Following independence, defining and pursuing India’s interest in the realm of international relations was a key task awaiting the government. Journalist and author Kallol Bhattacherjee argues in his book Nehru’s First Recruits that the creation and initial years of the Indian Foreign Service and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s leadership were significant in shaping India’s foreign policy. 

In this conversation with Anand Vardhan, Kallol reflects on the era and explains why the birth of the IFS was the “single most important administrative innovation” for pursuing the country’s foreign policy objectives.

Kallol spoke at length about Nehru’s worldview and the other men and women who formed the core of diplomacy in the formative phase of post-colonial India. He also delved into the difference between the non-alignment doctrine of the Nehru era’s foreign policy and the contemporary theme of strategic autonomy in Indian diplomacy. 

Watch.

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