S. Jaishankar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
S. Jaishankar
|
|
|---|---|
Jaishankar in 2023
|
|
| 30th Union Minister of External Affairs | |
| Assumed office 30 May 2019 |
|
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Sushma Swaraj |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 5 July 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Amit Shah |
| Constituency | Gujarat |
| 31st Foreign Secretary of India | |
| In office 28 January 2015 – 28 January 2018 |
|
| Minister | Sushma Swaraj |
| Preceded by | Sujatha Singh |
| Succeeded by | Vijay Keshav Gokhale |
| Ambassador of India to the United States | |
| In office 1 December 2013 – 28 January 2015 |
|
| President | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Nirupama Rao |
| Succeeded by | Arun Kumar Singh |
| Ambassador of India to China | |
| In office 1 June 2009 – 1 December 2013 |
|
| President | Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Nirupama Rao |
| Succeeded by | Ashok Kantha |
| High Commissioner of India to Singapore | |
| In office 1 January 2007 – 1 June 2009 |
|
| President | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Succeeded by | TCA Raghavan |
| Ambassador of India to the Czech Republic | |
| In office 1 January 2001 – 1 January 2004 |
|
| President | K. R. Narayanan A.P.J. Abdul Kalam |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | P. S. Raghavan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
9 January 1955 New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Sanjay Subrahmanyam (brother) |
| Residence |
|
| Alma mater | St. Stephen's College, Delhi (BSc), Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA, MPhil, PhD) |
| Occupation |
|
| Awards | Padma Shri (2019) |
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (born 9 January 1955), known as S. Jaishankar, is an Indian diplomat, politician, and author. He is currently the Minister of External Affairs for the Government of India. This means he handles India's relationships with other countries. He has held this important role since May 2019.
Jaishankar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is also a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha. Before becoming a minister, he served as the Foreign Secretary of India from 2015 to 2018.
He joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1977. During his 38-year career as a diplomat, he worked in many different roles both in India and abroad. He was India's High Commissioner to Singapore (2007–2009). He also served as Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2001–2004), China (2009–2013), and the US (2014–2015).
In January 2019, Jaishankar received the Padma Shri. This is India's fourth-highest award for civilians. In May 2019, he became a cabinet minister in the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As External Affairs Minister, he has shaped India's foreign policy. He is known for keeping good relations between India and China even after some border issues. He has also spoken about the need to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jaishankar was born in Delhi, India. His father, Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam, was a well-known Indian civil servant. His mother was Sulochana Subrahmanyam. He grew up in a Tamil Hindu family. He has a sister, Sudha, and two brothers, Sanjay Subrahmanyam and S. Vijay Kumar.
He went to school at The Air Force School in Delhi and Bangalore Military School in Bangalore. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. Later, he studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). There, he earned a master's degree, an M.Phil., and a PhD in international relations. He focused on how countries use diplomacy related to nuclear matters.
Diplomatic Career (1979–2018)
After joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1977, Jaishankar worked in Moscow from 1979 to 1981. There, he learned Russian. He then returned to New Delhi. He worked in the Ministry of External Affairs, dealing with the United States. He helped solve a disagreement about US nuclear fuel for power stations in India. From 1985 to 1988, he worked at the Indian embassy in Washington, D.C.
From 1988 to 1990, he served in Sri Lanka. He was a political adviser to the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF). From 1990 to 1993, he worked in Budapest. Back in New Delhi, he was a press secretary and speechwriter for President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma.
Jaishankar was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo from 1996 to 2000. During this time, relations between India and Japan improved after some difficulties. In 2000, he became India's ambassador to the Czech Republic.
From 2004 to 2007, Jaishankar worked in New Delhi, focusing on relations with the Americas. He was involved in talks for the US-India civil nuclear agreement. He also helped improve defense cooperation. In 2006–2007, he led the Indian team in talks for the 123 Agreement with the United States.
