Chinmaya Gharekhan (born July 4, 1934) is a former

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

n diplomat.

Early life

Chinmaya Gharekhan was born on July 4, 1934 in

Dabhoi Dabhoi is a town and a municipality in the Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. History Dabhoi was historically known as Darbhavati, Darbikagrama, Darbhavatipura, and Dabhohi. It is first mentioned in the sixth century astrono ...

, a village in the Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

. He was one of 4 children born in a well off family. His father, Dr. Rajaninath Gharekhan was a civil surgeon to the former state of Baroda (now Vadodara.)

Career

He served as Chairman of International Control Commission in Laos from 1973 - 1975, Indian Ambassador to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

from 1975–1976, Indian Ambassador to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

in Geneva from 1977 - 1980, Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India ( IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of th ...

from 1981 - 1986. He served as India's Permanent Representative to the

, and was elected to be the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

of the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

in 1990. In January 1993 was appointed by the

UN Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-ge ...

as a

special envoy Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

to the

Middle East peace process Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ( ...

in the capacity of

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a renewable term of four years. Under ...

, a position he held until 1999.Kofi Annan to Pres. of the Security Council
/ref> From 2005 - 2009 he served as

Special Envoy Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

of India for the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. He was President of the

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all t ...

. Currently, he is the Chairman of

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an Indian educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by Dr K.M Munshi, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi. The trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, 7 centres abroad and 367 constituent insti ...

, Delhi Kendra.

External links

A brief bio of Gharekhan

another biography

Chinmaya Gharekhan at the World Affairs Council of Northern California

References

Ambassadors of India to Vietnam Permanent Representatives of India to the United Nations Living people 1934 births Indian officials of the United Nations Special Envoys of the Secretary-General of the United Nations {{India-diplomat-stub es:Chinmaya Rajaninath Gharekhan