The Hindu : National : Gopal Gandhi has vast experience in political, constitutional issues

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Saturday, Dec 04, 2004

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National

Gopal Gandhi has vast experience in political, constitutional issues

By Our Special Correspondent

Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who has been appointed Governor of West Bengal.

NEW DELHI, DEC. 3. The newly-appointed Governor of West Bengal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, brings with him long years of experience within a political-constitutional environment. He served as Secretary to President K.R. Narayanan from 1997 to 2000. Between 1987 and 1992, he served as Joint Secretary with President R. Venkataraman.

Currently heading India's Embassy in Norway, Mr. Gandhi was the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2002. At the hub of the ethno-political conflict of Sri Lanka, the position required him to interact closely with the political and diplomatic personnel working on the Sri Lanka process under Norwegian facilitation. This engagement continued in Oslo.

Mr. Gandhi's first Ambassadorial appointment was also in a country emerging from internal conflict, South Africa.

The first position within a political-constitutional environment held by him, as an Indian Administrative Service Officer, was that of Secretary to the Governor of Tamil Nadu, S.L. Khurana, from 1983 to 1985.

A member of the IAS from 1968 to 1992, he took voluntary retirement in 1992. He was invited to set up, as its first Director, the Nehru Centre of the High Commission of India, London, in the summer of 1992.

Mr. Gandhi has authored a novel "Refuge" on the subject of Indian Tamil plantation labourers in Sri Lanka, and a play in English verse, "Dara Shukoh," on the life of Emperor Shah Jahan's eldest son. He has translated into Hindustani, Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy."

His language-attributes cover Hindi, Gujarati and Tamil, besides English. Mr. Gandhi is married to Tara, an ornithologist and nature conservationist. They have two married daughters, Divya and Amrita.

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