Memories of an Ambassador

This biography documents K. Kesavapany’s journey from the Malayan estates in the late 1930s to his move to Singapore when he was headhunted to join the Singapore Civil Service in the 1970s, and from his entry into Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to his subsequent sojourns abroad, such as in Australia, Turkey, Geneva, Jordan, Indonesia, Russia, United Kingdom and Malaysia. After retiring from his last post with the MFA, he took on the position of Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. This book also elaborates on the next phase of his journey where he holds several prominent portfolios in Singapore’s social and academic scene, such as at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Dyslexia Association of Singapore, Singapore Indian Association, Inter-Religious Organization, as well as the Singapore International Foundation.

K. Kesavapany was Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1997 to 2002. He served as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and was concurrently accredited as Ambassador to Italy (1991–1997) and Turkey. He was elected the first Chairman of the General Council of the WTO in 1995. He was also Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. From 2002 to 2012, he was the Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, NUS. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in NUS. Anitha Devi Pillai lectures at the National Institute of Education, NTU. Her teaching focuses on writing skills and writing pedagogy. She is co-author of From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community and Project Work: Exploring Processes, Practices and Strategies. She has published in academic journals and books, as well as poetry and short stories in local and international journals.