Shashi Tharoor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shashi Tharoor
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Tharoor in 2025
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| Chairman of Committee on External Affairs | |
| Assumed office 26 September 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Minister | S. Jaishankar |
| Preceded by | P. P. Chaudhary |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 31 May 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Pannyan Raveendran |
| Constituency | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala |
| Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development | |
| In office 28 October 2012 – 26 May 2014 |
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| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Minister | Kapil Sibal M. M. Pallam Raju |
| Preceded by | Daggubati Purandeswari |
| Succeeded by | Upendra Kushwaha |
| Union Minister of State for External Affairs | |
| In office 28 May 2009 – 18 April 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Minister | S. M. Krishna |
| Preceded by | Anand Sharma |
| Succeeded by | E. Ahamed |
| United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information | |
| In office 1 June 2002 – 9 February 2007 |
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| Secretary General | Kofi Annan |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Kiyotaka Akasaka |
| Chairman of Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology | |
| In office 13 September 2019 – 12 September 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Anurag Thakur |
| Succeeded by | Nishikant Dubey |
| Chairman of Standing Committee on Chemicals & Fertilizers | |
| In office 13 September 2022 – 12 September 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Kanimozhi Karunanidhi |
| Succeeded by | Kirti Azad |
| Founder-Chairman of the All India Professionals Congress | |
| In office 1 August 2017 – 15 November 2023 |
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| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Praveen Chakravarty |
| Personal details | |
| Pronunciation | [ʃɐʃi t̪ɐɾuːr] |
| Born | 9 March 1956 London, England |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Delhi (BA) Tufts University (MA, MALD, PhD) |
| Occupation |
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| Awards | Full list |
| Writing career | |
| Language | English |
| Period | Postmodern |
| Genre |
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| Subject |
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| Years active | 1964–present |
| Notable works |
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Shashi Tharoor (born March 9, 1956) is a well-known Indian politician, writer, and former diplomat. He is a member of the Indian National Congress party. Since 2009, he has been a Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He has been elected four times to this role.
Currently, he leads the Committee on External Affairs. Before his political career, he worked for the United Nations. He was an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. In 2006, he was a candidate for the top job of Secretary-General of the United Nations. He has written many books and was once called a "Global Leader of Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Shashi Tharoor was born in London, United Kingdom, on March 9, 1956. His parents, Chandra Shekharan Nair Tharoor and Sulekha Menon, were from Kerala, India. He has two younger sisters. His family moved to India when he was two years old.
He went to school in Mumbai (then Bombay) at Campion School. In 1975, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from St Stephen's College, Delhi. He was also the president of the student union there.
Later that year, Tharoor went to the United States. He studied at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He earned his Master's degree in 1976. He then got another Master's degree in 1977 and a PhD in 1978. He was only 22 years old when he received his doctorate. This made him the youngest person to get a PhD from the Fletcher School at that time.
Working as a Diplomat
Starting at the UN
Shashi Tharoor began his career at the United Nations in 1978. He worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. From 1981 to 1984, he led the UNHCR office in Singapore. He helped Vietnamese refugees during a big crisis.
He also helped refugees from Poland and Aceh. After working at the UNHCR headquarters, he moved to New York. In 1989, he joined the team for peacekeeping operations. He worked on peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia until 1996.
Leading Communications at the UN
In 1996, Tharoor became a director for Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In 2001, he became the head of the Department of Public Information (DPI). He was in charge of how the UN shared information with the world. His job was to make the UN look good and work better.
He also helped organize important seminars. These included the first UN seminars on Antisemitism and Islamophobia. He also started a list of "Ten Under-Reported Stories the World Ought to Know about." He left the UN in 2007.
Running for UN Secretary-General
In 2006, India nominated Tharoor for the role of UN Secretary General. If he had won, he would have been the second-youngest Secretary-General. He finished second in the voting, behind Ban Ki-moon of South Korea.
He received one veto from the United States. After the vote, Tharoor decided to withdraw his name. He then left the UN.
Life After the UN
After leaving the UN, Tharoor became chairman of Afras Ventures. This company started a business communication academy in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This is the city where he later won four elections to Parliament.
He also gave talks around the world about India. He spent more and more time in India. In October 2008, he moved back to India for good. He also served on the boards of several important organizations. These included the Aspen Institute and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Political Career in India
In Government Roles
In 2009, Shashi Tharoor joined the Indian National Congress party. He ran for elections in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He won by a large number of votes. He then became a Minister of State in the government.
From May 2009, he was Minister of State for External Affairs. He worked on relations with countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Gulf. He also helped with the Haj pilgrimage. He used social media a lot for his political work. He was the most followed Indian politician on Twitter for a while.
