Wednesday, December 25, 2013

93. First Posting Abroad Paves Way to Continue In Service

Thousand Full Moon: P N Ramachandran
Contributed by: P N Ramachandran






I joined government service first in Tamil Nadu State Secretariat and then I was transferred to the IFS (Indian Foreign Service B). We had to alternately serve at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs in the Central Secretariat, New Delhi and then at the Indian Embassy abroad to which we might be posted.
My first posting abroad was at Addis Ababa. Ethiopia was then quite friendly with India. During that posting there was armed rebellion by the Crown Prince against the Emperor Haile Selassie (much milder than the later one which made the country into a Republic), earth tremors etc. The Ambassador was from one of India's princely families. He had faced civil wars in his other postings abroad and so he even enjoyed the rebellion at Addis Ababa. However he became extremely nervous at the earth tremors. The Ambassador's residence also developed mild damage then. The Embassy provided tents for the Ambassador and all the officials. The Ambassador and his wife were sleeping in the tent in the garden at their residence. I had to keep company for him; so I slept in another tent with my family in that compound. We found another residence and shifted the Ambassador thereto. He left Ethiopia soon after but his successor stated that that the residence was not convenient! These are the pin-pricks in smaller Embassies abroad! In all we had comparatively speaking a good time in that country and enjoyed our stay there. Due to nearness to the Equator or some such reason there was shortage of oxygen in the atmosphere. We were advised to leave the City (which is on a plateau) and go down to other places once in 6 weeks at least. It was pleasant to leave the uniformly cold city and enjoy the warmer climate outside. Thanks and best wishes

P N Ramachandran



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