Birthday Boy Ashok K Kantha: More about Yashwant Sinha’s son-in-law and India’s ambassador to China

Kantha (right) with PM Modi in China

AS Chinese traditional dancers welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Xi’an Xiangyang International Airport in China on Thursday, the man who was seen behind the PM was Ashok K Kantha, incidentally son-on-law of BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha. It was Kantha’s birthday too (he was born on May 14, 1955), probably something PM and other PMO officials were unaware of. But Kantha, who is married to Sinha’s daughter Sharmila, is not a political appointee at Beijing. He is a career diplomat (a 1977 batch IFS officer) and got his posting in China as India’s ambassador on January 6, 2014 when the UPA was at the helms and…

India’s ambassador designate to US Jaishankar, his take on Chindia & his mother’s Veena

INDIA'S envoy to China and 1977 batch IFS officer S Jaishankar, who had narrowly missed the foreign secretary’s job, has been named as India’s next ambassador to US. Considered as one of the most talented diplomats of all time, Jaishankar is the son of former IAS and doyen of India’s strategic affairs K Subrahmanyam, known in his circle as KS or Subbu. The photo used here is the Veena played by Jaishankar’s mother which his father kept…

Why Indo-China ties are 20 points below? Ambassador Jaishankar replies

INDIA-China relationship is about 15 to 20 points below where it could be, and where it should be, India’s ambassador to China Dr S Jaishankar feels. Jaishankar, who recently played a key role in defusing the crisis of Chinese incursion in Ladakh, explained in an interview to a Chinese newspaper why the bilateral relations are still below expectation…

Ambassador S Jaishankar on Indian wine power, chicken tikka masala and more

“…where globalization has actually made the greatest impact is in our eating and drinking habits.  …Chicken Tikka Masala as a British national dish, a Gobi-Manchurian in India…” Not too often you hear a senior diplomat delivering a formal speech on wining and dining. But during a wine-tasting event held in Beijing recently, India’s ambassador to China S Jaishankar made some interesting observations on Indian wine power, revival of Asia, globalisation and fast changing eating and drink habits. Here are some excerpts of his speech delivered on January 28, 2013:

Woman On Top: Nirupama Rao to be India’s next foreign secretary

NIRUPAMA Rao, a 1973 batch IFS and currently Ambassador to China, will be India’s next foreign secretary on the retirement of the present incumbent Shivshankar Menon on July 31, 2009. She is the second woman foreign secretary after Chokila Iyer. Had labour secretary Sudha Pillai clinched the cabinet secretary’s job, country’s top administrative and diplomatic posts would have for the first time been occupied by women officers. Ms Pillai, who was the senior most officer in the merit list, missed the bus as incumbent cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar was given one year’s extension. Another prominent foreign service post, India’s ambassador to US, recently went to Meera Shankar, another woman officer and batch-mate of Ms Rao. Incidentally, both the President of the nation and Lok Sabha speaker happen to be women. babu blogger in his post on June 3, 2009, said that “India’s ambassador to China Nirupama Rao’s ability to grab the crucial foreign secretary’s post would determine the degree of celebration for woman leadership in the country.” In fact, Vajpayee government appointed Chokila Iyre, a woman IFS officer, as foreign secretary in 2000, but it was a different story while filling up the top IAS post. An extension of former cabinet secretary B K Chaturvedi had stalled Reva Nayyar, an IAS from Haryana cadre, becoming the first woman cabinet secretary.

Know Your Babu: Nirupama Rao

Date of Birth: December 6, 1950 Educational Qualifications: MA in English Literature from Marathwada University. A Fellow at the Centre for International Affairs in Harvard University specializing on Asia-Pacific security. Postings January 1976 - October 1983: At Indian Missions in Vienna and Colombo, and as Desk Officer in the Southern Africa and Nepal Desks in the ministry of external affairs. 1984 to 1992: Worked in the East Asia division of the MEA, with special focus on India-China relations. October 1993 to October 1995: Minister for Press Affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington. 1995-May 1998: India's Ambassador to Peru. June 1998 and August 1999: Deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of India, Moscow. June 2001 to October 2002: Joint Secretary (external publicity) and official spokesperson of the MEA, the first woman officer to hold this post in the ministry. Major assignments: Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and then Indian Ambassador to China from September 2006 Prasad to continue in PMO Continuity seems to be the mantra for Dr Manmohan Singh’s second innings as many officers from the cabinet secretary downwards are holding on to same positions under the new government. M N Prasad, a 1972 batch IAS, will remain a secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), but on contract basis. Mr Prasad, who would have retired now, is continuing in the PMO on a contract basis but in the rank, pay and status of secretary to the government of India with effect from July 1, 2009, and until further orders, a release said.

Women On Top: Jury is not out yet

SHE is back, but not yet on top. The 1973 batch IFS officer and India’s ambassador to China Nirupama Rao’s ability to grab the crucial foreign secretary’s post will determine the degree of celebration for woman leadership in the country. As India’s political leaders prepare themselves to install the first woman Speaker in Parliament, the news of extension of the current cabinet secretary played a spoilsport on a woman getting the key administrative post for the first time. In fact, labour secretary Sudha Pillai was the front-runner for the cabinet secretary’s post as she topped the merit-cum-seniority list. There were also some possibilities of both key bureaucratic posts -- cabinet secretary and foreign secretary – would this time be filled by women. Ms Rao is still the front-runner for the foreign secretary’s post when the present incumbent Shiv Shankar Menon retires in a few weeks time. In fact, Vajpayee government appointed Chokila Iyre, a woman IFS officer, as foreign secretary in 2000, but an extension of former cabinet secretary B K Chaturvedi had ealier stalled Reva Nayyar, an IAS from Haryana cadre, becoming the first woman cabinet secretary. Significantly, out of 4537 IAS officers in the country only 609, or 13%, are women officers.