Venu Rajamony

Venu Rajamony (born 12 November 1960) is an Indian diplomat and professor affiliated with the Indian Foreign Service. He teaches Diplomatic Practice at the Jindal Global Law School of the O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana. On September 17, 2021, he assumed the role of Officer on Special Duty for External Cooperation in the Government of Kerala, holding the rank of Chief Secretary with an office at Kerala House, New Delhi. He resigned from this position on September 16, 2023, citing disagreements with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.^[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).

Venu Rajamony
Officer on Special Duty (External Cooperation) to the State Government of Kerala
In office 17 September 2021 – 16 September 2023
Ambassador of India to the Netherlands
In office 8 May 2017 – 2020
Preceded by	J.S. Mukul
Succeeded by	Pradeep Kumar Rawat
Press Secretary, President of India
In office 2012–2017
President	Pranab Mukherjee
Consul General of India to Dubai
In office 2007–2010
Preceded by	Y.K. Sinha
Succeeded by	Sanjay Verma
Personal details
Born	(1960-11-12) 12 November 1960 (age 64)
Alma mater	Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala Jawaharlal Nehru University
Occupation	Diplomat IFS
Website	www.venurajamony.com

He was Press Secretary to the President of India during the tenure of President Pranab Mukherjee from 2012 to 2017.^[6]

Early life and education

He was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. 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).

Early career

Fluent in the Chinese language, Rajamony is also proficient in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and French.

He began his career as a journalist with the Indian Express, Kochi, in 1983. 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]

Political career

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.

Literary career

• India-China-US Triangle: A Soft Balance of Power in the Making, monograph published 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, Lustre Publications, 2008, ISBN 978-1860632808^[18]
• India and The Netherlands – Past, Present and Future, Bombay Ink, 2019, ISBN 978-9090321011^[19]
• What We Can Learn From The Dutch – Rebuilding Kerala Post 2018 Floods, DC Books, 2019, ISBN 978-9352825929^[20]
• 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