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I. K. Gujral India’s
Response to the Soviet Military Intervention in Afghanistan (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 1, No. 1,
Jan-Mar 2006, Pg 123-131) Former
Prime Minister, late Inder Kumar Gujral was
India’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union when the Soviet Union 'intervened' in
Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviet intervention also coincided with a change of
Government in India. While Charan Singh was the
Prime Minister on the day the Soviet troops entered Afghanistan, Indira
Gandhi returned as Prime Minister within days thereafter. He
recalls how India responded to the event. I. P. Khosla Last Days of the Soviet Troops in Afghanistan
(1985) (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan–Mar, 2011, Pg 87-103) I.
P. Khosla was the Indian envoy in Kabul in 1985, and
saw the last of the Soviet tanks pull out. He speaks of his impressions and
experiences during his tenure of three and a half years about the Soviet
intervention in Afghanistan in 1979, their withdrawal eight years later and
subsequent developments that drastically changed the strategic environment in
the region. Bhutan A. N. Ram Evolution of
Bhutan’s International Personality (1968 – 85) (Indian Foreign
Affairs Journal Vol. 4, No. 4, Oct - Dec 2009, Pg 77 - 93) Amar Nath Ram, India’s
former Ambassador to Bhutan, who had participated in building up Bhutan’s
diplomatic establishment at the United Nations in New York, narrates his long
and eventful association with the Kingdom. J. R. Hiremath Bhutan: A
Fantastic People With a Wonderful King (1977 - 80) (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal
Vol. 2, No. 4, Oct-Dec 2007, Pg 117-128) J. R. Hiremath,
former Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, recalls his experience of India-Bhutan
relations during the 1970s. Mira Sinha Bhattacharjea Indians In
China: The Most Honoured Guests (1957) (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 3, No. 1,
Jan-Mar 2008, Pg 98 - 100) Mira Sinha Bhattacharjea, who joined the Indian Foreign Service, in
1957, served in the Indian Embassy in Peking (Beijing), till 1960, after
which she resigned from the Foreign Service, to teach at the Delhi
University. She then went on to found the China Study Group and the Institute
of Chinese Studies in New Delhi. She recalls her interaction with the Chinese and the courtesy, ambience
and warmth in the Sino-Indian relationship during the 1950s that dramatically
changed during the 1960s.. Brajesh Mishra The
"Mao’s Smile” Revisited: Sino-Indian Relations during an Important
Period (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 1, No. 4,
Jan-Mar 2006, Pg 109-118) Brajesh Mishra, former National
Security Advisor and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India
recalls his meeting as India’s Chargé d'affaires
with Chairman Mao Tse Tung on 1 May 1970 and its
larger implications. L. L. Mehrotra
Engaging
China: The Call Of History (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan-Mar 2007, Pg 102-111) Lakhan Lal Mehrotra, was
the Chargé d’ Affaires at the Indian Embassy in China in 1976 when the two
countries decided to normalize relations by resuming exchange of Ambassadors.
Having been ‘involved’ with China since the 50s, he recalls his experience of
Sino-Indian relations during 1950s, 60s and 70s. Eric Gonsalves The India-China Parleys
(1979-82) (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 8, No. 4, Oct–Dec 2013, Pg 428-440) During
June 1978 to July 1982, Ambassador Gonsalves served,
first as Additional Secretary (Asia), and, then as Secretary in the Ministry
of External Affairs, which included China amongst his areas of
responsibility. During those four years, he was personally involved in
various efforts towards improving India-China relations – including the visit
of the then Foreign Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to China in February 1979, the visit of
the Chinese Foreign Minister to New Delhi in June 1981, and the following two
rounds of bilateral talks with China in 1981 and 1982. In
this conversation with the Journal , Ambassador Gonsalves
recounts some of the discussions/negotiations, that perhaps sowed, after a
few hiccups, the seeds of ‘peace and tranquillity’
on the border, which were to be achieved after many more rounds of visits and
negotiations. In
his own words “The border dialogue has meandered on for decades, but tranquillity has been maintained, and even been codified Vinod C. Khanna The India-Taipei Association: A
Mission Extraordinaire (1995) (Indian Foreign Affairs
Journal Vol. 5, No. 2, Apr–Jun 2010, Pg 240-251) Vinod C. Khanna,
the First Director General of the India-Taipei Association, the de facto
Indian Mission to Taiwan, narrates the establishment of the office in 1995
and the nuances in India’s diplomatic undertaking there. Jagat Mehta Nepal:
Diplomacy Between Unequal Neighbours in our Times (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 1, No. 3, Jul
- Sep 2006, 118 - 127) Jagat S. Mehta, Foreign Secretary
of India from 1976 to 1979, recollects a phase of India’s relations with
Nepal that saw the separation of Trade and Transit Treaties 1978, events
leading to it and its repercussions. Arvind Deo Prelude to
Nepal’s First Jan Andolan (1986-90) (Indian Foreign Affairs
Journal Vol. 3, No. 4, Oct - Dec 2008, Pg 107-119) Arvind Deo,
former Indian Ambassador to Nepal, narrates the complexities of India-Nepal
relations during 1986–90 - that had to confront very ticklish and complex
issues, that eventually led to a spill over of
these issues into building public resentment against the system, and what
became a prelude to Jan Andolan I. Pakistan Arundhati Ghose Birth of Bangladesh: Down Memory Lane (1971) (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 4, No. 3, Jul-Sep 2009, Pg 102-117) Arundhati Ghose, often acclaimed for espousing wittily India’s
nuclear nonproliferation policy, narrates the events associated with an assignment
during her early diplomatic career that culminated in the birth of a nation –
Bangladesh. K.N. Bakshi Simla Agreement: From Military Victory to a Diplomatic Defeat? (1972) (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 2, No. 3, Jul-Sep 2007, Pg 105-119) K.N. Bakshi, member of the Indian Delegation, recalls his
experience during the Simla Summit and its outcome by narrating an insider’s
view on India’s Simla strategy. Mani Shankar Aiyar The (Hi)Story of One Lakh Visas
(1978) (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 5, No. 4, Oct–Dec, 2010, Pg 480-504) Mani Shankar
Aiyar, former member of the Indian Foreign Service,
former Minister in the Union Cabinet and at present a member of the upper
house of the Indian Parliament, was tasked with the assignment of opening
India’s Consulate General in Karachi in December 1978, after the Assistant
High Commission had been closed down in December 1971 during the Bangladesh
war. He recounts here his experiences as India’s Consul General, including
the decision to issue hundreds of visas every day, his interaction with the
people and leadership of Pakistan, and reflections on India-Pakistan
relations in those years Sri
Lanka L. L. Mehrotra Sri Lanka: Negotiating an Honourable ‘De-induction' (1989) (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 7, No. 2, Apr-Jun, 2011, Pg 218-233) Lakhan Lal Mehrotra, was the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
during 1989-90, a critical phase of Indo-Sri Lankan relationship. He narrates
the events leading up to the ‘de-induction’ of the Indian Peace Keeping
Force. |
Vietnam P. K. Budhwar Representing
India During the Vietnam Conundrum (1969-72) Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 5, No. 3, Jul-Sep 2010, Pg 365-379 Prem Kumar Budhwar was a young
Indian Foreign Service officer posted to Hanoi (North Vietnam) in the early
1970s. He manned the small Indian diplomatic mission almost all alone and saw
through many things at the height of war in Vietnam and India’s relations
with that country. Here, he narrates and shares his experiences and insights
into the everyday happenings during those tumultuous years including
importantly his contribution in shaping India’s Vietnam policy during a
critical period in India’s diplomatic history. Diaspora Niranjan Desai Revisiting the 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 7, No.
