 Not many career bureaucrats are able to shift successfully to electoral politics. Natwar Singh is an exception. An officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Singh served as India's envoy to various countries before entering the Lok Sabha and going on to become a Union Minister.
Singh was born in Bharatpur in May, 1931. He studies at St Stephen's College, Delhi; Cambridge University, England and Peking University, China. As an IFS officer, he served in several important positions, including as Foreign Secretary, before representing India in Poland, United Kingdom, Zambia and Pakistan as Ambassador/High Commissioner. He successfully contested for Lok Sabha in 1984 and became a Minister of State in the Rajiv Gandhi government. The ministries he served in include Steel, Mines and Coal; Agriculture and External Affairs. Lately, he has been a member of the Congress party's foreign affairs committee. Singh is also a writer and a literary critic. His publications include: EM Forster: A Tribute, The Legacy of Nehru, Maharaja Suraj Mal (1707-63), Curtain Raisers and Profiles & Letters. He also writes regularly for national and international magazines and journals on political, literary and international issues. He is married, and has two children.
Brief Profile
Educational Qualifications: BA (Hon) History, St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, Delhi
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, U.K.
Peking University, Peking, China
Profession: Diplomat, Writer and Political Worker Positions Held
1971-73: Ambassador to Poland
1973-77: Deputy High Commissioner to U.K
1977-80: High Commissioner to Zambia
1980-82: Ambassador to Pakistan
1982-84: Director, Air India Board of Directors
1984-89: Member, Eighth Lok Sabha
1985-86: Union Minister of State, Department of Steel in the Ministry of Steel, Mines and Coal and Union Minister of State, Department of Fertilizers in the Ministry of Agriculture
Oct 1986 - Dec 1989: Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs
March 1998-April 1999: Member, Twelfth Lok Sabha, Member, Committee on External Affairs and its Sub-Committee-I
Member, Committee on Public Accounts
Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of External Affairs
April 2002: Elected to Rajya Sabha and Tourism; Special Permanent Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of External Affairs April 2002- May 2004: Member, Committee on External Affairs May 23, 2004: Appointed, External Affairs Minister
Personal Information
Father's Name: Shri Govind Singhji
Mother’s Name: Shrimati Prayag Kaur
Date of Birth: 16 May 1931
Marital Status: Married
Date of Marrige: 27 August 1967
Spouse's Name: Shrimati Heminder Kumari
Children: One Son
Permanent Address: "Govind Niwas", Bharatpur, Rajasthan. 321001
Tel: {05644} 228201
Present Address: 19, Teen Murti Lane, New Delhi 110011
Tel: 23010098, Mobile 9811112550, 9868181186
Books Published:
(i) E.M.Forster : A Tribute, New York, 1964
(ii) The Legacy of Nehru, New York, 1965
(iii) Tales from Modern India, New York, 1966
(iv) Stories from India, London, 1971
(v) Maharaja Suraj Mal (1707-63), London, 1981
(vi) Curtain Raisers, Delhi, 1984
(vii) Profiles & Letters, Delhi, 1997 and
(viii) The Magnificent Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala (1891-1938), Delhi, 1997
Social and Cultural Activities, and Accomplishments
Reviews books for national and international newspapers and magazines; his writings and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Saturday Review, Sunday Times, New Statesman and Financial Times (London), India Today, Frontline, Outlook, Sunday, Hindustan Times, Times of India, Indian Express, Telegraph and many Hindi dailies Awards received
(i) Padma Bhushan, 1984
(ii) E.M. Forster's Literary Award, 1989
Sports, Clubs, Favourite Pastimes and Recreation
Tennis, hockey, cricket, football and athletics in college days Champion,
(i) Delhi State Junior Tennis, 1949
(ii) Delhi University Tennis, 1950-51; College Colours in tennis, hockey, football, cricket and athletics
President
(i) Delhi Gymkhana Club, 1984
(ii) All India Tennis Association, 1988-92
Member
(i)The Garrick
(ii) The Royal Overseas League
(iii) Delhi Gymkhana Club; tennis, watching cricket, reading, writing, collecting books and reading them
Countries Visited
Widely travelled (over 100 countries) in connection with the diplomatic and other official assignments
Other Information
1953: Joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
{During 31 years in the IFS, served in Peking, 1956-58, New York - with the Permanent Mission of India}
1961-66: India's representative to Executive Board of UNICEF
1962-66: Rapporteur, (i) United Nations Committee of 24, 1963-66 and (ii) Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, 1965 Member
(i) Prime Minister's Secretariat (Smt. Indira Gandhi) 1966-71
(ii) Indian delegation to the Heads of Commonwealth Meeting , Kingston, Jamaica, 1975 and
(iii) Congress (I) since 1984 Indian Delegate to
(i) 30th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York
(ii) Heads of Commonwealth Meeting, Lusaka, Zambia, 1979 and
(iii) 35th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York
and State visit of the late Prime Minister (Smt. Indira Gandhi) to USA, 1982 -Executive Trustee, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (U.N.I.T.A.R.) appointed by the Secretary-General, United Nations, for six years (1981-86) -Served on Expert Group appointed by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, London, 1982 -Secretary-General, Seventh Non-aligned summit, New Delhi, 1983 -Chief Coordinator, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) New Delhi, 1983 -Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, March 1982 - November 1984 -Elected President, UN Conference on Disarmament and Development, New York, 1987 -Leader, Indian delegation to the 42nd Session of the UN General Assembly -Secretary, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund -Vice-Chairman, Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust |
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