Digitalvivek at 11:58, 8 February 2026

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{{Short description|Indian diplomat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Muthal Puredath Murlidhar Menon
| image =
| alt =
| caption = M. P. M. Menon
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date |df=yes|1942|07|10}}
| birth_place = [[Angadipuram]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2013|01|25|1942|07|10}}
| death_place =
| spouse = Shanta Menon (married 1972)
| children = 2
| other_names =
| occupation = diplomat
| years_active =
| known_for =
}}

'''Muthal Puredath Muralidhara Menon''' (10 July 1942 – 25 January 2013) was an Indian [[diplomat]], [[ambassador]] to [[Bahrain]], [[Maldives]], [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Brazil]].<ref name=":01">[http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/general/indian-community-in-uae-mourns-death-of-diplomat-1.1146275 "Indian community in UAE mourns death of diplomat"], ''[[Gulf News]]'', Abu Dhabi, 14 February 2013. Retrieved on 14 February 2013.</ref>

==Early life==
Menon was born in [[Angadipuram]], [[Malappuram District]], [[Kerala]] on 10 July 1942. His mother was M.P. Narayanikutty Menon, and father was V.P.K. Nair. He was the grandnephew of the famous freedom fighter and [[Malabar rebellion]] leader, M.P. Narayana Menon.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/freedom-fighters-birth-anniversary/article1549213.ece | title=Freedom fighter's birth anniversary | work=The Hindu | date=18 March 2011 | access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref> Being a member of the matrilineal [[Nair]] society, his family name was taken from his mother's side of the family.

He attended college is the [[Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College|Guruvayurappan College]] in [[Calicut]], on a scholarship. Upon graduation, he worked as a teacher, and then as a chemist in the explosives factory in [[Aruvankadu]]. He then joined the [[Indian Army]] Short Services Commission, which had been established in the aftermath of the [[India-China War]] of 1962. After serving in the Indian Army for 5 years, he took the [[Indian civil service]] exam and joined the [[Indian Foreign Service]].

==Diplomatic career==

[[File:With Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, In MPM Menon's house.jpg|thumb|With Bollywood actor [[Amitabh Bachchan]], in Menon's house]]
Menon's first posting was in [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]]. He served there from 1974 to 1977. His next posting was in [[Moscow]], [[Soviet Union]]. His boss, the [[Indian Ambassador to the Soviet Union]], was the future [[Prime Minister of India]], [[I. K. Gujral]]. This was the period of the [[Janata Party|Janata]] Government under [[Morarji Desai]]. There was an important visit by [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], the [[Indian Foreign Minister]], who later rose to become the Indian Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://mealib.nic.in/?2507?000#6|title = MEA Library Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Annual Report 1978-79}}</ref>

His next posting was to [[Tripoli, Libya]] in 1980. The leader of Libya was [[Muammar Gaddafi]]. The country was also a source of oil for India, and home to a large Indian expatriate population. There were constant issues about worker rights, which was difficult to enforce in a dictatorship.<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6deb65da-be5b-4cae-8056-8bf0bedf4d17%7D/WRITTEN%20STATEMENT%20ITEM%209.PDF|title =Libya must end racism against black African migrants and others|url-status =dead|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120406124000/http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6deb65da-be5b-4cae-8056-8bf0bedf4d17%7D/WRITTEN%20STATEMENT%20ITEM%209.PDF|archive-date =2012-04-06}}</ref> On one occasion, Gaddafi summoned Menon, and his boss, the Indian Ambassador, and asked them to take his private aircraft, and bring the Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] over to Tripoli. He then sent his wife to fetch Indira Gandhi from New Delhi.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/inconsistent-gaddafi-once-sent-wife-to-invite-indira/863150/|title = Inconsistent Gaddafi once sent wife to invite Indira|date = 21 October 2011|access-date = 12 August 2019 |newspaper = The Indian Express }}</ref>

After Libya, he was transferred to [[New Delhi]] in 1983. He took part in the first [[SAARC]] meeting, and travelled extensively to India's neighbouring countries. These included multiple trips to [[Pakistan]], where he was shown tremendous hospitality when people found out that he was from India.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.dawn.com/news/1172832|title = Pakistanis seem to love Indians. Do Indians feel the same way?}}</ref>

==Ambassadorial postings==
[[File:Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.jpg|thumb|With Sheikh [[Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum]]]]

===Bahrain===
In 1986, Murali Menon was transferred to [[Bahrain]]. There was a large community of Indian expatriates, some of whom, like [[Jashanmal]], had been in Bahrain for over 50 years. Out of a total population of 400,000 persons, Indians comprised around 80,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.moh.gov.bh/PDF/Publications/statistics/HS2011/PDF/CH-02%20census_2011.pdf|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150128142310/http://www.moh.gov.bh/PDF/Publications/Statistics/HS2011/PDF/CH-02%20census_2011.pdf|url-status =dead|archive-date =2015-01-28|title =Census and Demographic Statistics}}</ref> They were from all parts of India, though the majority of the Indians were from Menon's home state of Kerala. In order to coordinate the different Indian associations, he created the Coordination Committee of Indian Associations (CCIA).<ref>D'Souza, Ronald DF. [http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=53569 "Bahrain: Include Bahraini Families in Indian Programmes – Ambassador"], ''[[Daijiworld]]'', Bahrain, 14 November 2008. Retrieved on 14 November 2008.</ref>

===Maldives===
Menon arrived in [[Maldives]] soon after the attempted coup against President [[Gayoom]], by foreign mercenaries.<ref>Gupta, Shekhar. [https://www.indiatoday.in/world/neighbours/story/maldives-president-coup-india-92557-2012-02-08 "Close Shave How India averted Maldives coup in 1988"], ''[[India Today]]'', Male, Maldives, 9 February 2012. Retrieved on 9 February 2012.</ref> This attempt was crushed with the help of the Indian Army. Due to its strategic location, there were several visits from Indian Prime Ministers, Ministers, and other dignitaries during his tenure.

===Canada===
Menon took over as the Indian [[Consul General]] in 1992. This was during the height of the [[Khalistan movement]], which received significant support from the [[Sikhism in Canada|Sikh expatriates in Canada]]. However, there was no security incident during his tenure. In order to show the integration of Sikhs with India, he attended a [[gurudwara]] function, thus becoming the first Indian diplomat to officially attend a Sikh religious function in his official capacity, since the Khalistan issue erupted in the 1980s.

===United Arab Emirates===
In 1994, Menon was transferred to [[Abu Dhabi]], [[United Arab Emirates]]. As soon as he took over, the [[1994 plague epidemic in Surat]] took place.<ref>Hussain, Thomas. [http://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/10/06/UAE-lifts-some-anti-plague-measures/1182781416000/ "UAE lifts some anti-plague measures"], ''[[United Press International|UPI]]'', Dubai, 30 September 1996. Retrieved on 6 October 1994.</ref> He had to plead with the [[President of the UAE]], to allow Indians who were stranded in India, to be allowed to come back and resume their jobs. Due to [[WHO]] clearances, the UAE lifted the ban on flights from India.

The next major initiative was to have an amnesty for Indians living in the UAE illegally. Since there were immigration controls while leaving UAE, these people, who had overstayed their visas, could not leave without being arrested. Menon worked with the UAE government, and Ambassadors from fellow South Asian countries like Pakistan, [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Bangladesh]], to have an amnesty for illegals to go back to their home country. Over 100,000 people availed of this facility to leave the UAE.<ref>Mardini, Ahmad. [http://www.ipsnews.net/1996/09/gulf-population-extra-time-for-illegal-immigrants-to-leave-uae/ "GULF-POPULATION: Extra Time for Illegal Immigrants to Leave UAE"], ''[[Inter Press Service News Agency]]'', Abu Dhabi, 30 September 1996. Retrieved on 30 September 1996.</ref>

One of his favourite ways to build good relations with the Indian community was to remember the birthdays of a large number of people. He would do this even years after he was retired.<ref name=":01" />

===Brazil===
In 1998, Mr. Menon was transferred to [[Brasília]], [[Brazil]] amid a growing era of cooperation between Brazil and India, the largest democracies in South America and Asia, respectively, while in economics, the two were noted as similar emerging markets through the [[BRIC (economics term)|BRIC]] concept as proposed by [[Jim O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of Gatley|Jim O'Neill]]. This included cooperation between the Indian and [[Brazilian Space Program]]s.<ref>[http://www.isro.gov.in/update/16-mar-2000/isro-and-brazilian-space-agency-to-cooperate-space-activities "ISRO and Brazilian Space Agency to Cooperate in Space Activities"], ''[[ISRO]]'', Brasilia, 16 March 2000. Retrieved on 16 March 2000.</ref>

==Post retirement==
After retiring from the Indian Foreign Service, Menon took part in various seminars and boards. Among them was the Inland Water Transport,<ref>[http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-logistics/poor-infrastructure-hits-inland-water-transport/article2165632.ece "Poor infrastructure hits inland water transport"], ''[[The Hindu]]'', New Delhi, 17 January 2005. Retrieved on 17 January 2005.</ref> India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Cooperation <ref>[http://www.ris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/diary_october2004.pdf "Brainstorming on India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Economic Cooperation"], ''[[RIS Diary]]'', New Delhi, October 2004. Retrieved in October 2004.</ref> and India International Centre seminars on Latin America.<ref>[http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/ContentAttachments/Publications/DiaryFiles/262722December152010_AnnualReport2005_06.pdf "Cultural Identity of Latin America"], ''[[India International Centre]]'', New Delhi, March 2006. Retrieved in March 2006.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Muthal Puredath Muralidhar}}
[[Category:People from Malappuram district]]
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Brazil]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Bahrain]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:High commissioners of India to the Maldives]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kerala]]

M. P. M. Menon - Revision history

Digitalvivek at 11:58, 8 February 2026