4, Oct–Dec, 2012, Pg 446-458) Niranjan Desai, former
High Commissioner to Uganda, former Ambassador to Venezuela, Switzerland and
the Vatican, then, as an young Indian Foreign Service officer, was occupying
the East Africa desk at the Ministry of External Affairs during the period
when the then President of Uganda, Idi Amin, expelled all Asians, majority of whom were Indian
nationals or Persons of Indian Origin. Ambassador Desai describes those
hectic and painful moments when he was rushed to Kampala to assist the
Indians. K. P. Fabian Biggest Ever Air Evacuation in History (1990) (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 7, No. 1, Jan-Mar, 2011, Pg 93-107) K.P. Fabian, former Ambassador of India to Qatar, to Finland and to Italy, was head of the Gulf Division of the Ministry of External Affairs during the First Gulf War that began with the Iraqi forces crossing into Kuwait on 2 August 1990 and lasted until they were expelled on 27 February 1991. He coordinated the repatriation of over 176,000 Indians. Recognised as the biggest ever air evacuation in history, it was achieved against many odds. Ambassador Fabian discusses the event. Satinder K. Lambah Many Firsts - Establishment of Chairs of India
Studies (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 6, No. 4, Oct-Dec, 2011, Pg 461-473) Satinder K. Lambah, Former Ambassador to the Russian Federation, former Special Envoy of the Prime Minister, was India’s Consul General to the United States in San Francisco during 1989– 91. With his “encouragement”, the Indian community there contributed to the establishment of two Chairs of India Studies at the University of California, Berkeley – the first such at a university in the US. His achievement in galvanizing the community, coordinating the fundraising efforts, etc. was recognized by the University of California, Berkeley, which, in a rare gesture, conferred the 1991 Trustees’ Citation Award on him, noting that “This is the first time that the University of California, Berkeley, is honouring a foreign diplomat in this manner.” Economic
& Cultural Diplomacy A. N. Ram Economic Diplomacy in a Globalised World: Evolving
Role of the Ministry of External Affairs (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 7, No. 3, Jul–Sep, 2012, Pg 331-344) Amar Nath Ram, is a former Ambassador of India to the European Union, UNESCAP, Zambia, Thailand, Argentina, Bhutan and Belgium. During the early economic reforms period, he served as the first full-fledged Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In this interview with the Indian Foreign Affairs Journal, he shares his experiences of and insights about the role of the MEA in promoting India’s economic interests in the context of globalization. Satinder K. Lambah Economic Diplomacy - Some Success Stories (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 8, No. 1,
Jan–Mar, 2013, Pg 93-110) Ambassador Lambah, during his Presidency of the Association of Indian Diplomats (2005-06), initiated an in-depth study of ‘Economic Diplomacy’ through a series of meetings within the Association and with the Apex Chambers and other academics and experts. The study and recommendations were submitted to the government also. In this Oral History narrative, he recalls some of the ‘success stories’ in economic diplomacy during his career. Evolution
of the Foreign Service K. S. Bajpai The Evolution
of the Indian Foreign Service Establishment (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 1, No. 3, Jul - Sep 2006, Pg 104 - 117) K. S. Bajpai, former Ambassador of India, shares the
contribution of his father, G.S. Bajpai, who, as
its Secretary General, was the first head of independent India’s Foreign
Office and of the IFS, to the Foreign Service Establishment. Look
East Policy S. T. Devare India’s ‘Rediscovery’ of the East (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 6, No. 3, Jul-Sep, 2011, Pg 337-356) Sudhir T. Devare, former Ambassador of India to Republic of Korea, to Indonesia and to Ukraine; Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs responsible for relations with South East Asia; Presently, Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs. According to him: The word “Look East” has been very fashionable over recent years implying that India ‘started’ looking East - perhaps for the first time, he says. In fact, India has always looked to the East; India’s association with the East dates back to thousands of years. … what happened during the Cold War period can be described as a brief gap in our understanding with the East. … We, in fact, began ‘rediscovering’ the East”, he adds Nuclear Arundhati Ghose The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty: Intricate Moments during the Negotiations (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 8, No. 2, Apr–Jun,
2013, Pg 213-222) In January
1994, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) set up an Ad- Hoc Committee to
negotiate the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) - that had eluded the
