Dr. Shashi Tharoor (born 9 March 1956) is currently the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and a member of the Indian Parliament from the Trivandrum constituency in Kerala.
He served as the UN Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information between June 2002 and February 2007, during the term of Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the United Nations. In 2006, he was the official candidate of India for the office of United Nations Secretary-General, and came second out of seven official candidates in the race. He is also a prolific author, columnist, journalist, human-rights advocate and a humanitarian.
He also presently serves on the Board of Overseers of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the board of trustees of the Aspen Institute, and the Advisory Boards of the Indo-American Arts Council, the American India Foundation, the World Policy Journal, the Virtue Foundation and the human rights organization 'Breakthrough'. He is an International Adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva for the period 2008-2011, a Fellow of the New York Institute of the Humanities and the Patron of the Dubai Modern School. He is also the managing trustee of the Chandran Tharoor Foundation which he founded with his family and friends in the name of his father—the late Chandran Tharoor.
Early life
Shashi Tharoor was born in London to Chandran Tharoor, born Tharoor Chandrasekharan Nair, hailing from the 'Tharoor Tharavad' of Chittilanchery, Palakkad, Kerala. His mother, Lily Tharoor, born Sulekha Menon, hails from 'Mundarath Tharavad' in Elavanchery, Palakkad, Kerala and has adopted the nickname "Lily" as her formal name. His roots are in Palakkad, Kerala, India. He studied at Montfort School in Yercaud and Campion School in Mumbai, attended high school at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School in Kolkata, Bachelor of Arts degree in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He later won a scholarship to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he completed two degrees in three years -- A Master of Arts in International Affairs, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy. He then completed a Ph.D. at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Massachusetts, at the age of 22, a Fletcher record unlikely to be broken.
Career
In 1978, Tharoor began working for the United Nations, serving with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, whose Singapore office he headed during the boat people crisis at the record young age of 25. He was transferred as a senior official at the United Nations headquarters in New York in 1989, where, until late 1996, he was responsible for peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia.
From January 1997 to July 1998, he was executive assistant to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. He was appointed director of communications and special projects in the office of the Secretary-General, and in January 2001, he was appointed by the Secretary-General as interim head of the Department of Public Information. On June 1, 2002, he was confirmed as the Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information. In this capacity, he was responsible for the communication strategy, enhancing the image and effectiveness of the UN. In 2003, the Secretary-General appointed him to the additional responsibility of United Nations Coordinator for Multilingualism.
Tharoor's was an exceptional UN career, rising as he did from the P-2 level to the highest possible rank of Under-Secretary-General in a mere 23 years. He was privileged to play a key role in some of the major events of his time, from the Vietnamese boat people crisis to the Yugoslav Civil Wars, to serve in both the humanitarian and peace-keeping arenas as well as in the Secretary-General's office. He established a reputation at the Department of Public Information as a reformer and as the UN's most articulate voice for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the work of multilateralism in an increasingly unipolar world. He took a number of initiatives, ranging from organizing and conducting the first-ever UN seminar on anti-Semitism and also the first-ever UN seminar on Islamophobia to launching an annual list of "Ten Under-Reported Stories the World Ought to Know About".
Tharoor resigned from the post of Under Secretary General on February 9, 2007 and left the UN effective 1 April 2007.
Campaign for Secretary-General
On June 15, 2006, the Government of India announced its backing for Tharoor’s candidacy as Kofi Annan’s successor for the post of UN Secretary General.
Tharoor came a close second (behind Ban Ki-moon) in each of the four straw polls conducted by the UN Security Council on 24 July, when he won 10 votes to Ban's 12, 14 September, 28 September and 2 October, though he handily won an online poll conducted by the BBC News website. In the fourth poll, Ban emerged as the only candidate with the support of all five permanent members, each of whom has the power to veto candidates. Tharoor remained the only other candidate of seven contenders to enjoy a majority in the Security Council, though with one Permanent Member (later revealed to be the US under the Bush Administration) opposed, and one (China) abstaining. After the vote, Tharoor withdrew his candidacy, telling reporters he was “confident that Ban will win.” Had he become Secretary-General he would have been the second-youngest Secretary-General ever of the UN (Dag Hammarskjold having been appointed at 46).
