List of poetry books written by Indian diplomats

“Once the storm has passed

Once the dust has settled down

Who remembers the blood-sworn vow?

The cloud serpent

Again, steals the water-womb.

The sacrifices made

At the altar of trade

An uneasy head wears the broken crown” —Anshuman Gaur, 2001 batch IFS

Do you know former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao is also a poet? Or that poet-diplomat Abhay K had published five collections of poetry? “When the mood is on, words, thoughts and images flow with ease”, reads the preface of the book — Snowflakes of Time (Poetry Collection) — written by another former foreign secretary, Kanwal Sibal. As Keats wrote once, if poetry comes “not as naturally as the leaves to a tree, it had better not come at all”.

Here below are some of the poetry collections written by Indian Foreign Service officers, both serving and retired:

MEA secretary Amarendra Khatua: Mind of a diplomat, heart of a poet

THE government on Monday assigned an additional destination to current Director General of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) and 1981 batch IFS officer Amarendra Khatua. He will also be secretary (special assignment) in the ministry of external affairs (MEA) till the date of his retirement, i.e. May 31, 2017. A career diplomat who had earlier served as Ambassador of India to Argentina, Khatua also held trade and economic positions in Indian Missions of Madrid, Mexico City, Karachi, Moscow and New York. But not to forget, Khatua is a poet in heart. Let’s first recite a few lines of one of his many poems:

Meet Nirupama Rao, the poet; who are other bureaucrat-poets?

DID you know, India’s former foreign secretary and 1973 batch retired IFS Nirupama Rao has a private passion -- writing poems? The former diplomat on Thursday released two of her poems -- one on life in Jaffna (2005) and the other on women safety in Delhi (2011) in a social media site. Over a decade ago, Rao came out with a poetry book titled “Rain Rising Poems”. First, a part of a poem on city of Delhi written by Rao:

Beyond Feelings: From Sethi to Sumita meet this breed of bureaucrat poets

BUREAUCRATS handling pressure jobs at times sit back and ask: “Where was I?” and “Where am I heading?” Bishnupada Sethi, a 1995 batch Orissa cadre IAS who BoI had earlier termed “bureaucrat by mind but poet by heart”, tries to find answers thanks to his poetic zeal. In his third English poetry book “Beyond Feelings”, Sethi, currently the director of Census Operation in Orissa, attempts to answer: “Like the particles in air/and clay in waters/ in my mind, the heavier matters/ are all settling down.” Once conflicting matters settle down to the bottom of one’s understanding, one does not have to grope for such answers.

The breed of bureaucrat-cum-poet is growing and sharing their work. Like many bureaucrat painters, say Sudha Pillai of Planning Commission, who exhibit their talent, bureaucrat poets too are no longer lagging behind, and are publishing what they scribble pieces of paper.

Take the case of Amarendra Khatua, a 1981 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. Khatua is a diplomat with trade negotiating skills but poetry is his passion. His Ek Kavi Ka Khamosh Ho Jana is highly appreciated in the poetry circle. “Say it again, the familiar human touch can be so monotonous that one will prefer to stay back, at least knowing that shadows are after all shadows…” reads one of Khatua’s poems.

Only recently, Vajai Vardhan, a 1985 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has come out with his second book “Ibadat - the breath of my soul”. It is a collection of haikus which is a form of Japanese poetry. A principal secretary in Haryana’s environment ministry, Vardhan spends his spare time in researching Sufi culture. A post-graduate in history, he had earlier penned “Beyond the Great Beyond”.

It could be a mere co-incidence that like Vardhan, another Haryana bureaucrat Sumita Misra Singh also hails from Lucknow, has commands over Urdu and is a poet in action. She is a 1990 batch Haryana cadre IAS and currently the state’s chief electoral officer. Ms Misra Singh had been writing poems to herself till she was advised by author Khushwant Singh that she should allow others to appreciate her literary mind. A post graduate in economics, Ms Misra Singh recently published her poetry book “A Light of Life”.

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Action and Appointments

a) Rajiv, a 1975 batch UP cadre IPS, has been appointed as Director General of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the pay scale of Rs 80,000 per month till he retires on October 2013.