherlands
In office
8 May 2017 – 2020
Preceded byJ.S. Mukul
Succeeded byPradeep Kumar Rawat
Press Secretary, President of India
In office
2012–2017
PresidentPranab Mukherjee
Consul General of India to Dubai
In office
2007–2010
Preceded byY.K. Sinha
Succeeded bySanjay Verma
Personal details
Born (1960-11-12) 12 November 1960 (age 63)
NationalityIndian
SpouseSaroj Thapa
ChildrenVasant Venu, Karthik Venu
Alma materMahatma Gandhi University, Kerala
Jawaharlal Nehru University
OccupationDiplomat IFS
Websitewww.venurajamony.com

Venu Rajamony (born 12 November 1960) is an Indian diplomat and historian hailing from the Indian Foreign Service. On 17 September 2021, he took up the position of Officer on Special Duty, External Cooperation (with the rank of Chief Secretary) in the Government of Kerala. He concurrently serves as faculty teaching Diplomatic Practice at the Jindal Global Law School of the O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana.[1] He held the position of Ambassador of India to the Netherlands from 2017 to 2020.[2][3][4][5] He also served as the Permanent Representative of India to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, overseeing India’s relations with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).

In addition, he served as the Press Secretary to the President of India[6] during the tenure of President Pranab Mukherjee from 2012 to 2017.

Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, he completed his primary education there before relocating with his parents to Kochi. He holds degrees in Politics from Kerala University and Law from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, and a postgraduate degree in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

He embarked on his career as a journalist with the Indian Express, Kochi, in 1983 and qualified for the Indian Foreign Service in 1986. Fluent in the Chinese language, Rajamony is also proficient in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and French. He has served as a diplomat in Indian missions in Hong Kong, Beijing, Geneva, Dubai, and Washington, D.C.

Early life and education[edit]

Venu Rajamony was born on 12 November 1960 in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the South Indian state of Kerala, to K S Rajamony, a lawyer, and Seetha Rajamony.

K S Rajamony practiced law in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi for more than 40 years and was involved in the formation of the first Bar Council of Kerala; the Lok Adalat, which provided free legal services to the poor; the Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC), and the Thiruvananthapuram Flying Club. Seetha Rajamony, who had studied in Holy Angels Convent, Women's College, and University College was active in the Trivandrum Women’s Club and Inner Wheel Club.[citation needed]

Growing up in Kunnumpuram behind the Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram, Venu Rajamony completed his primary education in Holy Angels Convent. The next three years were spent in St. Joseph's School near the General Hospital. Rajamony's high school days in St. Joseph's of the Woods, Kalamassery (1973–1976) began with his family's shift to Kochi. He subsequently pursued a pre-degree course at Maharajas College, Ernakulam (1976–1978) and graduated from there in 1981 with a BA in Politics. He was elected as Chairman of the Maharaja's College Students' Union during 1980–81 under the panel of Kerala Students Union.[7]

Moving to New Delhi to pursue a Master's degree in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he served as Vice President of the Students' Union there during 1981 and 1982.[8] Later, he earned an LLB degree from Ernakulam Law College, Mahatma Gandhi University (1983–1986).

Rajamony worked as a staff correspondent for the Indian Express, Kochi, from 1983 to 1986. He cleared the Indian Foreign Service exam in 1986 at University College, Thiruvananthapuram. Rajamony also holds a Certificate in Chinese Language from the University of Hong Kong.[9]

Venu Rajamony is married to Saroj Thapa, an educationist from Darjeeling, and they have two sons.

Political career[edit]

While serving as Consul General of India in Dubai from 2007 to 2010, Rajamony initiated several measures for the welfare of the two million-strong Indian community there and to enhance trade and investment between the UAE and India.[10]

During his tenure in the Netherlands, Rajamony represented India before the ICJ in The Hague in the case of "Advisory Opinion concerning the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius."[11][12] He was part of the Indian delegation before the ICJ in the Jadhav case (India Vs. Pakistan)[13][14] and served as Co-Agent of India in the Enrica Lexie incident case (Italy Vs. India)[15] before the PCA.[16] Additionally, he led the Indian delegation to various sessions of the Conference of States Parties and Executive Council of the OPCW.[17]

As Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ambassador Rajamony's role involves engaging with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, foreign missions in India, and Indian diplomatic missions abroad on various issues, particularly those concerning the Kerala diaspora. He is tasked with exploring opportunities for external cooperation in sectors such as business, trade, investments, finance, skill development, education, and culture. Additionally, he assists the state government in its interactions with foreign officials and business delegations visiting Kerala, as well as in the aftermath of official visits by the Chief Minister of Kerala abroad. He is stationed in New Delhi and operates from Kerala House.

