Bharath Raj Muthu Kumar

Ambassador Bharath Raj Muthu Kumar is a former Indian Foreign Service officer and served the country in various capacities as a career diplomat. Ambassador B.R. Muthu Kumar better known as Muthu studied Mathematics and Sociology and is an alumni of Central College, Bangalore and the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Muthu has wide ranging interests that go beyond the realm of diplomacy and international relations. He is an ardent lover of performing arts, cinema and music. He is an accomplished musician and was a popular performing musician during the mid-60s to December 1974 with a wide repertoire of western folk-rock music. He has also been trained for five years in the Hindustani vocal music tradition of the Kirana Gharana by Smt Kheya Srivastava.

In 1984 Muthu started the collection of India’s best feature films and documentaries for the Ministry of External Affair’s Audio-Visual Archive & Library for non-commercial screenings and exhibition by Indian diplomatic missions overseas. As an administrator of the Indian Council for the Cultural Relations in New Delhi, he organised in 1992 Pakistan’s prima donna Abida Parveen’s first concert in India. Breaking all traditions he also had Abida Parveen and India’s maestro Shri Jagjit Singh performing together on the same stage.

Muthu though retired from the Foreign Service continues to be active pursuing his interests in seminars, writing, art, cinema and music. His spare time is consumed by guitar and vocal practice and watching films.