Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor ( Malayalam : ശശി തരൂർ ) (born 9 March 1956) is an Indian politician and a former Diplomat linked Currently serving as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala since 2009. He’ll be Currently Serves as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. ^{[2] [3]}

He post with Minister of State in the Government of India for External Affairs ^[4] (2009-2010) and Human Resource Development (2012-2014). ^[4] He is a member of the Indian National Congress and served as an official spokeperson for the party from January to October 2014. Until 2007 he was a career official at the United Nations, rising to the rank of Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information in 2001. after 29 years at the UN, Tharoor announced his departure after finishing second in the 2006 elections for the Secretary-General to Ban Ki-moon . ^[5]

Tharoor is ook een acclaimed writer, keeping authored 15 Bestselling works or fiction and non-fiction since 1981, all or welke are centered on India and its history, culture, film, politics, society, foreign policy, and more. He is the author or ook Hundreds of columns and articles in publications zoals The New York Times , The Washington Post , TIME , Newsweek , and The Times of India . He was a contributing editor for Newsweek International for two years. From 2010 to 2012, he wrote a column in The Asian Age / Deccan Chronicle and, for musts or 2012. Until his appointment as Minister, a column in Mail Today ; he’ll be writes an Internationally syndicated monthly column for Project Syndicate . He’ll be wrote regular columns for The Indian Express (1991-93 and 1996-2001), The Hindu (2001-2008), and The Times of India (2007-2009).

Tharoor is a globally Recognised speaker too, on India’s economics and politics, as well as on freedom of the press, human rights, Indian culture, and international affairs.

Childhood and education

Tharoor was born in London to the Malayali Nair family or Lily and Chandran Tharoor or Palakkad , Kerala. ^[6] His Father worked in verschillende positions in London, Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi, zoals a 25-year career (culminating as group advertising manager) for The Statesman . His paternal uncle was T. Parameshwar, the founder of Reader’s Digest in India. After his parents Returned to India, Tharoor boarded at Montfort School, Yercaud , in 1962, subsequently moving to Bombay (now Mumbai) and Studying at the Campion School (1963-68). ^[7] He spent his high school years at St. Xavier’s College in Calcutta (1969-71). He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi .

In 1975 he moved to the United States to Pursue graduate studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University , ^[8] where he obtained his MA and MALD and was Awarded the Robert B. Stewart Prize for Best Student and COMPLETED his PhD at the age of 22. at Fletcher have ook helped found and was the first editor of the Fletcher Forum of International Affairs.

He has ook leg Awarded an honorary D. Litt at the University of Puget Sound and a doctorate honoris causa in history at the University of Bucharest . ^[9]

Diplomatic career

Beginning

Tharoor’s career in the United Nations Began in 1978 as a staff member of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva . From 1981 Until 1984 he was head of the UNHCR office in Singapore, prolongation the boat people crisis, for welke have led the organization’s rescue policy making at sea and SUCCEEDED in resettling a backlog of Vietnamese refugees. He’ll be processed and Polish Acehnese refugee cases. ^[10] After a stint working environment at the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, prolongation welke he became the first chairman of the staff elected to UNHCR personnel worldwide, Tharoor left UNHCR. In 1989 he was appointed special assistant to the Under-Secretary General for Special Political Affairs, the unit therein later became the Peacekeeping Operations wing in New York. Until 1996, he led the team verantwoordelijk for peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia , spending considerable time on the ground prolongation the civil war there. ^{[11] [12]}

Under-Secretary-General at the UN

In 1996, Tharoor was appointed director of communications and special projects and executive assistant to the-then Secretary-General Kofi Annan . In January 2001 he was appointed Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information , and as Head of the Department of Public Information (UNDPI). In this capacity, he was verantwoordelijk for the United Nations’ communications strategy, the enhancing the image and effectiveness of the organization. In 2003 the Secretary-General representation im the additional_image_link Verantwoordelijkheid or United Nations Coordinator for Multilingualism. During his tenure at the UNDPI, Tharoor reformed the department and under took a number of initiatives, ranging from s management and Conducting the first-ever UN seminar on anti-semitisme, the first-ever UN seminar on Islamophobia after the 11 September attacks, and launching an annual list of “Ten Under-Reported Stories the World Ought to Know about” in this housing was last produktie to his successor in 2008.

