The Deputy High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Southern India is the mission of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

and represents the interests of the

Sri Lankan government The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය, Śrī Lankā Rajaya; ta, இலங்கை அரசாங்கம்) is a parliamentary system determined by the Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the isl ...

in the region. It is located in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. The other missions are Consulate General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

and High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

. The Chennai Mission is responsible for the southern states of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

and the union territory of Puducherry. The current deputy high commissioner is Doraisamy Venkateshwaran. He succeeds Vadivel Krishnamoorthy, who held the office for the second time.

Location

The Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka at Chennai is the closest Sri Lankan mission to the homeland in geographical terms. The chancery premises of the deputy high commission, which is its own premises, is located at 56, Sterling Road,

Nungambakkam Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai, India. The neighborhood abounds with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, educational institutions, shopping malls, sporting facilities, to ...

. The chancery was moved to its own premises on 20 August 2012. Previously, the chancery was located at 196, TTK Road,

Alwarpet Alwarpet is a residential zone in central Chennai and is a part of the greater Teynampet region. It is surrounded by Teynampet in the north and east, Mylapore, Mandavelli and Abhiramapuram in the east, Raja Annamalaipuram in the south, Na ...

. The deputy high commission has an honorary consul office at

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

History

The Sri Lankan Mission in Chennai (Madras) was established in 1957 and is one of the oldest missions of Sri Lanka. The mission office in Chennai was established as the passport and information office under the supervision of the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi. In 1959, the passport office was upgraded as the Office of Assistant High Commissioner and subsequently to that of Deputy High Commissioner in 1966, with the mission playing an increasingly important role in the Southern region of the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

due to the geographical proximity of Chennai to Sri Lanka and its ethnic commonality with the island nation. In order to reduce the cost of rentals being paid to mission premises in foreign countries, a new chancery building for the Chennai Mission was built in

. The land for the proposed building was purchased in 2000, and the foundation was laid on 21 January 2009. The foundation stone for the new building was laid by P. M. Amza, the then Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Southern India. The construction is being handled by the Central Engineering and Consultancy Bureau (CECB) and will include the Deputy High Commission and two apartments while a separate construction within the same premises will house the official residence of the Deputy High Commissioner. As part of revamping the diplomatic presence in India, the Deputy High Commission decided to post two additional Tamil-speaking officers from the public service at its chancery.

List of deputy high commissioners

* A. Sumith Nakandala (2001–2006) * P. M. Amza (2006−31 July 2009) * Vadivel Krishnamoorthy (1 August 2009–March 2012) * R. K. M. A. Rajakaruna (9 March 2012–May 2013) * Ahamed Lebbe Sabarullah Khan (15 May 2013–30 June 2015) * Vadivel Krishnamoorthy (July 2015–2020) * Doraisamy Venkateshwaran (12 April 2021–present)

Security

Following threats from various organisations and political parties in 2010, the deputy high commission has been provided with security by the Tamil Nadu government.

Trade between India and Sri Lanka

In February 2013, the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (SLEDB) established a trade centre in Chennai at a cost of 17 million as a permanent gateway facilitating trade between Sri Lanka and India. Handled by a Sri Lankan state-owned organisation, the trade centre was aimed as an economical alternative to road shows and promotional activities. The trade centre display products such as apparel, artificial flowers, confectioneries, footwear and leather products, gems and jewellery, herbal products, light engineering products, porcelain, tableware, tea and transportation.

References

External links

Official website of the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai

Homepage of Ministry of External Affairs, Sri Lanka
{{Diplomatic missions of Sri Lanka Diplomatic missions in India

India–Sri Lanka relations

Organisations based in Chennai 1957 establishments in Madras State