In April 2010, Tharoor resigned from his minister position. This happened after some questions were raised about his involvement with an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team. He said he did nothing wrong. He asked for a full investigation.
Between 2010 and 2012, Tharoor stayed active in Parliament. He was part of several important committees. In 2012, he became the Minister of State for Human Resource Development. He focused on adult education and improving research in schools.
As a Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, he was the first to publish yearly reports. These reports showed what he did as an MP.
In Opposition Roles
In May 2014, Tharoor won his election again in Thiruvananthapuram. He became a member of the 16th Lok Sabha, working in the Opposition. He was made Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.
In October 2014, he was removed from his role as Congress spokesperson. This happened after he praised some actions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many people felt that it was good for a politician to praise good work, even from an opponent.
In 2017, Tharoor suggested that the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata should become a museum. This museum would show the effects of British rule in India. He wrote that the British made India poor after centuries of control.
Tharoor has also tried to change laws in Parliament. He worked to amend Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This law was later changed by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. This showed that Tharoor's ideas were correct.
In August 2023, Tharoor was elected to the Congress Working Committee. This is the main decision-making group of the Indian National Congress. In the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, he was re-elected to Parliament.
Even while in the Opposition, he was given important roles by the government. In 2019, he became Chairman of the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology. In September 2024, he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on External Affairs.
In May 2025, he led a group of Indian MPs to the United States and Panama. They went to explain India's strong stand against terrorism. This was after a terror attack in Pahalgam and India's response. Tharoor said it was a great honor to lead this group. He stressed that India's actions targeted only terrorist groups.
Famous Speeches
Tharoor is known for his excellent speaking skills. His speeches are very popular online. For example, his speech at the Oxford Union in 2015 has been watched millions of times. In this speech, he argued that Britain should pay for its past actions in its former colonies.
He also gives speeches about "soft power" and education in India. Many people admire his intelligence and humor. He supports the idea of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. He believes the UN should be more open to elected representatives.
Writing Career
Shashi Tharoor has written many books and articles. He has been a columnist for major Indian newspapers. He also wrote for international publications like Newsweek International. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post and The New York Times.
He started writing at a young age. His first story was published when he was 10. His adventure novel Operation Bellows was published when he was almost 11. He has written 23 books in English. His book The Great Indian Novel has been reprinted many times.
President Bill Clinton mentioned Tharoor's book India From Midnight to the Millennium in a speech. Tharoor is known for his interesting observations about India. He once said, "If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali." A thali is a plate with many different dishes that go well together.
His non-fiction book An Era of Darkness (also known as Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India) came from his Oxford Union speech. It became a bestseller. He has also written Why I Am A Hindu (2018) and The Paradoxical Prime Minister (2018). These books discuss important questions about India and its leaders.
Personal Life
Shashi Tharoor has two sons, Kanishk and Ishaan, with his first wife, Tilottama Mukherji. His sons were born in Singapore. Ishaan writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. Kanishk is an author. Tilottama is a professor at New York University.
Tharoor later married Christa Giles, a Canadian diplomat. This marriage was short. He then married Sunanda Pushkar in 2010. She passed away in 2014. After an investigation, a court cleared Tharoor of any wrongdoing related to her passing in 2021.
Tharoor is a vegetarian. He has said he is very proud to be a Hindu. He has read many Upanishads. His mother tongue is Malayalam.
Community Work
In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose Shashi Tharoor as one of nine famous people. They were asked to help spread awareness about cleanliness and hygiene. This was part of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Tharoor helped by cleaning the Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram.
He is also on the advisory board of India's International Movement to Unite Nations.
Awards and Honors
Shashi Tharoor has received many awards for his writing and work.
- 1976 – Rajika Kripalani Young Journalist Award
- 1991 – Commonwealth Writers' Prize for The Great Indian Novel
- 1998 – Global Leader of Tomorrow from the World Economic Forum
- 2009 – Zakir Hussain Memorial "Pride of India" Award
- 2010 – "New Age Politician of the Year" Award from NDTV
- 2019 – Sahitya Akademi Award for his book, An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India
Special Honors from Countries
- 2004 –
India : Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, India's highest honor for non-resident Indians. - 2012 –
Spain : Commander of the Order of Charles III from the King of Spain. - 2022 –
France : Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, for his writings and speeches.
Honorary Degrees
- 2023 - Honorary Doctorate from Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations
- Honorary Doctor of Letters in International Affairs from University of Puget Sound
- Doctor Honoris Causa in history from University of Bucharest.
Images for kids
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Tharoor with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in 2025.
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Ambassador of Spain to India Gustavo de Aristégui giving a Civilian Honour to Tharoor and Farooq Abdullah.
See also
In Spanish: Shashi Tharoor para niños