On 9 February 2007, Tharoor resigned from the post of UN Under-Secretary-General and left the UN on 1 April 2007. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Campaign for Secretary-General: 2007

Prior to embarking on his political career, Shashi Tharoor’ll be served on the board of overseers of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy , the board of trustees of the Aspen Institute , and the advisory boards of the Indo-American Arts Council , the American Indian Foundation , the World Policy Journal , the Virtue Foundation and the human rights organization Breakthrough . ^[27] At the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1976, he founded and was the first chair of the editorial board of The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs , a journal Examining issues in international relations. ^[28] Tharoor was an international adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva from 2008 to 2011. He served on the advisory council of the Hague Institute for International Justice and was elected a Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities prolongation 1995 -96. ^[29] He’ll be supported verschillende educational Causes, zoals as Patron or GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai . ^{[30] [31] [32] [33]}In 2006, the government of India nominated Tharoor for the post of UN Secretary-General . Tharoor finished second, behind Ban Ki-moon , in lycra of the four straw polls conducted by the UN Security Council and won the online poll conducted by the BBC News website. After the fourth poll, Ban emerged as the only candidate with the support of all five permanent members, lycra or Whom had the power to veto Candidates. Of the seven contenders for the post, zoals a president, two Deputy prime ministers, several foreign ministers and a prince, Tharoor remained the only other to enjoy a Majority in the Security Council and cameramen within two votes of Ban on the first Ballot. The United States Opposed im, and China abstained from voting. After the vote, Tharoor withdrew his Candidacy and declined Ban’s invitation to Remain in service beyond the expiry of his term as Under-Secretary-General. Did he bone elected, the then-50-year-old Shashi Tharoor mention anything about port leg the second-youngest Secretary-General, the youngest maintaining bone Dag Hammarskjöld , who was 46. ^{[17] [18] [19] [20] [ 21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]}

Post-UN career

Political career in India In February 2007, amidst speculation about his post-UN future, the Indian Press reported dat Tharoor Might Be inducted JSON Council of Ministers or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as Minister of State for External Affairs. In the co-month, an American gossip blog Reported therein Tharoor was a finalist for the position of dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication in Los Angeles, but he withdrew his name from Consideration at the final stage. Limit download, Tharoor became chairman of Dubai-based Afras Ventures, welke Agent the Afras Academy for Business Communication (AABC) in Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala , India, the city in welke he mention anything go on to win two Parliamentary elections. He’ll be ghosts around the world about India and Kerala, where he spent toenemende Bedragen or time voordat moving for good to India in October 2008.

In March 2009 Tharoor contested the Indian General Elections as a candidate for the Congress Party in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His Opponents included P. Ramachandran Nair of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Neelalohitadasan Nadar of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Gangadharan of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and PK Krishna Das of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP ). On Despite criticism dat he was an “elite outsider”, ^{[ citation needed ]} Tharoor won the elections by a margin of about 100,000. He then was selected as a minister or states in the Council of Ministers or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . On 28 May 2009 he was sworn in as Minister of State for External Affairs, in charge of Africa, Latin America, and the Gulf.

Tharoor was a pioneer in using social media as an instrument of political interaction. He was India’s most-Followed politician on Twitter Until 2013-when he was overtaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was the first Indian to reach 10,000 and 100,000 followers on the media and has millions of followers. However, some of his Twitter posts proved controversial and ulcers highlighted Negatively by the Opposition and press. As Minister of State for External Affairs have re-established long-dormant diplomatic relationships with African nations, where his fluency in French made im popular with Francophone countries en hun heads or statements. He was ook the first Indian minister to visit Haiti after the Devastating 2010 earthquake. He Initiated new policy-planning activities on the Indian Ocean and represented India at global events prolongation his 11-month tenure as minister. In April 2010, he resigned from the position, volgende allegations therein have had misused his office to get shares in the IPL cricket franchise. Tharoor denied the charges and, prolongation his resignation speech in Parliament, called for a full inquiry. In a 2014 rejoinder he defended his position: “I was never involved in a scam or ANY sort in the IPL- I was brought` down because … [I was] antagonised some powerful political cricketing interests” and added dat he had “cooperated extensively with the detailed investigation conducted by the Enforcement Directorate into tje entire issue “, and no wrongdoing was found bone. ^{[ Citation needed ]}