international community for decades. Negotiations
began in the Ad Hoc Committee in February 1994. Ambassador Arundhati Ghose was India’s
Permanent Representative to UN Organizations at Geneva from mid-1995 till
1997. By the time she reached Geneva, the negotiations were at a decisive
stage - which she found quite unfavourable to
Indian interests. In this
frank tête-à-tête with the Journal, Ambassador Ghose
describes these intricate moments during negotiations of the Treaty. K. Raghunath From Nuclear Apartheid to Nuclear Deal: The First
Steps (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 5, No. 1, Jan–Mar,
2010, Pg 85-122) K. Raghunath, former Foreign Secretary, recalls the
background and aftermath of the May 1998 nuclear tests conducted by India,
which represented a crucial step forward in the development of India’s
national security and foreign policy. The
narration includes a recapitulation of international reactions and how the large
adverse element was managed, as well as the dialogue with different
countries. He also
reflects on the significance of the tests, as seen against the larger canvas
of India’s nuclear history, including the events of the subsequent decade,
culminating in the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. |
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(Indian Foreign Affairs
Journal Vol. 2, No. 2, Apr–Jun 2007, Pg 116-118) Ambassador Eric Gonsalves, former Secretary, Ministry of External
Affairs, narrates the ringside view of India’s role in resolving the Korean
crisis of 1950–54 as India’s first successful global assignment. Gurbachan Singh India at the
Rabat Islamic Summit (1969) (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 1, No. 2, Apr–Jun, 2006,Pg 105-120) Ambassador
Gurbachan Singh was the Indian Ambassador to
Morocco and who, as acting Leader of the Indian Delegation, participated in
one of the Plenary Sessions of the Summit Conference of Islamic Countries at
Rabat in September 1969, provides an insider’s account Virendra Dayal India: The Trendsetter in
Humanitarian Intervention (Indian Foreign Affairs
Journal Vol. 3, No. 2, Apr–Jun 2008, Pg 86-107) Virendra Dayal, the former Under- Secretary-General, UN and Chef
de Cabinet to the Secretary-General, narrates his experiences and India’s
contribution in setting the global agenda for humanitarian intervention
through various instances that are not generally remembered Chandrasekhar Dasgupta Climate Change Negotiations –
Guarding the ‘Overriding Priorities’ (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 6, No. 2, Apr–Jun, 2011,Pg 217-229) Chandrashekhar Dasgupta,
(then) a member of Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change, a person who
has been intimately connected with the entire debate on the subject since the
beginning and presently a Distinguished Fellow at The Energy and Research
Institute [TERI], narrates the evolution of the climate change debate,
concerns and the nitty-gritty of negotiations, the ‘confusing signals’ sent
out by India during the Copenhagen Conference (2009) and before the Cancun
Summit (2010), the present state of play and what the future may hold. |
Prabhakar Menon Reminiscences of a ‘Fly on the
Wall’ (Indian Foreign
Affairs Journal Vol. 8, No. 3, Jul–Sep, 2013, Pg 317-336) Ambassador Prabhakar Menon served as
advisor on foreign affairs to Prime Minister Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao, while
he was posted as Joint Secretary (Prime Minister’s Office) from 1992 to 1996.
He was privy, on numerous occasions, to high-level interaction between the
Prime Minister and his counterparts around the world. Earlier, from 1980 to
1982, he served as Director (Foreign Secretary’s Office) where again he was
an eyewitness to some significant developments. In this conversation with the Journal, he recounts some of the events that shaped India’s Foreign Policy postures – as he saw from close quarters (as the proverbial ‘fly on the wall’) during those two tenures. Shashank (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, Apr-Jun, 2009, Pg 136-159) Shashank, former Foreign Secretary of
India, who was actively involved in the negotiation leading to the formation
of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum, provides a narrative
on its genesis and relevance. C. R. Gharekhan (Indian
Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 4, No.
2, Apr-Jun 2009, Pg 129-142) Chinmaya Gharekhan
has spent nearly a quarter century dealing with the United Nations in various
capacities, ending with being India's Permanent Representative for over six
years. Post retirement, he was appointed Under Secretary General in the
United Nations - which provided him the unique opportunity to observe and
record the working of the Security Council from both sides. While he
discusses India's 'quest for the high table' he also comments on other
associated issues of the working of the UN system. |
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