By IANS,
New Delhi : Venu Rajamony, an Indian Foreign Service officer, who has served in Indian missions in Beijing, Washington and Geneva, Thursday assumed charge as the press secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Rajamony was serving as joint secretary and headed the Multilateral Institutions Division of the Department of Economic Affairs of the finance ministry on deputation before moving into Rashtrapati Bhavan as a presidential aide.
His stint as Inddia’s consul general in Dubai (2007-2010) saw a defining transformation of India’s economic ties with the United Arab Emirates and the publication of his first book, “India and the UAE: In Celebration of a Legendary Friendship.”
Besides diplomacy, Rajamony has carved a niche for himself as an author and scholar of international relations. He has served as Asia Foundation Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, and authored a monograph titled “The India-China-US Triangle: A Soft Balance of Power in the Making”.
He is a fluent Mandarin speaker.
Rajamony holds a a masters in international studies from New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and law degree from Kottayam’s Mahatma Gandhi University. He was vice president of the JNU Student’s Union in 1981-82 and chairman of the Maharajas College Students Union, Ernakulam in 1980-81.