Political Career in India
On 19 March 2009, Tharoor was declared as the Indian National Congress candidate of the Thiruvananthapuram (Lok Sabha constituency) in Kerala for the General Elections in 2009. Tharoor featured in a five-cornered contest against P. Ramachandran Nair of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Neelalohitadasan Nadar of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), M.P. Gangadharan of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and P. K. Krishna Das of Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP). Despite the dispersal of the anti-Left vote amongst several candidates, and the challenge of being attacked as an elite "outsider" by his opponents, Tharoor won a thumping victory, defeating his nearest CPI rival P. Ramachandran Nair by a margin of around 100,000 votes (the biggest victory by any candidate in Thiruvananthapuram in over 30 years) when the results were announced on May 16, 2009. On 28 May 2009, Shashi Tharoor was sworn in as Minister of State of the Union Government of India as External Affairs minister, in the Council of Ministers of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Tharoor's political website (www.tharoor.in), use of new media technologies in his campaign (including emails, voice SMS, and the use of social networking websites Facebook and Twitter) set the benchmark for future political websites and organizing in India. He eventually became the first Indian celebrity to get 100,000 followers on Twitter.
Literary career
Tharoor has written numerous books in English. Most of his literary creations are centred on Indian themes and they are markedly “Indo-nostalgic.” Perhaps his most famous work is The Great Indian Novel, published in 1989, in which he uses the narrative and theme of the famous Indian epic Mahabharata to weave a satirical story of Indian life in a non-linear mode with the characters drawn from the Indian Independence Movement. His novel Show Business (1992) was made into the film 'Bollywood'(1994). The late Ismail Merchant had announced his wish to make a film of Tharoor’s novel Riot shortly before Merchant’s death in 2005.
Tharoor has been a highly-regarded columnist in each of India's three best-known English-language newspapers, most recently for The Hindu newspaper (2001–2008) and in a weekly column, “Shashi on Sunday,” in the Times of India (January 2007 - December 2008). Previously he was a columnist for the Gentleman magazine and the Indian Express newspaper, as well as a frequent contributor to Newsweek International and the International Herald Tribune. His Op-Eds and book reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, amongst other papers.
Tharoor began writing at the age of 6 and his first published story appeared in the “Bharat Jyoti”, the Sunday edition of the "Free press Journal", in Mumbai at age 10. His World War II adventure novel Operation Bellows, inspired by the Biggles books, was serialized in the Junior Statesman starting a week before his 11th birthday. Each of his books has been a best-seller in India. The Great Indian Novel is currently in its 28th edition in India and his newest volume, The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cellphone has undergone seven hardback re-printings there.
Tharoor has lectured widely on India, and is often quoted for his observations, including, "India is not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay.". He has also coined a memorable comparison of India's "thali" to the American "melting pot": "If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali--a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each tastes different, and does not necessarily mix with the next, but they belong together on the same plate, and they complement each other in making the meal a satisfying repast."
Personal life
Tharoor is known for his passionate interest in cricket, especially Indian cricket, about which he has written in such publications as The Cricketer International, The Illustrated Weekly of India and The Hindu. A theatre buff and successful actor in his schooldays, he played Antony to Mira Nair’s Cleopatra in a 1974 production of Antony and Cleopatra. At St. Stephen’s in the early 1970s he founded the Quiz Club, which is still in existence; he also revived the Wodehouse Society, which is no longer in existence. Upon election as President of the College Union (campaign slogan: “Shashi Tharoor jeetega zaroor”) he relinquished the Secretaryship of the History Society as well as the editorship of the campus humour magazine “Kooler Talk.” He was invited by St. Stephen’s College to deliver the college’s 125th Anniversary Jubilee Lecture in 2005. He has been an elected Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities and a member of the Advisory Board of the Indo-American Arts Council. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Breakthrough, an international human rights organization, the Board of Overseers of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute, and as an International Adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross. He also supported various educational causes, including as Patron of the Modern School in Dubai, UAE. He is a member of the Indian National Congress.
At the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1976, he founded and was the first chair of the editorial board of the Fletcher Forum of International Affairs, a journal examining issues in international relations.
Tharoor has twin sons from his first marriage, Ishaan and Kanishk. Both attended Yale University. Ishaan writes for Time magazine's international edition in Hong Kong, while Kanishk is an editor at Open Democracy in London.
Controversies
- Tharoor attracted public attention for his article 'India's Israel envy' which contained statements sympathetic to Israel. This was subsequently used against him during his contest in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from the Thiruvanathapuram constituency. He was able to refute the charges by pointing to his long record at the UN on Palestinian issues.