Literary career[edit]

Venu Rajamony's book "What Can We Learn From The Dutch: Rebuilding Kerala Post 2018 Floods" was launched in Kerala in January 2019.[18] The book delves into the Dutch response to floods throughout history, their advancements in water management, and the potential lessons Kerala can glean from their experiences. It emphasizes the importance of the state acquiring technical knowledge and expertise to prevent similar disasters in the future.

Another notable work is the coffee table book titled "India and the UAE: In Celebration of a Legendary Friendship." A Malayalam version of the book was released in Kerala in 2013, and an Arabic version was published in the UAE in 2014.

His book "India and the Netherlands - Past, Present and Future" has garnered acclaim as an encyclopedia of the cross-cultural legacy between India and the Netherlands. It offers vivid snapshots of relations between the two nations over the centuries and vividly portrays the influential personalities whose contributions shaped the Indo-Dutch discourse.[19]

He also authored a monograph titled "India-China-US Triangle: A Soft Balance of Power in the Making" during his fellowship at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, from 2001 to 2002.

  • India and the UAE: In Celebration of a Legendary Friendship,[20] Lustre Publications, 2008, ISBN 978-1860632808
  • India and The Netherlands – Past, Present and Future,[21] Bombay Ink, 2019, ISBN 978-9090321011
  • What We Can Learn From The Dutch – Rebuilding Kerala Post 2018 Floods,[22] DC Books, 2019, ISBN 978-9352825929
  • Select Paintings of Rashtrapati Bhavan (Portfolio), Lalit Kala Akademi, 2016, ISBN 978-8187507659
  • Company Paintings in Rashtrapati Bhavan (Portfolio), Lalit Kala Akademi, 2016, ISBN 978-8187507642
  • Paintings in the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan (Portfolio), Lalit Kala Akademi, 2016, ISBN 978-8187507635

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jindal Global Law School appoints Ambassador Venu Rajamony as Professor". The Print. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Venu Rajamony Appointed Indian Ambassador To Netherlands". NDTV. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Venu Rajamony appointed as next Ambassador of India to Kingdom of Netherlands". Business Standard. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Venu Rajamony to be India's next Ambassador to the Netherlands". UNI India. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Venu Rajamony appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Venu Rajamony is Press Secretary to President". The New Indian Express. 28 July 2012.
  7. ^ "KSU wins chairman's post in Maharaja's College". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  8. ^ "Love knows no borders, or ask this ex-diplomat from Kerala!". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  9. ^ "Trip down memory lane". New Indian Express. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Time to move on for India's top men". The National. 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  11. ^ "India backs Mauritius: Chagos Archipelago has been part of the Mauritian territory, India tells ICJ". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  12. ^ Scroll Staff. "India supports Mauritius' claim to disputed Chagos islands controlled by Britain". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  13. ^ "'Was confident of a positive verdict at ICJ in Jadhav case' | Kochi News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. Jul 25, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  14. ^ "Venu Rajamony Interview |Venu Rajamony to play a vital role in Kulbhushan Jadhav's case - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  15. ^ "Cases | PCA-CPA". pca-cpa.org. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  16. ^ "The Enrica Lexie Incident, Award, 21 May 2020". Jus Mundi. 2020-07-02.
  17. ^ "India is against use of chemical weapons: Venu Rajamony". The Hindu. PTI. 2018-06-27. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  18. ^ ""What Can We Learn From The Dutch : Rebuilding Kerala Post 2018 Floods" released at Kerala Literature Festival". Water Alliance. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  19. ^ "India and the Netherlands - Past, Present and Future". DutchNews.nl. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  20. ^ "Venu Rajamony book: India and the UAE; In celebration of a legendary friendship". India Today. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  21. ^ "Book on India-Netherlands relationship presented to Dutch King". The Week. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  22. ^ "Rajamony's book provides perspective to rebuild Kerala after floods". Outlook India. Retrieved 22 January 2019.

External links[edit]

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