Biography of former Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla launched in New York

Shringla, currently the Chief Coordinator of India's G20 Presidency, addressed prominent members of Indian-American diaspora community during the launch event

A biography that chronicles the life and career of former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and his first-hand account of some of the contemporary major global challenges during his tenure has been launched here.

Shringla, 61, currently the Chief Coordinator of India's G20 Presidency, addressed prominent members of the Indian-American and diaspora community at an event last week that launched his biography ‘Not An Accidental Rise’.

Former US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster and Consul General of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal were among the special guests at the event hosted by Jaipur Foot USA, a subsidiary of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) and Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari.

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‘Not An Accidental Rise’ has been written by Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Sikkim University, Gangtok Dr Dipmala Roka. It was launched in Darjeeling earlier this month.

"This biography of Harsh Vardhan Shringla, one of India’s most distinguished diplomats, and a former Foreign Secretary, describes his life and his rise to the highest position in the elite Indian Foreign Service by dint of his perseverance, determination, hard work, skill and ability,” it says.

“His life and work are strongly anchored in his heritage, his culture, and his values.”

Shringla noted that the “readable" book is a “well researched” and “candid” account “not just of my career, but my entire life so far.”

Shringla recalled that he first met Roka when he visited Sikkim in April 2021, just before the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic engulfed the country. At the time, Sikkim University had organised a major event to convey to the young people of the state the message of India's foreign policy, Shringla said.

Shringla visited Gangtok for the IVth Global Lecture Series organised by the Department of International Relations, Sikkim University.

He said the book also deals with the people-to-people ties between India and the US.

“The community has been our mainstay and main support. Much of what we have achieved, from the nuclear deal to what we have achieved in the recent past, can be attributed to the wholehearted support from the Indian-American community,” Shringla said at the event.

In the author’s note, Roka writes that she worked closely with Shringla while writing the book, and “this gave me insights into the making of India’s foreign policy that no amount of academic work could provide. The first-hand account from a senior diplomat who has extensively dealt with some of the contemporary major global challenges was immensely enlightening.”

The book, punctuated with photographs from Shringla’s personal life and diplomatic career, chronicles his early days and the diplomatic journey that began when he joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1984, his tenure as Joint Secretary from 2010 to 2013, postings as India’s envoy to Thailand, Bangladesh and Washington as well as his tenure as Foreign Secretary from January 2020 to April 2022.

Writing about the challenging time when India and the world were grappling with the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, Roka said “the Covid-19 pandemic was a health catastrophe that delivered an enormous shock... Shringla managed the administrative and diplomatic response of the Ministry of External Affairs to this extraordinarily difficult challenge.”

Shringla “ensured that missions abroad extended all possible assistance to the stranded Indians after Covid-19-related restrictions were imposed... In all, Shringla and his team worked successfully on coordinating 9 phases of the Vande Bharat Mission by end-February 2021.”

In the book, Roka further writes that “as someone who has spent a decade of his career on multilateral work at various levels, many of his colleagues point out that Shringla was a rare Foreign Secretary who was comfortable dealing with the multilateral complexities that came his way.”

In the chapter on Shringla’s time in Washington as India’s Ambassador, Roka writes “The Government's decision to abrogate Article 370 and impose temporary restrictions in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir evoked sharp reactions from an unusual alliance of liberals and Islamic radicals alike - and Pakistan actively - and openly stoke the fires.

“A major challenge arose in the form of a one-sided and factually unjustified draft resolution floated by an Indian-origin Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal in her quest to garner the support of the left fringe of the Democratic Party.

“Shringla and his team carried out an intense campaign at Capitol Hill to articulate the factually correct position and to highlight the damage such a resolution could do to the relationship. He met a record 400 Senators and Congressmen and travelled to 22 US states meeting Governors, State Senators and key influencers. This helped greatly when it came to placing in perspective steps taken by the Government of India to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and to adopt the Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA).”