- In September 2009, Tharoor and S M Krishna were accused of staying in luxurious 5-star hotels. Tharoor defended himself, saying that it was because of the delay in his official residence being ready and he only spent from his own pocket for the accommodation. Later on Pranab Mukherjee's request Tharoor and Krishna moved out of the hotels.
- A controversy erupted on a joke in which Tharoor, responding to the question as to whether he would travel in "Cattle Class", replied that he would do so. This remark on Twitter (@ShashiTharoor), the media claimed that he equated the travelling public to cattle and also taunted his party, the Indian National Congress over their austerity drive. It was also reported that Congress may take action against him. However this was subsequently resolved when the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointed out that it was a joke. Tharoor met his party leadership and offered them an explanation.
- Another controversy erupted on Gandhi Jayanti when he said people should be working rather than staying at home, rather than taking a holiday, thereby paying real homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
- Tharoor was in the news again for publicly criticizing the new visa guidelines adopted by the Indian Government in the wake of the gaps exposed by the arrest of 26/11 terror suspects, David Headley and Tahawwur Rana. For this, he was criticized for breaking ranks with the official position of the Government. He later met External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna and explained his position on the issue. The rules were subsequently partly modified.
- In January 2010, Tharoor was inaccurately and tendentiously reported to have criticized Gandhi and Nehru for their vision on Indian foreign policy by the Indian media. This angered his party, the Indian National Congress. In the wake of this controversy, he released a press release on his website which said "Irresponsible reporting may briefly gratify a few sensation-seekers in the media, but they do no credit to the need for informed discussion of foreign policy issues in our democracy. India deserves better. So, frankly, do I."
- In February 2010 when accompanying the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, he said "We feel that Saudi Arabia has a long and close relationship with Pakistan, that makes Saudi Arabia even more a valuable interlocutor for us. When we tell them about our experience, Saudi Arabia listens as somebody who is not in any way an enemy of Pakistan, but a friend of Pakistan and, therefore, will listen with sympathy and concern to a matter of this nature". He was asked whether India expected Saudi Arabia, given their close ties with Islamabad, to help address the terror threat from Pakistan. The remark about Saudi Arabia being a "valuable interlocutor" raised a strong reaction within the Indian political circle. The Pakistani press even went on to report that he had proposed that Saudi Arabia play a mediator's role in improving India's relationship with Pakistan. In response, Tharoor tweeted saying, "An interlocutor is someone you speak to. If I speak to you, you are my interlocutor. I mentioned the Saudis as our interlocutors, i.e. the people we are here to speak to".
- In March 2010 the website Keralawatch.com released a report stating Shashi Tharoor violated norms to enroll in the voters list in India.
Awards and recognition
- 1976, Aged 20, Wins the Rajika Kripalani Young Journalist Award for the Best Indian Journalist under 30.
- 1990 - Wins the Federation of Indian Publishers' Hindustan Times Literary Award for the Best Book of the Year for The Great Indian Novel.
- 1991 - His book the The Great Indian Novel wins the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the Best Book of the Year in the Eurasian Region.
- 1998 - Awarded the Excelsior Award for excellence in literature by the Association of Indians in America (AIA) and the Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP).
- May 2000 - Conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in International Affairs by the University of Puget Sound
- January, 1998 - Named Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
- March 15, 2009- Presented with the Hakim Khan Sur Award for National Integration by the Maharana of Udaipur.
- 2004 - Awarded the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, India’s highest honour for non-resident Indians. But did not accept it at the time owing to UN rules prohibiting acceptance of governmental honours.
- 2007 - Went on to accept the award after having resigned from the position of Under Secretary General at the UN.
- May 2008 - Conferred a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of Bucharest, Romania.
- January 2009 - Awarded the Zakir Hussain Memorial "Pride of India" Award.
- October 2009 - Awarded GQ's Inspiration of the Year Award at its Man of the Year Awards.
- February 2010 - Awarded the Sarva Deshiya Prathibha award by the Pazhassiraja Charitable Trust, Kozhikode.
- March 2010 - Awarded "New Age Politican of the Year" Award by NDTV at its Indian of the Year awards.
- March 5, 2010 - Awarded the Fifth IILM Distinguished Global Thinker Award in New Delhi
- March 11, 2010 - Awarded Digital person of the year at the first ever Indian Digital Media Awards (IDMA) for popularising the digital medium in India
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