Gopalkrishna Gandhi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gopalkrishna Gandhi
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| 18th Governor of West Bengal | |
| In office 14 December 2004 – 14 December 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Viren J. Shah |
| Succeeded by | Devanand Konwar (additional charge) |
| Governor of Bihar (additional charge) |
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| In office 31 January 2006 – 21 June 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Buta Singh |
| Succeeded by | R. S. Gavai |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi
22 April 1945 Delhi, British India |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations |
NIL |
| Spouse | Tara Gandhi |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | Devdas Gandhi Lakshmi Gandhi |
| Relatives | Ramchandra Gandhi Rajmohan Gandhi (brothers) |
| Alma mater | University of Delhi |
| Occupation | Professor of History and Politics at Ashoka University |
Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi (born 22 April 1945) is a former administrator and diplomat who served as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal serving from 2004 to 2009. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). As a former IAS officer he served as Secretary to the President of India and as High Commissioner to South Africa and Sri Lanka, among other administrative and diplomatic posts. He was the United Progressive Alliance nominee for Vice President of India 2017 elections and lost with 244 votes against NDA candidate Venkaiah Naidu, who got 516 votes.
Early life and background
Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi was born on 22 April 1945 in Delhi, to Devdas and Lakshmi Gandhi. His father was a journalist. Gandhi graduated with a master's degree in English literature from St. Stephen's College of Delhi University.
Career
He joined IAS as an officer in 1968 and served in Tamil Nadu state till 1985. Thereafter, he remained secretary to the Vice President of India (1985–1987) and joint secretary to the President of India (1987–1992).
In 1992, after retiring voluntarily from the IAS, he became minister (culture) in high commission of India, UK and director of The Nehru Centre, London, UK. This was followed by various diplomatic and administrative positions for the rest of his career, including high commissioner of India to South Africa and Lesotho (1996), secretary to the president of India (1997–2000), high commissioner of India in Sri Lanka (2000), and ambassador of India to Norway, and Iceland (2002).
On 14 December 2004, he was appointed Governor of West Bengal following the expiry of the term of office of incumbent Viren J. Shah. He was succeeded by Devanand Konwar, who was given additional charge of West Bengal. For a few months in 2006 he also took on additional duties as the Governor of Bihar.
He was the chairman of Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai from December 2011 to May 2014. In 2015, he translated the Tamil classic, the Tirukkural, into English. He was the chairman of governing body of Indian Institute of Advanced Study, and president of its society on 5 March 2012 and served until May 2014.
Gandhi teaches at Ashoka University, where he is a professor of history and politics.
Personal life
His paternal grandfather was Mahatma Gandhi and maternal grandfather was C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). He is the son of Devadas Gandhi and Lakshmi Gandhi. Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the younger brother of Rajmohan Gandhi and Ramchandra Gandhi. He and his wife Tara have two daughters.
See also
- List of translators into English
