The World is his Oyster
Indians Abroad Who Make Us Proud
Gentleman, March 1999

            What is Shashi Tharoor first? Diplomat or Writer?  Probably both.  In a way, Tharoor himself thinks so.  He once said, on his call to write, "I have far more book ideas than books, or evenings and weekends to write them in.  Basically, I see myself as someone with a number of responses to the world, some through my work, some through my writing."  Over the years, Tharoor has worked as hard at his PC at home as he has at his desk at the UN.

            Born in London in 1956 and educated in Mumbai, Calcutta and Delhi (BA Hons in History at St. Stephen’s College) and later a PhD in the US at 22, Tharoor joined the UN in 1978.  He headed the world body’s Singapore office of the High Commissioner for Refugees during the "boat people" crisis.  Through all those years Tharoor wrote numerous articles, short stories and commentaries in Indian and Western publications.  And yes, fiction and non-fiction books too.

            By the time he arrived at UN HQ in New York as a senior official in October 1989, Tharoor, true to his calling, was well on his other mission: writing books.  He wrote Reasons of State (1982), The Great Indian Novel (1989), The Five Dollar smile and Other Stories (1990) Show Business (1992) and India: Midnight to the Millennium (1997),a celebration of India’s 50th year of Independence.  Somewhere along the way Tharoor picked up several journalism and literary awards, including a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.

            Then on January 1 1997, Tharoor who is often referred to, in the words of the London Independent, as "one of the finest writers of satirical novels currently operating in English," was handpicked by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as his executive assistant.  Prior to this, he was responsible for peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia.

            Notwithstanding his phenomenal success both as a diplomat and a writer, Tharoor has far from forgotten his native land.  As he once said, "If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali, a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls.  Each tasts different, and does not necessarily mix with the next, but they belong together on the same plate, and they complement each other in making the meal a satisfying repast."  His two books, The Great Indian Novel and India: Midnight to the Millennium, are a testimony to that statement.