Envoy recalls

Diplomacy is the conduct of relations between countries through negotiations and discussions, especially in an age when national interest is secured no longer through isolation but interaction. Diplomats, therefore, are a vital part of this arm of the nation-state, reaching out across the globe to further cooperation for their countries and salvaging the situation when the ties are in choppy waters.

The writer, an accomplished diplomat, was part of an era in the Indian Foreign Service when the country carved a niche for itself in the global arena. He recalls how his batch of the IFS was taken to meet Pandit Nehru where the PM was informed that the Dalai Lama had crossed over into the country from Tibet that morning. “These young officers will be dealing with today’s consequences,” was Nehru’s remark.

There are tips for those appearing in the civil services exam and ways to face the interview board. He shares personal memories of how his father did not allow him to get married before leaving for his first posting in Japan, but sent his mother instead for company.

Nazareth’s books on Mahatma Gandhi have been translated into foreign languages and the account in this book is an endeavour to live up to the ideals of the Gandhi-Nehru period.

— Sandeep Sinha