Ambassador Chakravarty joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and held key appointments in a long and distinguished diplomatic career. As the Secretary overseeing economic relations, he was key to negotiations within the BRICS for establishing deep partnerships. He also oversaw all lines of credit extended by India as a part of its foreign aid programmes.
After the historic establishment of diplomatic India and Israel in 1992, he was a member of the diplomatic team that did pioneering work in boosting and setting the course of bilateral ties as Deputy Chief of Mission from 1995-1999 in Tel Aviv. During this period, he was instrumental in coordinating acquisition of sensitive Israeli defence technologies by India’s Armed Forces and laying the foundation of bilateral security ties.
As a Director in America’s Division of the Ministry of External Affairs he was part of several sensitive negotiations with the United States of America on nuclear and IPR issues through the early 1990s. He has served in Indian Diplomatic Missions in Cairo, Jeddah, and London and was the Consul-General of India in Karachi, Pakistan.
Ambassador Chakravarty has considerable experience in South Asia. He had two diplomatic stints in Dhaka, first as the Deputy Chief of Mission and then as the High Commissioner of the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh. During his tenure he laid the foundation for the historic Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh as well as key strategic and security issues of mutual interest.
He also served as India’s ambassador to Thailand and helped further India’s ‘Look East’ policy by engaging with the Thai government and business communities. Post-retirement he also served as the President of Association of Indian Diplomats and as Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, Delhi. He frequently appears as a commentator on television and is a prolific columnist writing on a range of issues related to India’s foreign policy, South Asia and its national security interests.
As a Co-Founder of DeepStrat, Ambassador Chakravarty brings his extensive experience as a diplomat, networks in South and South East Asia and insights on India’s strategic bilateral relationships with the USA and Israel.