The new Indian High Commission to Australia, His Excellency A. Gitesh Sarma has arrived in Canberra to take on his new role.
Prior to arriving in Australia, H.E Sarma served as the Secretary (West) in Indian government’s Ministry of External Affairs until November 2019.
“It feels great to be here. I arrived two weeks ago,” Mr Sarma tells in this exclusive interview with SBS Hindi.
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Born on 25th March 1961, Mr Sarma joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986.
In his career spanning over three decades, Mr Sarma has worked in Ministry of External Affairs as Under Secretary (Europe East) and Director (Central Asia).
A Masters in Political Science from Delhi University, Mr Sarma’s overseas assignments include Indian Missions in Russia, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. He has been Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan and High Commissioner of India in Fiji.
Additionally, Mr Sarma has served as the Officer on Special Duty (IT Enabled Services) in the Information Technology Department of the state of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, India.
He was also Joint Secretary (External Relations) in the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.
Mr Sarma in his chat with SBS Hindi reveals he has an old connection with Australia.
“I studied in a remote school in Jharkhand, India. The school was set up by Australian missionaries. I was educated by Australian teachers and tutors. I feel very grateful that so many years later, I have got an opportunity to serve as the Indian High Commissioner to Australia. It is a happy coincidence,” he says.
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (file pic) Source: AAP
“There is immense potential to grow this relationship and we have so many things in common – be it our democratic values, our understanding of English, skills, cricket. There is a lot of excitement in India where Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be delivering the keynote address at the Raisina Dialogue. India looks forward to hosting him,” he told SBS Hindi.
In his message to the Indian community living in Australia, Mr Sarma said the diaspora has played an important role in making India proud.
“I have been following SBS Hindi since the time I have arrived and I am incredibly proud of the work our Indian community is doing here. I read about Madhaviji’s chulha at her Sydney home and Dr Thakur’s tips to deal with smog. I was particularly proud of the Indian family who made home-cooked meals for the fire-fighters fighting bushfires and also was so touched by taxi driver Rajdeepji’s thoughts where he says he treats his passengers as his family. Our community has made us very proud abroad and I hope we will continue serving and helping others,” Mr A Sarma said.