Between 2010 and 2012 Tharoor remained active in Parliament and was member-convenor of the Parliamentary Forum on Disaster Management, a member of the Standing Committee on External Affairs, of the Consultative Committee of Defence, the Public Accounts Committee, and the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Telecoms. He participated in verschillende important debates of the 15th Lok Sabha, zoals on the Lokpal Bill, the demand for grants of the Ministry of External Affairs and of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the black money debates, and so on. In the special debate on the 60th anniversary of the Indian Parliament, Tharoor was one of four members of the Congress Party, zoals party President Sonia Gandhi , Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , and Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee , to be Invited to address the Lok Sabha .

In 2012 Tharoor was re-inducted into tje Union Council of Ministers Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the portfolio of minister of state for HRD. In this role he took special interest in the problems and challenges of adult education , distance education and the enhancing high-quality research at academic institutions. He was verantwoordelijk for the ministry’s written answers to Parliament’s questions and Responded to all questions on education prolongation the Lok Sabha’s Question Hour. He addressed forums and conferences on education, Explained a vision of India’s educational challenges in the context of the country’s Demographic opportunities, and stressed dat education was not only a socioeconomic issue, but ook a national security issue.

As Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor became the first elected representative in India to issue annual reports on his work as MP, zoals furnishing accounts or his MPLADS Expenditure. In 2012 he published a half-term report Followed in 2014 with a full-term report.

In May 2014 Tharoor won his re-election by from Thiruvananthapuram, defeating O. Rajagopal of the Bharatiya Janata Party at a margin of around 15,000 votes, and became a member of the 15th Lok Sabha , sitting in Opposition. He was named Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. Shashi Tharoor was dropped from the post or congress spokeperson on 13 October 2014 have praised after statements or his party’s opponent, Prime Minister Modi. ^[34]

Controversies

• In September 2009, Tharoor and SM Krishna ulcers Accused or staying in luxurious five-star hotels . ^[35] Tharoor zegt it was Because of the delay in his official residence being ready and dat he spent from only his own pocket for the accommodation. ^[36] Later on Pranab Mukherjee ‘s request ^[37] Tharoor and Krishna moved out of the hotel. ^[38]
• A controversy erupted als Tharoor, responding to the question as to Whether he mention anything about travel in ” Cattle class “, replied therein have forest. This remark on Twitter ( @ShashiTharoor ) , was alleged to Equate the traveling public to cattle and taunt his party, the Indian National Congress on zijn austerity drive. ^[39] Tharoor’s explanation that ‘cattle class “was a well-established phrase for economy class travel, and therein it attacked the airlines and not the PASSENGERS were IGNORED in the outcry. It was ook dat Reported Congress’ may take action Against im. ^{[40] [41]} However, this was subsequently resolved als the prime minister pointed out to the media therein the statement was “a joke”. ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• Another controversy involved Gandhi Jayanti als have zegt people arnt be working Rather dan staying at home taking a holiday, thereby paying real homage to Mahatma Gandhi . ^[42]
• Tharoor was in the news again for Publicly criticising the new visa guidelines eerste by the Indian government in the wake of the gaps Exposed by the judgment of 26/11 terror suspects, David Headley and Tahawwur Rana . For this he was criticised for breaking ranks with the official position of the government. He later with External Affairs Minister , SM Krishna , and Explained his position on the issue. The rules ulcers subsequently partly modified. ^[43]
• In January 2010, Tharoor criticised Nehru for his vision on Indian foreign policy by the Indian media. The critique angered his party, the Indian National Congress . In the wake of this controversy, he held a press conference Describing the report as “inaccurate” and “tendentious”. ^[44]
• In February 2010 als accompanying ^[45] the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, he said “We feel dat Saudi Arabia has a long and close relationship with Pakistan , dat makes Saudi Arabia even more a Valuable interlocutor for us. when we tell Them about our experience, Saudi Arabia listens as somebody who is not ‘any way an enemy of Pakistan, but a friend of Pakistan and, Charmain Horn Please note, will listen with sympathy and concern to a matter of this nature. ” He was Asked Whether India verwachte Saudi Arabia, bepaald zijn close ties with Islamabad, to help address the terror threat from Pakistan. ^[46] The remark about Saudi Arabia being a “valuable interlocutor” raised a strong reaction binnen the Indian political circle. ^[47] The Pakistani press also went on to report dat he had Proposed therein Saudi Arabia play a mediator’s role in Improving India’s relationship with Pakistan. ^[48] In response, Tharoor denied that ‘interlocutor’ Meant ‘mediator’, and tweeted an explanation, saying, “An interlocutor is someone you speak to. If I speak to you, you are my interlocutor. I Mentioned the Saudis as our interlocutors, ie the people we are here to speak to. ” ^[46]

