Envoy’s book celebrates India’s shared history with Netherlands
NEWDELHI: In an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world which increasingly resembles the infamous Dutch weather, India and the Netherlands remain relatively peaceful and stable democracies which continue to grow in prosperity and this success unites them and bestows on them the responsibility to play a leadership role, individually as well as collectively, believes Venu Rajamony, the Indian Ambassador to the European nation.
At a time when the Dutch king and queen are visiting India, the senior Indian Foreign Service officer has authored a book on the ties between the two nations. In
n the 251-page India and Netherlands: Past, Present and Future, Rajamony dwells on the shared history, economic ties, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, including at a high level between the two nations.
A special characteristic of both their people is also resilience in the face of adversity, he says. Having built a country from the swamps of the sea, the Netherlands is now an economic powerhouse. The people of India too, like the Dutch, have built their nation through hard work and intelligence. They have transformed their country from a poverty-stricken, underdeveloped colony to the seventh largest economy in the world in little over 70 years, says Rajamony.
“As India engages in efforts to speed up growth and address its social and developmental challenges, there are few countries as ideal as the Netherlands to partner its endeavours. Dutch strengths are in the areas where India has its largest needs –water, agriculture, and the maritime sector,” the senior diplomat says.
As India and the Netherlands march into the future, there is an obvious convergence of economic interests, he adds.