Harsh Vardhan Shringla

Harsh Vardhan Shringla (born 1962) is Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. He has previously served as Foreign Secretary of India, Ambassador to USA, High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Thailand. [5][6][7][8]

Harsh Vardhan Shringla
Shringla at UNSC
33rd Foreign Secretary of India
In office
29 January 2020[1] – 30 April 2022
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
MinisterSubrahmanyam Jaishankar
Preceded byVijay Keshav Gokhale
Succeeded byVinay Mohan Kwatra[2]
Ambassador of India to the United States
In office
9 January 2019 – 11 January 2020
Preceded byNavtej Sarna
Succeeded byTaranjit Singh Sandhu
High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh
In office
January 2016 – January 2019
Preceded byPankaj Saran
Succeeded byRiva Ganguly Das[3][4]
Ambassador of India to Thailand
In office
January 2014 – January 2016
Preceded byAnil Wadhwa
Succeeded byBhagwant Singh Bishnoi
Personal details
Born (1962-05-01) 1 May 1962
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
SpouseHemal Shringla
Children1
Alma materSt. Stephen's College, Delhi (BA)
Mayo College, Ajmer
OccupationDiplomat
Websitemea.gov.in/fs.htm

Educational background

Harsh Vardhan Shringla graduated from the St. Stephen's College, Delhi University after being schooled at Mayo College, Ajmer. He worked in the private and public sectors in India prior to joining the Indian Foreign Service. He has published papers on conflict prevention, economic diplomacy, the Indian diaspora, and India-Bangladesh relations.[9]

Diplomatic career

Ambassador Shringla joined the IFS in 1984 and in the course of a diplomatic career spanning over 35 years, he held a variety of positions in the Ministry of External Affairs (India), New Delhi and abroad besides becoming India's Ambassador/High Commissioner to the USA, Bangladesh and Thailand. Abroad, he served in different Missions of India in France (UNESCO); Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York; Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City); Israel and South Africa (Durban).[10]

Ambassador of India to Thailand

Shringla went on his first Ambassadorial assignment to the Kingdom of Thailand and served for two years from January 2014 to January 2016. [11]

High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh

Shringla served as High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh from January 2016 to January 2019. [12] During this period, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh visited India in April 2017 adding a new chapter to strengthening the bilateral relationship, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as heralding of a ‘Sonali Adhyay’ or a Golden Era in the bilateral ties.[13] He is also credited to play important role as co-chair of the India-Bangladesh Joint Boundary Working Group[14] in finalizing the contours of the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.[15]

Ambassador of India to the United States

Shringla assumed charge as Indian Ambassador to the United States and within two days of his arrival, he presented his credentials to the President of the United States Donald Trump on 11 January 2019.[16] In a short but intense period of just one year, Shringla played an instrumental role in improving the US-India political ties. [17]

He traveled across the US to expand the reach of his country in the US and became a bridge for people-to-people ties between India and the US. He traveled to 21 US states during his one year tenure where he made a concerted effort to reach out to students, Indian-origin community, working professionals and the government officials at States level.[18]

During his stint in the US, the Howdy Modi event took place in Houston on 22 September 2019 where Indian Prime Minister and the United States President jointly addressed a gathering of over 50,000 people.[19] [20]

Foreign Secretary of India
Shringla speaking on GU India Initiative on April 23, 2019, at the Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

On 29 January 2020, Shringla assumed the charge of Foreign Secretary of India as the 33rd Foreign Secretary. While addressing media ahead of taking charge, Shringla acknowledged the responsibilities and challenges that came with it and added that he would work under the leadership of Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of India for a more secure and prosperous India.[21]

As Foreign Secretary of India, he visited Myanmar in December 2021 and emphasized India's interest in seeing Myanmar's return to democracy at the earliest; release of detainees and prisoners; resolution of issues through dialogue and complete cessation of all violence in relation to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.[22]

On April 1, 2022 he was succeeded by Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the 34th Foreign Secretary of India.[23] After his superannuation from the Indian Foreign Service, Shringla is appointed Chief G20 Coordinator for India's G20 Presidency in 2023.[24]

Publications

Shringla has written on a number of topics such as international economy, climate change, preventive diplomacy and India-US bilateral relations, including The United Nations and Conflict Prevention: Balance Between Sovereignty and Action (Indian Journal of International Law)[25] and Project Granite at the New International Airport in Israel (CUTS International, 2011).[26]

