MEMOIRS OF AN INDIAN
AMBASSADOR TO THE NETHERLANDS
(2010-2013)
BY AMBASSADOR BHASWATI MUKHERJEE*
I
vividly recall my arrival on a sunny
summer day in early July 2010 at the
Netherlands. Since I had been Ambassador
to UNESCO, Paris, I was driven to the
Dutch border by my UNESCO colleagues
and welcomed by my new colleagues a
few minutes later! My fi rst impression was
of windmills, canals and riotous flowers
everywhere. It was like a mini-Switzerland,
where I had spent six happy years working
for the UN, but without the mountains! The
only country below sea level which has
mastered the art of water management, the
magnifi cent dykes are a fi tting testament to the
determination of the Dutch to build a model
nation despite every adversity of nature.
20 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 4 • April-May 2019, Noida
The official residence of the Indian
Ambassador (India House) is Villa Meyland
in Wassenaar. Built in 1914, it is an iconic
heritage monument with a dark history.
during World War II it was occupied by the
head of the Gestapo. It was later purchased
by the Government of India on 27th March
1953. Among the many famous Indian
Ambassadors who have lived here include
the late Maharaja of Patiala.
For a single woman Ambassador,
accompanied by a housekeeper and a beloved
cocker spaniel, Rusty, the size of the residence
with its sprawling 12 acres including a
tennis court, a lotus pond, a dog house, a
gate keeper’s cottage and stables which now