19 Lesser-Known Facts About Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister Of External Affairs

At a time when US and China are locked in a tussle to expand their global supremacy, the inclusion of former diplomat Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as the Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India is extremely significant. S. Jaishankar can play a key role in guiding India through the diplomatic storm lying ahead because of the growing rivalry between the two hegemons. He was sworn in as the Cabinet Minister on 31 May 2019.

Here are some facts about Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that you probably aren’t aware of:

1. S. Jaishankar was born on 9 January 1955 in New Delhi, India

2. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s family is a marvel

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar parents are K. Subrahmanyam and Sulochna. His father was a prominent Indian strategic affairs analyst and commentator. S. Jaishankar is the brother of Sanjay Subrahmanyam who is a historian and S. Vijay Kumar, former Rural Development Secretary of India.

3. Feathers in his Academic Cap

He did his schooling at Cambridge School, Srinivaspuri, and is a graduate of St. Stephens College at the University of Delhi.

Jaishankar has an M.A. in Political Science and M. Phil and Ph.D. in International Relations from Jawahar Lal Nehru University where he specialized in nuclear diplomacy.

4. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar wife

S.Jaishankar first wife was his college girlfriend from JNU, Shobha. They dated and later got married. But time didn’t favor them and Shobha Jaishankar was diagnosed with cancer after a few years of their marriage. Although she fought against the deadly disease, she eventually succumbed to it.

The diplomat married the second time to a Japanese woman Kyoko Subrahmanyam. Yes, S. Jaishankar wife is Kyoko Subrahmanyam is Japanese and they have two sons Dhruva and Arjun and a daughter Medha.

S. Jaishankar and Kyoko Jaishankar Subrahmanyam with their son

5. Attributes as an IFS Officer

A 1977 batch IFS Officer, Jaishankar was a key member of the Indian team that negotiated the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal.

6. S. Jaishankar is multilingual

In addition to English, Jaishankar speaks Tamil, Russian, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese and Hungarian.

7. S. Jaishankar’s previous offices

Jaishankar has been an Ambassador of India to the Czech Republic, India’s High Commissioner to Singapore, India’s Ambassador to China, Ambassador of India to the USA, and Foreign Secretary of India.

8. He is a great resolver

Jaishankar took the initiative as Foreign Secretary for a “Wuhan Dialogue” between Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to clear the strains coming in between bilateral ties in the wake of the Doklam stand-off.

 

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9. Surprise for Common Masses

Dr. S. Jaishankar is a bureaucrat and this is his lateral entry into the cabinet. He
hasn’t won any election or contested any seat.

10. The 67-year-old, Jaishankar is the first career diplomat handling the key portfolio as a minister

11. Since 5 July 2019, he has been representing Gujarat as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha

12. S. Jaishankar is the first foreign secretary to head the Ministry of External Affairs as a Minister

13. Awards and Recognitions

In 2019, Jaishankar was conferred with Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award.

14. His corporate links

In 2018, Tata Group appointed him as its president for Global Corporate Affairs within three months of his retirement from government services.

15. Modi’s Right Hand

When it comes to foreign policies, Jaishankar is considered to be Modi’s right hand. Their relationship dates back to when Modi was Gujarat’s CM and Jaishankar was India’s ambassador to China.

It was when Modi was Gujarat’s CM. He was getting the agreement formed for a plant in Gujarat for Tebian Electric Motors.

16. Right after Modi was appointed PM for the first time, Jaishankar became the Indian ambassador to the US

Right after Modi was appointed PM for the first time, Jaishankar became the Indian ambassador to the US and helped in getting rid of Modi’s decade-long visa ban to the USA.

17. Jaishankar’s term as Indian Ambassador to the USA was a bit rocky

As he stayed right in between the Devayani Khobragade controversy. Khobragade was
Deputy Consular General who was arrested for fraud in New York.

18. Dr. S. Jaishankar is wise and creditable

A man with few words, Jaishankar is considered one of the most intelligent brains in the country for strategic affairs due to his long line of credibility.

19. The challenges lying ahead of Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

Challenges ahead of him are to boost India’s trade and defense ties with the USA, Russia, Japan, France, the European Union as well as neighboring countries.

Also thank FM of France @MinColonna and UNSG @antonioguterres for their messages.

📹: https://t.co/RO13audGzD pic.twitter.com/kOeXBKOywF

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 24, 2022