New Consul General plans to reach out to the community

FREMONT: On Wednesday December 21, guests and city members gathered to welcome the new Consul General of India, Mr N. Parthasarathi. There are several issues regarding the functioning of the consulate related to the problems the Diaspora Indians face. The new Consul General promised to try and bring about the necessary changes in the system.
Mr Parthasarathi arrived in San Francisco on October 13, 2011 to begin his new tenure. He is a qualified Mechanical Engineer with a Masters in Business Administration and a Post Graduate Diploma. Earlier to this posting, he was Ambassador of India to the Republic of South Korea from 2005 till 2008. He continued to serve as Ambassador of India to Senegal till 2011, and was also accredited as Ambassador of India to Mali, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde islands, as well as High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Gambia. Mr Parthasarathi joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1981 and has served as a diplomat in countries throughout the world, including Belgium, Senegal, Pakistan, United Kingdom and Syria.
During his welcome gathering on December 21, Mr Parthasarathi was asked about his main goal during the period he is likely to serve as Consul General. He said, “My main goal is basically to reach out to the community and try to do the best that is possible so that they feel the consulate is theirs. We are not trying to work at cross purposes. We are not trying to contradict each other. We want to do what is best so both America as well as India benefit and prosper.”
In addition to emphasizing the important fact that the Consulate is working with the communities rather than against them, Parthasarathi believes that there must be change implemented in the consulate services that are provided for the people. People dislike the excessive waiting time and lack of service at the consulate office.
Mr Parthasarathi suggested two simple and viable ways in changing this. “We are trying to revamp the website…we are not trying to give the information of what we have, but rather give the information that you need. That solves more than half the problem. Secondly, we are soon going to introduce a person who will be there physically for three hours a day who will answer questions and emails.”
On a larger scale some people raised concerns regarding how other people view India. Mr Parthasarthi said, “We don’t have to worry about what others perceive or what others feel. Be confident. We keep doing what we need to do. We keep growing.”
Aside from working to remedy issues and helping the community, Mr Parthasarathi enjoys writing. He has two published books; the first, The Reluctant Assassin, is a thriller based on what he saw happening in Pakistan. The second, Bi Dan Hwang Hoo is a story about an Indian princess marrying a Korean king and shares the history of India and Korea.
Mr Parthasarathi conveys the reason behind writing as a form of expressing his creativity and happiness. “It helped me in my work and diplomacy. So when things help me in doing my job and I also feel happy, that’s it.”
Jasreen Gupta

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