ARTICLES 

Farewell to H.E. Dr. Bhaskar Balakrishnan, Ambassador of India to Greece

elinepa

balakrishnanDr. Bhaskar Balakrishnan, Ambassador of India to Greece retired from his post at the end of September 2007 and returned back to his home in New Delhi.

We are truly honoured to have worked with such a dedicated person to his duties. The Hellenic-Indian Society for Culture and Development (ELINEPA) has achieved many of her objectives over the past three years working with his constant encouragement and support.

Rarely a month has passed without organizing a cultural event or receiving an Indian delegation. During Dr. Balakrishnan’s term of service, we had the opportunity to meet senior civil officers from India who visited Greece engaging in a wide range of different tasks, including H.E. the President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam.

We have also seen real changes in the way the Service in the Indian Embassy works. We are glad to see the change by which they now provide a six months tourist visa to the public, without any bureaucratic difficulty. Most important of all, His Excellency has demonstrated clearly how one can use his limited resources with efficiency for the promotion of the rich cultural heritage and values of his country.  

Dr. Balakrishnan created a great number of friends amongst politicians, scientists, artists and simple citizens in Greece. He always held meetings in a very friendly climate, which was an encouraging sign for the further development of relations between the two countries. His exceptional skills and abilities have been recognised and continue to be recognized by everyone here in Greece.

During the farewell ceremony, organized by the Indian Embassy, many people felt that they will miss enormously his warm presence.  Chairman Demetrios Vassiliades and Gen. Secretary Anthony Papadopoulos have expressed on behalf of all the members of ELINEPA, their thanks to the departing Ambassador and his honourable wife for the contribution they made in all areas and expressed the hope that from their new position they will continue to work with the sole objective to change people’s lives for the better.

 

Read also Balakrishnan’s articles on Indo-Greek themes: