In a diplomatic career of over 35 years, Shringla has also served at UNESCO in France, UN in New York besides Vietnam, Israel and South Africa

A multi-linguist and alumni of Delhi’s prestigious St Stephen’s College, Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla has been named as the next foreign secretary of India.

Shringla who can speak French, Vietnamese & Nepalese is presently the ambassador of India to the US and one of the senior-most diplomats will take over from the present foreign secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale next month.

He is from 1984 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and has also served as India’s top diplomat in countries like Thailand from 2014 to 2016 and had later gone as High Commissioner to Bangladesh for two years before moving to the US.

His stint in Bangladesh as well as holding various positions related to the neighbourhood in the Ministry of External Affairs comes at a time as there are various challenges ranging from CAA-NRC, tensions with Pakistan and China’s growing presence in the neighbouring countries.

In a diplomatic career of over 35 years, he has also served at UNESCO in France, UN in New York besides Vietnam, Israel and South Africa. In the Ministry of External Affairs Headquarters, he has served as Joint Secretary for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives (BSMM). Besides heading the UN political and SAARC divisions, the Foreign Secretary-designate was also, the director of the northern division, handling Nepal and Bhutan and deputy secretary of the western division, dealing with Europe.

This year’s `Howdy Modi’ event in the US was organised by him where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President Donald Trump addressed a rally together. His tenure as the Indian envoy to the US has also witnessed the defence relations between the two countries touching new heights.

He also managed to rebut Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s opinion piece in The New York Times, very strongly.