Shyam Saran

Ambassador Shyam Saran is a career diplomat born on September 4, 1946. Since joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1970, he has served in several capitals of the world including Beijing, Tokyo, and Geneva. He has been India’s Ambassador to Myanmar, Indonesia and Nepal and High Commissioner to Mauritius. In the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, he headed the Economic Division and the Multilateral Economic Division and headed the East Asia Division which handles relations with China and Japan. As a Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office in 1991/92, he advised the Prime Minister on foreign policy, nuclear and defence related issues. After a career spanning 34 years in the Indian Foreign Service, he was appointed India’s Foreign Secretary in 2004 and held that position till his retirement from service in September 2006.

Books in order of publication:

Nehru and Soekarno: Prophets of Asian Resurgence – 2002

Nonalignment 2.0 – 2013

Understanding China : How Beijing Thinks – 2017

How India Sees The World – 2017

Cultural and Civilizational Links between India and Southeast Asia: Historical and Contemporary Dimensions – 2018

How China Sees India and the World – 2022