Shringla has also contributed articles in newspapers and magazines on a diverse range of topics including an Op-ed piece in The New York Times, India Is Building a More Prosperous Kashmir giving the context and objectives of India's decision to abrogate the temporary Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.[27] [28][29]

Personal life

Shringla is an avid reader and sports enthusiast, with an interest in mountaineering and hockey. He had been on a number of mountain expeditions including to Everest Base Camp, Friendship Peak in Himachal Pradesh. He was a liaison officer for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in 1996. He represented St. Stephen's College, Delhi in hockey at inter-college and other tournaments and received College Colors for this.[10]

Shringla was born in Mumbai, to a Buddhist Sikkimese father and a Hindu mother. His father was also part of the Indian civil service.[30] He speaks French, Vietnamese and Nepali apart from English and other Indian languages.[30] He is married to Mrs. Hemal Shringla and has one son.[10]

His surname, Shringla is a birth record misspelling of Tshering la, his father's surname.

Awards and honors

See also

References
  1. "Indian envoy to United States Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be the next Foreign Secretary". The Economics Times.
  2. "Vinay Kwatra is new Foreign Secretary, Harsh Shringla coordinator for 2023 G-20". Hindustan Times. 4 April 2022.
  3. "Riva Ganguly Das appointed as the next HCI to Bangladesh". Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  4. "Riva Ganguly Das Named HCI To Bangladesh". NDTV. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. "Vinay Mohan Kwatra will be succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla as India's new Foreign Secretary when he retires". Deccan Herald. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  6. "Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed new Foreign Secretary of India". The Times of India. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  7. "Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed new Indian Ambassador to US". Business Line. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  8. Harsh V Shringla, India's new Abmassadir to Thailand Ministry of External Affairs of India, 29 October 2013.
  9. "Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Indian Ambassador to the United States". Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  10. "Harsh V Shringla, Indian Ambassador to the United States". Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  11. "Embassy of India in Bangkok". 8 August 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  12. "Harsh Vardhan Shringla, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh". 7 March 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  13. "ET Analysis: Indo-Bangla relations enjoy golden period". The Economic Times. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  14. "Meeting of India-Bangladesh Joint Boundary Working Group". 11 November 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  15. "Harsh Vardhan Shringla is new Indian envoy in Bangladesh". The Economic Times. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  16. "Press Release - Ambassador Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla presented his Credentials to U. S. President Mr. Donald Trump". 11 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  17. "Harsh Vardhan Shringla interview – India's suave diplomat". News India Times. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  18. "Driving Innovation: Technology and India's Rise as a Global Power". 10 October 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  19. "How Modi weaved magic in Houston". 25 September 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  20. "How Modi Attracted 50000 in Houston". The Washington Post. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  21. "Ambassador Shringla Takes Charge As 33rd FS". Business Line. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  22. Bhattacherjee, Kallol (24 December 2021). "India seeks early return of democracy in Myanmar". The Hindu.
  23. "Vinay Mohan Kwatra announced as the new foreign secretary". Hindustan Times. 4 April 2022.
  24. "Harsh V Shringla is G20 chief coordinator". The Economic Times. 10 April 2022.
  25. Shringla, Harsh Vardhan. "The United Nations and Conflict Prevention: Balance Between Sovereignty and Action" (PDF). Indian Journal of International Law. 46 (1): 429–445. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  26. Rana, Kishan S; Chatterjee, Bipul (2011). Economic Diplomacy: India's Experience. Jaipur: CUTS International. pp. 79, 84. ISBN 978-81-8257-139-6.
  27. Shringla, Harsh Vardhan (19 September 2019). "India Is Building a More Prosperous Kashmir". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  28. Khan, Imran (30 August 2019). "The World can't Ignore Kashmir. We Are All In Danger". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  29. Shringla, Harsh Vardhan (17 October 2019). "Indian ambassador briefs US lawmakers on Kashmir". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  30. "Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has overcome challenges pragmatically". The Indian Express. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  31. "Remembering Jack Gibson". 1 January 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  32. "Ambassador Harsh V Shringla's acceptance speech on receiving Honorary Doctorate". 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
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