R Viswanathan
Encyclopedia
R. Viswanathan, also known as Rengaraj Viswanathan, is an Indian diplomat
, writer and speaker specializing in Latin American
politics, markets, and culture.
, Karachi
, Port Louis
, Tripoli
, and New York City
. He was the first Indian
Consul General in Sao Paulo
, Brazil
from 1996 to 2000. From 2000 to 2003 he was the Indian Ambassador
to Venezuela
and from September 2003 to September 2007 he was stationed at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi
, looking after the Latin America Division. Since October 2007 he has been the Indian Ambassador
to Argentina
, Uruguay
, and Paraguay
, based out of Buenos Aires. Nine months into his being appointed ambassador, R. Viswanathan is credited with having increased India-Argentian commerce by 40%.
, writing articles and giving lectures on Latin American politics, markets, and culture.
and Portuguese
and has visited almost all of the countries in the Latin American region. Records exist of more than 100 speeches since June 2004. More than thirty of these speeches are preserved on the internet.
His articles, have been published in newspapers and magazines of India, Argentina, and international affairs, including Business Line
, The Hindu
, Financial Express
, and World Affairs Journal
.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, writer and speaker specializing in Latin American
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
politics, markets, and culture.
Diplomatic posts
R. Viswanathan has held various positions in LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Port Louis
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
, Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was the first Indian
Indian people
Indian people or Indisians constitute the Asian nation and pan-ethnic group native to India, which forms the south of Asia, containing 17.31% of the world's population. The Indian nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the rich and complex history of India...
Consul General in Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
from 1996 to 2000. From 2000 to 2003 he was the Indian Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and from September 2003 to September 2007 he was stationed at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, looking after the Latin America Division. Since October 2007 he has been the Indian Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, based out of Buenos Aires. Nine months into his being appointed ambassador, R. Viswanathan is credited with having increased India-Argentian commerce by 40%.
Writing and speaking
For the last 15 years R. Viswanathan has been specializing in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, writing articles and giving lectures on Latin American politics, markets, and culture.
Speaking
Viswanathan gives speeches in both SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and has visited almost all of the countries in the Latin American region. Records exist of more than 100 speeches since June 2004. More than thirty of these speeches are preserved on the internet.
Writing
He has published documents on the Latin American region, including:- Guide for Business with Brazil - January 1997
- A Market Study of Mercosur - June 1997
- Business with Venezuela - January 2001
- Business with Andean Community - April 2001
- Business with Latin America, 2nd edition - Feb 2005
- Business with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, 2nd edition - January 2010
His articles, have been published in newspapers and magazines of India, Argentina, and international affairs, including Business Line
Business line
Business Line or The Hindu Business Line is an Indian business newspaper published by Kasturi & Sons, the publishers of the newspaper The Hindu located in Chennai, India.-History:...
, The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, Financial Express
Financial Express
The Financial Express is an Indian English-language business newspaper. It is published by the Indian Express group since 1961. The FE specialises in India and international business and financial news....
, and World Affairs Journal
World Affairs (journal)
World Affairs is a bimonthly magazine covering international relations. It is the official journal of the American Peace Society. The magazine has been published since 1837 and was re-launched in January 2008 as a new publication. Each issue contains articles offering diverse perspectives on global...
.
External links
- Foreign Relations: Ministry of external affairs, Government of India
- 'Football fidelity: An Indian diplomat’s dilemma, 9 June 2010
- 'Brazil: short skirts big B arouse global interest, 17 December 2009
- 'Lula or not, why Brazil is the best BRIC, 17 December 2009
- Hindu Business, Brazil — the emerging bio-fuel power, 2 June 2007