Top Indian diplomat in Britain begins tenure
GANDHI AND AMBEDKAR TRIBUTES MARK VIKRAM DORAISWAMI’S FIRST DAY
INDIA’S new high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, who arrived in London last Friday (23), began his tenure by paying tribute at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square and the Ambedkar Museum in north London.
On Monday (26), he met the UK’s chief of defence staff, Admiral Tony Radakin. In a tweet, India’s high commission said, “Recognising the enormous potential of India-UK defence & security coop. and the leadership-level mandate for transformative changes in these ties, the two sides agreed to work closely on that front.”
Doraiswami received the credentials for his new post from India’s president Droupadi Murmu last week, after his appointment was announced by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in August.
The diplomat, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1992 batch, was welcomed to the UK by Adele Taylor, the special representative of the foreign secretary; India’s deputy high commissioner, Sujit Ghosh; and other officials.
“Straight from the airport, high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami went directly to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square in London,” India House in London tweeted with images of the visit.
“From Bapu [Gandhi] to Babasaheb Ambedkar: high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami visited the Ambedkar Museum in London to pay tribute to the architect of India’s constitution, and the proponent of equity and social justice,” it added.
Doraiswami, 53, succeeds Gaitri Issar Kumar, who retired from service as India’s top diplomat in the UK at the end of June. He previously served in missions and embassies around the world, including Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Beijing. Doraiswami was also based at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York as a political counsellor.
In addition, he was ambassador to Uzbekistan in October 2014 and to the Republic of Korea in April 2015. Doraiswami also worked in the Prime Minister’s Office and served in senior positions within the MEA.
According to the Indian High Commission in London, Doraiswami speaks Chinese, French and some Korean. He has a master’s degree in history from the University of Delhi, and worked as a journalist before joining the civl service.