Walking the highway of diplomacy

Readers will forgive me for going down memory lane. I am conscious that memories are special for a concerned person, family or group. But they are so personal that they leave those who are not involved in them, often weary and even bored. I will attempt to avoid that trap if not fully, at least partially.

The Indian Foreign Service batch of 1975, of which I am a member, marked its 50^th anniversary on July 10, the day we were inducted into the Service as ‘probationers’. Some of us met in Bengaluru over three days beginning July 10 to catch-up, talk of decades past and the present. We were conscious of the ravages of time—of the twenty-four (twenty men and four ladies) who comprised the batch, only fifteen remain; and, a few are in ill health. We fondly recalled our absent batch-mates and hoped that those who are not well will get better. We spoke of our happy probationary years in Delhi. Our interaction was mainly light-hearted fun, interspersed with observations and assessments of India’s turbulent journey through these fifty years. Our Bengaluru colleague, who achieved great distinction in her career, worked hard to put in place a wonderful programme.

Our spouses were with us. We were privileged that a spouse of a colleague, who is no more, joined us. She is now a member of the women’s national bridge team. Another spouse of a brilliant colleague who passed away while in service could not join us. She is from Kashmir and is a very eminent and wise educationist. We are so proud of what these ladies have accomplished. Indeed, all our spouses were full partners in our diplomatic journeys. They contributed, quietly and discreetly, to the nation’s cause. IFS spouses, both men and women, do that today as well.

In the past five decades India and the world have been transformed. Few periods in history have witnessed such enormous change as witnessed in these past fifty years. Our batch joined the IFS in the analogue age. Futurologists were then predicting that the world was going to change but no one anticipated that the digital age would come in such a rush and transform the planet. No one could also predict the existential crises that confront the world today. The youngest of our batch retired in the summer of 2013. By the end of the first decade of this century, the challenge of these crises was upon us but in the years since our retirement the world’s geo-politics, geo-strategy and geo-economics have morphed.

These processes began with the end of the Cold War in 1991. Indeed, it would not be wrong to consider that the first phase of our diplomatic lives was covered by the Cold War and the second phase began thereafter. We could sense that China was moving rapidly ahead but few in 2013, especially in the West, envisaged even a decade ago that it would rival the US by 2020. The West simply did not discern the rapid progress it had made in science and technology. Our present diplomats will have to deal with a far greater challenge from China.

We watched the world changing from our postings - Indian Missions and Posts spread across the world and also from the Headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs. In our respective assignments we searched for areas where we could nudge India’s national interest ahead through our views conveyed to our official or, as we gained seniority, our political superiors. Like other members of the IFS, we could vouch that diplomats play a significant, if unobtrusive, role in inter-state relations through their understanding of the forces which shape the world. This will remain so even, in this age, when political leaders are in direct touch with each other. It will be more so during the disruptions brought about by a maverick like Donald Trump who holds the most powerful political office in the world.

Our careers also witnessed the comprehensive transformation of India not only in terms of material progress but in socio-economic policy orientation. We joined the IFS just as the emergency was declared. By the time we went out on our first postings it was over. The election of March 1977 had been held and the Congress was routed. That led to the formation of the Janata Party government led by Morarji Desai. Perhaps some of my batch-mates may have had an experience like I did in my first post, Egypt. Some Egyptians belonging to different occupations used to make it a point to praise Indian democracy. That left an indelible impression in me: that our greatest soft-power asset was our democracy and the institutions that uphold it. And, democracy cannot be sustained without social cohesion and a full sense of participation of all sections of Indian society and of all regions.

1991 began the process of liberalization and the abandonment of socialistic social and economic principles. What began three and half decades ago has inexorably led to making India what it is today. We saw these developments in the second phase of our careers which also witnessed greater flexibility in our foreign policy options. These decades also saw India confront the challenge of terrorism. All in all, as the Indian economy grew India began to straddle two worlds: that of the trade unions of the developing countries and of rule-making groups of the advanced countries. That is a terrible position to be in but so it is.

It was a privilege to represent India and assist in the management of its foreign policy; the 1975 IFS batch did so with commitment and dedication.