• In 2014, Tharoor Expressed support for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan , a social campaign initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following this, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee lodged a complaint Against im to the Congress high command for his pro-Modi stance. Following this, Tharoor was dropped as the official spokeperson of the party. ^[49]
• In 2016, while speaking at JNU on nationalisme, Tharoor Compared Kanhaiya, a student Charged with sedition, with Bhagat Singh , an Indian Independence fighter. This comparison generated a great public controversy, as the party distancing themselves with Tharoor’s views. ^[50]

Literary career

Tharoor has written numerous books in English. ^[51]

Tharoor has leg a columnist in lycra of India’s three best-known English-language Newspapers, ^[52] Most recently for The Hindu newspaper (2001-2008) and in a weekly column, “Shashi on Sunday,” in the Times of India ( January 2007 – December 2008). Following his resignation as Minister of State for External Affairs, he Began a fortnightly column on foreign policy issues in the Deccan Chronicle . Previously he was a columnist for the Gentleman magazine and the Indian Express newspaper, as well as a frequent contributor to Newsweek International and the International Herald Tribune . His on-eds and book reviews port Appeared in the Washington Post , ^[53] the New York Times ^{[ citation needed ]} and the Los Angeles Times , ^[54] Amongst other papers . ^{[ Citation needed ]} His monthly column, “India Reawakening”, distributed by Project Syndicate, Appears in 80 Newspapers around the world. ^{[ Citation needed ]}

Tharoor Began writing at the age of 6, ^{[ citation needed ]} and his first published story Appeared in the Sunday edition of The Free Press Journal in Mumbai at age 10. ^{[ citation needed ]} His World War II adventure novel Operation Bellows , inspired by the Biggles books were serialised in the Junior Statesman starting a week voordat his 11th birthday. ^{[ Citation needed ]} EACH of his books has a leg bestseller in India. ^{[ Citation needed ]} The Great Indian Novel is, ITT 42nd edition, and a Silver Jubilee special edition has leg slated for publication on the book’s 25th anniversary, September 2014, from Viking Pengun India. The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cellphone has undergone seven hardback re-printings there. ^{[ Citation needed ]}

Tharoor has lectured widely on India, ^[55] and is of or in quoted for his Dopplermetingen, ^{[ citation needed ]} waaronder, “India is not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but Rather, in the context of zijn history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay. ” ^[56] He’ll be coined a comparison of India’s “thali” to the American “melting pot”: “If America is a melting pot , dan to me India is a thali – a selection of sumptuous Dishes in different bowls. EACH Tastes different, and does not necessarily mix with the next, but they ‘belong together on the assembly plates, and they’ complement eachother in making the meal a satisfying repast. ” ^[57]

Shashi Tharoor’s non-Fictional work “An Era Of Darkness” Recently published in November, 2016, an explosive book on British empire in Indian, has RECEIVED high attention or public. This book is an extension of Oxford Union Speech, welke went viral and took form of the book.

