Press Release

October 1, 2019

The King of the Netherlands receives first copy of book on India and the Netherlands authored by Indian Ambassador Venu Rajamony 

A book authored by India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony  titled ‘India and the Netherlands - Past, Present and Future” was released yesterday (September 30, 2019) in Amsterdam at a seminar attended by the King and Queen of the Netherlands. The first copy was received by HM King Willem Alexander in the presence of a large number of distinguished guests including the Dutch Minister for Education, Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam and  Ambassadors of 26 countries. 

The seminar was jointly organized by the Embassy of India and the Royal Asian Art Society in the Netherlands.  The event took place at the prestigious Rijksmuseum (National Museum) Amsterdam. 

The Seminar, a curtain raiser to the upcoming State Visit of the Dutch Royals to India, featured talks on various aspects of ties between India and the Netherlands by Mr. Hans de Boer, Chairman, VNO-NCW (Dutch Employers Federation); Mr. Marens Engelhard, Director of the National Archives of the Netherlands; Mr. Taco Dibbits, Director, Rjiksmuseum, Mr. Menno Fitski, Head of the Asian Art Department and Ms Martine Gosselink, Head of Department of History, both of the Rijksmuseum; and Mr. Pieter Ariens Kappers, Chairman Royal Asian Art Society of the Netherlands. The talks covered various aspects of history, culture and business ties between the two countries.

After the event, the King and Queen visited the 12th century Nataraja statue in the Museum and also interacted with select representatives who embody the Indo-Dutch connection in the fields of business, science, culture, sports, food and health.

Interacting with the media on the occasion, King Willem-Alexander said that he was looking forward to his trip to India next month.

"India is a very important country for the Netherlands. It (the book release) is a great job by the Indian Ambassador to The Hague. I am grateful to him that he found out lots about the history of our two countries," he said.

Ambassador Venu Rajamony’s book is an encyclopaedia of the cross-cultural legacy between India and the Netherlands. It highlights the significant place India occupied in the Dutch world view and the relationship between the two nations secured by strong economic ties and vibrant exchanges in the fields of culture, sports, and yoga. The book presents vivid snapshots of relations between the two nations over the centuries. It brings to life the compelling personalities whose contributions shaped the Indo-Dutch discourse and also skilfully strings together nuggets of little-known information. It reminds that India and the Netherlands, above all, share a cultural and intellectual resilience, which has outlasted the challenges of change. It also emphasises the bilateral strength of present-day ties, and the infinite mutual potential that the future holds for India and the Netherlands