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Witnessing Historic Regime Changes
Reflections of a Diplomat
Speakers
One diplomat. Four decades. An entire world in upheaval.
From the dying days of the Soviet Union to the streets of Burma, from a kingdom being absorbed into India to the two Germanys becoming one, this memoir traces an extraordinary career lived at the fault lines of history.
Written by a former Indian diplomat, the book moves across the Soviet Union, Sikkim, Burma, South Korea, Germany, Ukraine and Indonesia, charting four decades of geopolitical transformation through the eyes of someone who was there. Not in the briefing rooms of power, but on the ground, watching, listening, and recording what ordinary people wanted for their lives: freedom, openness, dignity.
Running through it all is a quieter story, of India itself, navigating a turbulent world as a non-aligned nation, finding its footing politically and economically while the old order collapsed around it.
This is history as it was lived. Up close, and impossible to look away from.
Speakers
Sudhir T Devare
Sudhir T. Devare was a member of the Indian Foreign Service from 1964 to 2001, serving in key assignments in Moscow, Washington, Geneva, Rangoon and Sikkim, and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs handling Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar. He went on to serve as Ambassador to South Korea, India’s first Ambassador to Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia, and later as Ambassador to Indonesia and Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, where he played an important role in shaping India’s ‘Look East Policy.’
Post-retirement, he held several distinguished positions, including Member of the National Security Advisory Board, Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), and academic appointments at JNU, Symbiosis International University, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. He has authored India and Southeast Asia: Towards Security Convergence and edited volumes on China’s emerging role in Asia and energy cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region.
N Parthasarathi
Ambassador N. Parthasarathi is a senior Indian Foreign Service officer with over three decades of diplomatic experience. He served as Ambassador to South Korea (2005-2008) and Senegal (2008-2011), with concurrent accreditation to several West African nations, and as Consul General of India in San Francisco (2011-2014). He retired from the Foreign Service in 2014.
Post-retirement, he has served as Secretary General and CEO of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry and as CEO of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. He is currently engaged in mentoring startups, advising institutions, writing on international affairs, and participating in television discussions. He has authored several books, including The Reluctant Assassin, The Legend of Ayodhya Princess in Korea, Suspended Lives, and Navigating UPSC CSE – A Roadmap to Success.
Balkrishna Shetty
Balkrishna Shetty joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976 and served in Dhaka, Moscow, Singapore, and Paris. He was Ambassador to Senegal (with concurrent accreditation to five West African countries), Bahrain, and Sweden (with concurrent accreditation to Latvia). In India, he worked in the Ministry of External Affairs—including ICCR, Technical Cooperation Division, and Foreign Service Institute—and in the Ministry of Commerce.
After retirement, he served as Diplomatic Mentor at the Indian Council for World Affairs (2011–2012); held leadership roles at Action for Food Production (2012–2020); was Guest Faculty at Indraprastha Institute for Information Technology Delhi (2013–2015); and contributed to the GDKP proposal with NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (2019–2022).
He is currently Professor of Practice at Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (since August 2023).
His book What is Mathematics? was published by National Book Trust in 2013, and The Mathematical Trinity: Imagination, Inference and Insight is forthcoming from Springer Nature.
