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
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 who belongs to the Indian Foreign Service. On 17 September 2021, he assumed the post of Officer on Special Duty, External Cooperation (with the rank of Chief Secretary) in the Government of Kerala. He is a concurrent faculty of Diplomatic Practice at the Jindal Global Law School of the O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana.[1] He was the Ambassador of India to the Netherlands from 2017 to 2020.[2][3][4][5] He was also the Permanent Representative of India to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague as well as responsible for India’s relations with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).

In addition, he held the post of 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 moving 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 began 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

Venu Rajamony was born on 12 November 1960 in Thiruvananthapuram, 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.

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 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 did a pre-degree course in 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 do a Master's degree in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he was Vice President of the Students' Union there during 1981 and 1982.[8] Later, he secured an LLB degree from Ernakulam Law College, Mahatma Gandhi University (1983–1986).

Rajamony was a staff correspondent of the Indian Express, Kochi, from 1983 to 1986. He qualified for the Indian Foreign Service in 1986 after appearing for the examination 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

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

During his tenure in the Netherlands, Rajamony appeared on behalf of India before the ICJ in The Hague in the matter of "Advisory Opinion concerning the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius."[11][12] He was a member of the Indian delegation before the ICJ in the Jadhav case (India Vs. Pakistan)[13][14] and Co-Agent of India in the case concerning the Enrica Lexie incident (Italy Vs. India)[15] before the PCA.[16] He was also the leader of the Indian delegation to multiple sessions of the Conference of States Parties and Executive Council of the OPCW.[17]

As OSD, Ambassador Rajamony’s mandate includes interaction with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, foreign missions based in India and Indian diplomatic missions abroad on various matters, including those pertaining to the Kerala diaspora. His responsibilities include exploring external cooperation opportunities for the state in diverse sectors, including business, trade, investments, finance, skill development, education, culture etc. He also supports the state government in its interaction with foreign officials and business delegations visiting the state as well as in the follow-up to official visits by the Chief Minister of Kerala abroad. He is based in New Delhi and functions out of the Kerala House.

Literary career

Venu Rajamony's book "What Can We Learn From The Dutch - Rebuilding Kerala Post 2018 Floods'' was released in Kerala in January 2019.[18] The book describes the Dutch response to floods over history, their innovations in water management, and the lessons Kerala can learn from the Dutch. The book highlights the need for the state to equip itself with technical know-how and expertise to avoid another such disaster.

Another notable work is a 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 won praise as an encyclopedia of the cross-cultural legacy between India and the Netherlands. It presents vivid snapshots of relations between the two nations over the centuries and brings to life the compelling personalities whose contributions shaped the Indo-Dutch discourse.[19]

He also authored a monograph titled "The 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 during 2001-2002.

  • 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

  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.
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