High Commissioner to Singapore
From 2007 to 2009, Jaishankar was India's High Commissioner to Singapore. He helped put into action the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). This agreement helped Indian businesses grow in Singapore. He also oversaw a defense agreement allowing Singapore to keep some military equipment in India.
Ambassador to China
Jaishankar served as India's ambassador to China for four and a half years. This was the longest term for an Indian ambassador there. In Beijing, he worked to improve economic, trade, and cultural ties between China and India. He also helped manage the Sino-Indian border dispute.
During his time in China, there were several important events. In 2010, he helped resolve an issue when China refused a visa to an Indian army official. He also helped end China's policy of giving special visas to Indians from Jammu and Kashmir. In 2013, he helped end a border stand-off with China's army in Ladakh. He warned that a visit by China's Premier might be canceled if the forces did not leave.
Jaishankar believed India should work closely with China. He stressed that India's "core interests" must be respected. He also pushed for Indian businesses to have better access to the Chinese market. He worked to improve connections between the people of India and China.
Ambassador to United States
Jaishankar became India's Ambassador to the United States in September 2013. He started his role on December 23, 2013. He arrived during a difficult time involving an Indian diplomat. He helped resolve the situation. In January 2014, he spoke about the strong relationship between India and the US.
In March 2014, he officially met US President Barack Obama. Jaishankar also helped plan Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to the United States in September 2014. He welcomed the Prime Minister and hosted a dinner for the Indian-American community.
Foreign Secretary (2015–2018)
Jaishankar was appointed Foreign Secretary of India on January 29, 2015. This is a very important position in India's foreign policy. He is known for helping to shape the Modi government's "aggressive" foreign policy. His term was extended, which is unusual for civil servants.
Minister of External Affairs (2019–Present)
.jpg)
.jpg)
On May 31, 2019, Jaishankar became the Minister of External Affairs. He was sworn in as a Cabinet minister on May 30, 2019. On July 5, 2019, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He took over from Sushma Swaraj.
In October 2020, Jaishankar and India's Defense Minister met with US officials. They signed an agreement to share important information and intelligence. This agreement had been discussed for over ten years.
In November 2022, Jaishankar met with the Russian foreign minister. He praised Russia as a "steady" partner of India. He also called for talks and peace between Russia and Ukraine. In June 2023, he stated that India would not invite Ukraine to the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi. Jaishankar has strongly defended India's decision to buy oil from Russia. He has also criticized Europe for its approach to global problems.
In January 2023, Jaishankar called Pakistan "The Epicenter of Terrorism" in an interview. He said the world needs to be concerned about terrorism. Later, in August 2024, he said that India would react to events with Pakistan. In February 2023, he dismissed criticism of India's Prime Minister by an American investor. He called the investor "old, rich, opinionated and dangerous."
He condemned the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023 as a terrorist act. However, he also spoke about the difficulties faced by the Palestinian people. He suggested a "two-state solution" through "dialogue and negotiation." This means creating a sovereign, independent State of Palestine living peacefully alongside Israel.
In October 2024, Jaishankar spoke about India's relationship with China. He said it had "not been great" because China had broken agreements about keeping the border peaceful. In September 2024, he said India is not closed to doing business with China. He explained that the issue is about which sectors to do business in and on what terms. On September 12, 2024, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte called Jaishankar a "star in the world."
Personal Life
.jpg)
Jaishankar was first married to Shobha. They met while studying at JNU. Sadly, she passed away from cancer. Later, he married Kyoko, who is from Japan. He met her while working at the Indian embassy in Japan. They have two sons, Dhruva and Arjun, and a daughter, Medha. Jaishankar can speak Russian, English, Tamil, Hindi, conversational Japanese, Chinese, and some Hungarian.
Awards and Honours
India:
Padma Shri (2019)
The Government of India gave him the Padma Shri in 2019. This is India's fourth-highest civilian honor. He received it for his important work in Indian diplomacy and for helping to improve India's global conversations.
See also
- Third Modi ministry
