Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (S. Jaishankar) is the prominent face of Indian diplomacy and the current Foreign Minister. His life is full of deep understanding and experience in Indian foreign policy and international relations. Let us know about his life, career, and achievements in detail.
Early life and education
S. Jaishankar was born on 9 January 1955 in an eminent Tamil Brahmin family. His father K. Subrahmanyam was a prominent Indian strategic affairs analyst, commentator, and civil servant. S. Jaishankar studied at Cambridge School Srinivaspuri and graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. Subsequently, he obtained a Master’s and PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Diplomatic career
Dr. Jaishankar joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1977 and served in various important positions due to his exceptional diplomatic skills.
Jaishankar served as Third Secretary and Second Secretary in the Indian Mission to the Soviet Union in Moscow from 1979 to 1981, where he studied the Russian language.
From 1985–1988, he was First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC.
From 1988–1990, he served as First Secretary and Political Adviser to the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.
During 1990-1993, he served at the Indian Mission in Budapest as a Counselor (Commercial).
Jaishankar was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo from 1996–2000.
He was appointed Ambassador of India to the Czech Republic in 2000.
From 2004–2007 Jaishankar was Joint Secretary (Americas) in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
His services in some key positions:
Indian Ambassador to the United States (2013-2015): Played a key role in strengthening India-US relations.
Indian Ambassador to China (2009-2013): Maintained trade and political ties between the two countries.
Indian High Commissioner to Singapore (2007-2009)
Contribution as Foreign Minister
On May 31, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed S. Jaishankar as the Foreign Minister of India. He is the first person to directly become a cabinet minister. On 5 July 2019, he was elected as a Rajya Sabha member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from the state of Gujarat.
Personal life and interests
Dr. Jaishankar’s wife Kyoko Jaishankar is of Japanese descent. They have three children Dhruva Jaishankar, Arjun Jaishankar, and Medha Jaishankar. He is fluent in several languages, including Hindi, English, Tamil, Russian, and Japanese.
