India S First Diplomat

Though now largely a forgotten figure, V.S. Srinivasa Sastri was a celebrated Indian politician and diplomat in the early 20th Century. This book rehabilitates Sastri and offers a diplomatic biography of his years as India’s roving ambassador in the 1920s.

In 1972, in what appeared a whimsical decision at first, Idi Amin, the dictator of Uganda, declared that all Asians holding citizenship of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or the UK would be expelled from the country within three months. As he put it, mistakenly, 'Asians milked the cow, but did not feed it to yield more milk.' It was the beginning of a nightmarish five months for Niranjan Desai, who had been sent from India as officer on special duty to help tackle the crisis, as he tried to help people leaving possessions and attachments behind for an uncertain future, watched a country in turmoil where people vanished overnight, and was himself declared persona non grata and put at some risk to his life. But as he learnt from the experience, rules and regulations are secondary and merely a guide while helping people in distress. Sometimes, when there is no opportunity for the observance of diplomatic niceties, it is common sense that counts. The role of the Indian diplomat is a varied one, as Desai's and other'S accounts in The Ambassador's Club show, and Krishna V. Rajan, himself a skilful diplomat, has brought together, for the first time, a selection of experiences that shows the Indian Foreign Service in a remarkable new light. With a fine sense of observation and considerable writing skills, the contributions included here show the Indian envoy playing protector, negotiator and guide in places as far away as Chile and Fiji to closer home, in Bhutan and Nepal. Ranged here is the entire gamut of diplomatic duties, from putting forward the Indian viewpoint at tough negotiations on climate change to being the UN secretary-general's special envoy in Iraq in the time leading up to the war there; from being in a sensitive position as envoy in Fiji during a coup to being present as the Shimla Agreement was reached between India and Pakistan. 'It's a boy!' was the excited announcement of that accord. It is that same pleasure of accomplishment that runs through this anthology.

In 1972, in what appeared a whimsical decision at first, Idi Amin, the dictator of Uganda, declared that all Asians holding citizenship of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or the UK would be expelled from the country within three months. As he put it, mistakenly, 'Asians milked the cow, but did not feed it to yield more milk.' It was the beginning of a nightmarish five months for Niranjan Desai, who had been sent from India as officer on special duty to help tackle the crisis, as he tried to help people leaving possessions and attachments behind for an uncertain future, watched a country in turmoil where people vanished overnight, and was himself declared persona non grata and put at some risk to his life. But as he learnt from the experience, rules and regulations are secondary and merely a guide while helping people in distress. Sometimes, when there is no opportunity for the observance of diplomatic niceties, it is common sense that counts. The role of the Indian diplomat is a varied one, as Desai's and other'S accounts in The Ambassador's Club show, and Krishna V. Rajan, himself a skilful diplomat, has brought together, for the first time, a selection of experiences that shows the Indian Foreign Service in a remarkable new light. With a fine sense of observation and considerable writing skills, the contributions included here show the Indian envoy playing protector, negotiator and guide in places as far away as Chile and Fiji to closer home, in Bhutan and Nepal. Ranged here is the entire gamut of diplomatic duties, from putting forward the Indian viewpoint at tough negotiations on climate change to being the UN secretary-general's special envoy in Iraq in the time leading up to the war there; from being in a sensitive position as envoy in Fiji during a coup to being present as the Shimla Agreement was reached between India and Pakistan. 'It's a boy!' was the excited announcement of that accord. It is that same pleasure of accomplishment that runs through this anthology.

From the revolt of 1857 and the freedom movement to duels on the cricket pitch, India and the United Kingdom have been on opposing sides on numerous occasions. A less known instance when this dynamic played out was the 2017 election for a seat on the International Court of Justice. Unwilling at first, India was prompted to enter the ring in the wake of the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. The contest that followed proved to be a 'second war of Independence' in the words of then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj - and a David-and-Goliath fight against the permanent members of the Security Council, who all put their might behind the UK. Syed Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative to the UN at the time, presents a behind-the-scenes account of India's coming-of-age in world affairs through the prism of this momentous election.

Independent India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his team faced the colossal task of building the infrastructure for a new state that was rising from the ashes of war, famine and communal strife. One of the first administrative innovations was the formation of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). In 1958, once its posts were finally filled, it was decided that the names of the extraordinary men and women who were the first to represent Indian on the world stage would be published as the History of Services of Officers of the Indian Foreign Service (Branches A and B). That slim, 'restricted - for official use only' volume is the inspiration for Nehru's First Recruits. Among others, author Kallol Bhattacherjee writes about Brajesh Mishra, who initiated dialogue with Beijing to restart relations disrupted in 1962; Mira Ishardas Malik, the first Indian woman diplomat to serve in China; Eric Gonsalves, who handled the biggest ever evacuation of Indians from a foreign crisis; K. Natwar Singh and Romesh Bhandari, who served for many years even after retiring from the IFS; Cyril John Stracey, who served with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose; Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who was responsible for the name 'Videsh Mantralaya'; and Mirza Rashid Ali Baig, M.A. Jinnah's former private secretary who became a towering chief of protocol whose legacy resonates in South Block even today. Through the stories and experiences of India's earliest diplomats, this book, for the first time, presents the foundational history of the country's diplomatic corps and indeed the beginning of the country's engagement in global affairs.

P.L.Bhandari was one of the first diplomats to emerge from the newly-independent India in 1947, a time of enormous social change and with India high on the international agenda. His assignments ranged over four continents and include encounters with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Richard Nixon. Written with humorous observation, Bhandari's playboy image works hard to debunk the stereotype of the aesthetic Indian.

This book provides an authoritative account of the first significant overseas diplomatic missions and forays made by Indian civil servants. It recounts the key events in the formative decades of Indian foreign policy and looks at the prominent figures who were at the centre of this decisive period of change. The book explores the history and evolution of the civil and foreign services in India during the last leg of British rule and the following era of post-independence Nehruvian politics. Rich in archival material, it looks at official files, correspondences and diaries documenting the terms served by the pioneers of Indian diplomacy, Girja Shankar Bajpai, K.P.S. Menon and Subimal Dutt, in Africa, China, the USSR and other countries and their relationship with the Indian political leadership. The book also analyses and pieces together the activities, strategies, worldviews and contributions of the first administrators and diplomats who shaped India’s approach to foreign policy and its relationship with other political powers. An essential read for researchers and academics, this book will be a useful resource for students of international relations, foreign policy, political science and modern Indian history, especially those interested in the history of Indian foreign affairs. It will also be of great use to general readers who are interested in the history of politics and diplomacy in India and South Asia.