Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor is a renowned Indian politician, author, and diplomat who has served as a Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009. He is a member of the Indian National Congress and has held various positions, including Minister of State for External Affairs and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Tharoor has also been a prominent figure in international relations, serving as a Diplomat at the United Nations and working closely with Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and other notable figures. His literary career has been marked by the publication of several books, including The Great Indian Novel, which has been compared to the works of Salman Rushdie and Vikram Seth.

● Early Life and Education

Tharoor was born in London, United Kingdom, to Chandran Tharoor and Lily Tharoor, and spent his early years in Bombay (now Mumbai) and Kolkata (then Calcutta). He attended St. Xavier's High School, Fort, Bombay, and later studied at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Tharoor then moved to the United States to pursue higher education, earning a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in International Relations from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His academic background has been influenced by scholars such as Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and Joseph Nye, and he has also been associated with institutions like the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

● Career

Tharoor's career has spanned multiple fields, including diplomacy, politics, and literature. He began his career as a Diplomat at the United Nations in 1978, working under Kurt Waldheim and later Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. Tharoor has also worked with other notable figures, including Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan, and Ban Ki-moon, and has been involved in various United Nations initiatives, such as the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund. In addition to his work at the United Nations, Tharoor has been a Fellow at the Harvard University and has taught at Oxford University and Columbia University, where he has interacted with scholars like Amartya Sen, Joseph Stiglitz, and Jeffrey Sachs.

● Political Career

Tharoor's entry into politics was marked by his election as a Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in 2009. He has since been re-elected twice, in 2014 and 2019, and has held various positions, including Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Human Resource Development. Tharoor has been a member of the Indian National Congress and has worked closely with party leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh. He has also been involved in various parliamentary committees, including the Committee on External Affairs and the Committee on Human Resource Development, and has interacted with other politicians, such as Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley, and Sushma Swaraj.

● Literary Career

Tharoor is a prolific author and has published several books, including The Great Indian Novel, Riot, and Pax Indica. His writing has been influenced by authors like Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, and Amitav Ghosh, and he has also been compared to other notable writers, such as Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai. Tharoor's literary career has been marked by his unique style, which blends elements of history, politics, and culture. He has also been a regular contributor to various newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Hindu, and has interacted with other writers and journalists, such as Nicholas Kristof, Thomas Friedman, and Fareed Zakaria.

● Personal Life

Tharoor is married to Sunanda Pushkar, and the couple has two sons, Ishan Tharoor and Kanishk Tharoor. He is also a cricket enthusiast and has written about the sport in his book The Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games. Tharoor has been involved in various charitable initiatives, including the Rahul Gandhi Foundation and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, and has worked with other notable figures, such as Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Nelson Mandela. He has also been recognized for his contributions to public service and literature, receiving awards like the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.

● Controversies

Tharoor has been involved in several controversies throughout his career, including the Indian Premier League controversy, which led to his resignation as Minister of State for External Affairs. He has also faced criticism for his comments on Twitter, which have been perceived as insensitive or provocative. Tharoor has been involved in a defamation case with Republic TV and its editor Arnab Goswami, and has also faced criticism from other politicians, including Subramanian Swamy and Arun Jaitley. Despite these controversies, Tharoor remains a prominent figure in Indian politics and literature, and continues to be a vocal advocate for human rights and social justice, working with organizations like Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch.