We've extraordinary foreign secretaries and ambassadors. Unlike the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Police Service, our Foreign Service is relatively small and, despite several sharp differences of temperament among its members, it is somewhat akin to a priesthood with the ministry resembling an abbey. “A monastery?” readers may exclaim. “Are you telling me that diplomats are monks?”
Here are some famous diplomats, who are more known as a poet or writer:
- Abhay K: Abhay K. is an Indian poet-diplomat and India's 21st Ambassador to Madagascar and Ambassador to Comoros. He has served in different diplomatic capacities earlier in Russia, Nepal and Brazil. His published collections of poetry include The Seduction of Delhi, The Eight-Eyed Lord of Kathmandu, The Prophecy of Brasilia, The Alphabets of Latin America among others, while his edited books are CAPITALS, 100 Great Indian Poems, 100 More Great Indian Poems, New Brazilian Poems, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Great Indian Poems,The Bloomsbury Book of Great Indian Love Poems among others. He recorded his poems at the Library of Congress. His writings cover poetry, art, memoir, global democracy and digital diplomacy. His Earth Anthem has been translated into over 50 languages and was played at the United Nations to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day. He also wrote an anthem for SAARC spurring search for an official SAARC Anthem. He wrote a 'Moon Anthem' to celebrate the success of India's Moon Mission Chandrayaan-2. He has penned a 'Mars Anthem' to inspire the younger generation to explore our neighbouring red planet., He received the SAARC Literary Award for his contribution to contemporary South Asian Poetry and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2013. He has also been honoured with Asia-Pacific Excellence Award in 2014. His The Seduction of Delhi was shortlisted for Muse India-Satish Verma Young Writer Award 2015.
Pashupatinath
With my consort Parvati
I galloped
on the banks of Bagmati
as a golden deer every dawn
Now I live behind silver doors
in a tiered pagoda
of wood and copper
topped with gold gajur
People worship me
as the lord of beasts and gods
I am the great gratifier of wishes
the saviour of this sacred land.
*
Lord of animals, men and gods
do you still gallop with Parvati
as golden deer
along the banks of Bagmati
or have you returned to Mount Gaurishankar
seeing what have we done to Bagmati
Do you still offer your blessings
to whoever seeks you out
Have you returned to Kailash Mansarovar?
or has it melted away
Tell us lord, have you left the Earth
for the other worlds ?
- Nirupama Rao: Nirupama Menon Rao is a retired 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, who served as India's Foreign Secretary from 2009 to 2011, as well as being India's Ambassador to the United States, China and Sri Lanka during her career. In July 2009, she became the second woman (after Chokila Iyer) to hold the post of India's Foreign Secretary, the head of the Indian Foreign Service. In her career she served in several capacities including, Minister of Press, Information and Culture in Washington DC, Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow, stints in the MEA as Joint Secretary, East Asia and External Publicity, the latter position making her the first woman spokesperson of the MEA, Chief of Personnel, Ambassador to Peru and China, and High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
he light here is special.
Drenched by blood and frost
So much has happened here.
Bronze horseman, burning homes,
Nine hundred days written into symphonies of emptied tear ducts.
...
I think of how it must have been
To beg for black bread on the banks of the slow,
straining river.
- Amarendra Dhatua: He is multi-talented. He is a proud Indian and a proud Odia. He is a leading diplomat of the country and an expert in Foreign Policy and Trade. ... Ambassador Amarendra Khatua shares his lived experience, views on foreign policy and strongly argues why Odisha government should have a Pravasi Odia Policy.
REACHING OUT INTO NOTHINGNESS
Say it again, the simple words
won't denote meaning to such banal
meaninglessness, as we know,
the precious waiting is a dignified
entity, the backside of your temperamental
visiting card.
Bones have this funny habit,they have to
shed flesh, water down the blood and
have to embrace dust to become dust.
Inevitably our knowledge regarding
despair does never flower into
protected relationship and, it is really funny, that
relationship is like fossilized bone,
once intact, now seemingly meaningless dust
even nostrils failing to acknowledge.
One's own silence pesters wayward motives
to branch ou