SENSEX
NIFTY
GOLD
USD/INR

Weather

image 11    C

Top News

News

Top / The New Indian Express

details

Astute, dependable and diplomat, he was a great friend and mentor

BENGALURU: One of Indias most accomplished and quietly influential diplomats, Ambassador P S Raghavan passed away on November 24 at his home in Bengaluru after a resolute battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife, their two sons, and a large circle of colleagues, protgs and friends who felt enriched simply by having known him. Those who met Amb Raghavan rarely forgot the experience. He carried seniority lightly, with an easy graciousness that disarmed even the most nervous visitor. Yet beneath that warmth was a mind of extraordinary precision. He could cut through dense policy debates with a few measured sentences, delivered in his soft, even voice. For journalists in Bengaluru, far from Delhis diplomatic bustle, he became an anchorsomeone who would listen patiently, then nudge you toward the nuance you had missed. He mentored without fuss, but expected sincerity in return. Friends recall his dry humour, ability to make complex geopolitics feel almost conversational, and instinctive sense of Indias long-term interests. His understanding of Russia was deep not only because his career began and ended in the region, but because he remained alert to the shifting ground beneath global alignments. He brought that same clarity to every postingfrom Czech Republic and Ireland to South Africa, Vietnam and the UKand later to the PMO during A B Vajpayees tenure. In the Ministry of External Affairs, he earned a reputation for fairness and steadiness. As secretary, he oversaw Indias external economic relations and administrative and security wings with a calm authority. He went on to establish the Development Partnership Administration, which shaped Indias development cooperation across Global South. He often said he entered the foreign service by accidenta physicist from St Stephens who had begun research in electronics before discovering diplomacy through friends. But he brought a scientists clarity and a scholars curiosity to a profession that suited him almost perfectly. In later years, he remained intellectually active as a Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation and as a member of Academic Council of NIAS, Bengaluru. He continued to write on strategic affairs, including for this newspaper. Ambassador Raghavans passing leaves a quiet but unmistakable void.

26 Nov 2025 7:35 am