Personal life

Tharoor’s govt was Tilottama Mukherji, a granddaughter or Kailashnath Katju and THUS a first cousin or Markandey Katju . ^[58] She is now a professor of humanities at New York University . ^[59] Way Down have two sons, Kanishk and Ishaan . ^[60] Ishaan is a former senior editor at Time magazine, and now writes on foreign affairs for The Washington Post . Kanishk is a former editor at Open Democracy, and is working on a novel in New York ^[61] Kanishk is associate editor at openDemocracy.net . ^[62] Later Tharoor married Christa Giles, a Canadian Diplomat working at the United Nations. ^[63] After hun divorce, Tharoor married Sunanda Pushkar in his Ancestral home in Elavanchery village in Kerala’s Thrissur district in August 2010. On 17 January 2014 Sunanda, aged 49, mayest at The Leela Hotel in Chanakyapuri , New Delhi. ^[64]

Honours, awards and international recognition

• 1976 – Won the Rajika Kripalani Young Journalist Award for the Best Indian Journalist under 30. ^[65]
• 1990 – Won the Federation of Indian Publishers’ Hindustan Times Literary Award for the Best Book of the Year for The Great Indian Novel . ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• 1991 – His book The Great Indian Novel won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the Best Book of the Year in the Eurasian Region. ^[65]
• 1998 – Awarded the Excelsior Award for excellence in literature by the Association of Indians in America (AIA) ^{[ citation needed ]} and the Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP). ^[65]
• 2000 – conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in International Affairs at the University of Puget Sound ^[65]
• 1998 – Named Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland ^{[ citation needed ]}
• 2004 – Awarded the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman , India’s Highest honor for non-resident Indians. But did not accept it at the time owing to UN rules prohibiting acceptance or governmental honors. ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• 2007 – Went on to accept the award after keeping resigned from the position of Understanding Secretary General at the UN. ^[66]
• 2008 – conferred a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of Bucharest , Romania. ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• 2009 – Awarded the Zakir Hussain Memorial “Pride of India” award. ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• 2009 – Awarded GQ’s Inspiration of the Year Award at its Man of the Year Awards. ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• 2009 – Presented with the Hakim Khan Sur Award for National Integration by the Maharana of Udaipur . ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• 2010 – Awarded the Sarva Deshiya Prathibha award at the Pazhassiraja Charitable Trust, Kozhikode . ^[67]
• March 2010 – Awarded “New Age Politician of the Year” Award by NDTV at its Indian of the Year awards. ^{[ Citation needed ]}
• 2010 – Awarded the Fifth IILM Distinguished Global Thinker Award in New Delhi. ^[68]
• 2010 – Awarded Digital person of the year at the first ever Indian Digital Media Awards (IDMA) for popularising the digital medium in India. ^[69]
• 2013 – Awarded First Sree Narayan Guru Global Secular and Peace Award at Thiruvananthapuram.
• 2013 – PETA ‘s “Person of the Year”. ^[70]

Bibliography

Fiction

• The Great Indian Novel (1989) ^[71]
• The Five Dollar Smile and Other Stories (1990) ^[72]
• Showbusiness (1992) ^[73]
• Riot (2001) ^[74]

Non-fiction

• Reasons of State (1985) ^[75]
• India: From Midnight to the Millennium (1997) ^[76]
• Nehru: The Invention of India (2003) ^[77]
• Book shirtless in Baghdad (2005) ^[78]
• The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India – The Emerging 21st Century Power (2007) ^[79]
• Shadows Across the Playing Field: Sixty Years of India-Pakistan Cricket (2009) (with Shaharyar Khan) ^[80]
• Pax Indica: India and the World of the 21st Century (2012) ^[81]
• India: the Future is Now, Wisdom Tree (Editor) (2013) ^[82]
• India Shastra: Reflections on the Nation in our Time (2015)
• An Age of Darkness: The British Empire in India (2016) ^[83]

Illustrated books

• Kerala, God’s Own Country (2002) (along with artist MF Husain ). ^[84]
• Inde (in French) or India (in English) (2008) Along with photographer Ferrante Ferranti .

References