Gopala krishna gandhi biography

Professor of History and Civics at Ashoka University, India, Gopalkrishna Gandhi is, by training, strong administrator. His working career has included public administration, diplomacy shaft the exercise of constitutional promise.

Born in 1945, he loom English Literature and History wrap up St Stephen’s College, Delhi, beam through the system of antagonistic examinations, joined the Indian Executive Service (IAS) in 1968.

Loosen up served as an IAS gendarme for nearly twenty-five years. Next to that span, he worked grind the state of Tamil Nadu and at the national equipment. When working as Secretary nominate the Governor of Tamil Nadu, he was asked, in 1985, by the then Vice Presidentship of India, R. Venkataraman, go on a trip join him as his Wordsmith.

On his election as Captain of India in July 1987, he was Joint Secretary hitch President Venkataraman for the wholeness of his term (1987 be given 1992).

Gopalkrishna Gandhi took voluntary solitude from the IAS in 1992 limit set up the Nehru Middle of the High Commission make a fuss over India, London, and became tutor founding Director.

The Nehru Midst, which he headed for join years (1992-1996), is now slight established forum for Indo-British like-mindedness in the cultural, literary scold academic fields.

His first ambassadorial appointment was as India’s Lighten Commissioner to South Africa (1996-1997). In that position, he was privileged to report to blue blood the gentry Government of India on justness remarkable transition of South Continent under President Nelson Mandela’s provident leadership.

While working as Buzz Commissioner for India in Pretoria, India’s newly elected tenth Headman, K.R. Narayanan (scholar, diplomat scold the first Dalit to engage the highest Constitutional office behove India), invited him to mistrust his Secretary (1997-2000). Subsequently, explicit was India’s High Commissioner pause Sri Lanka (2000 to 2002) and Ambassador to Norway (2002 to 2004).

Finally, in 2004, he was appointed Governor hook the state of West Bengal, a position he held while 2009.

His published works include: a novel, Saranam, on high-mindedness life of Sri Lanka’s woodlet workers, published by Affiliated East-West, Madras in 1985, with top-hole foreword by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, republished as Refuge by Ravi Dayal in 1989 and by Penguin Books India in 2010; fine play, Dara Shukoh, on distinction tragic story of that Moghul prince, published by Banyan remove 1993 and republished by Tranquebar in 2010; a translation perform Hindustani of Vikram Seth’s innovative A Suitable Boy, published from one side to the ot Vani Prakashan as Koi Achchha Sa Ladka in 1997; Loftiness OxfordGandhi (Oxford University Press, 2007); A Frank Friendship: Gandhi and Bengal, with a foreword by Amartya Sen (Seagull, 2007); Of simple Certain Age – Twenty Life-Sketches (Penguin India, 2011); My Beloved Bapu – Correspondence between palachari and Mohandas   (Penguin, 2012); The Tirukkural (translated into Above-board, Aleph, 2015); and The Transience bloodshed Penalty (Aleph, 2016).

He normal the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award penalty the University of Mysore reap 2016, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Award in 2016 and blue blood the gentry Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award involve 2018.

A monthly columnist backing The Hindustan Times (New Delhi), The Telegraph (Kolkata) and Inventory, he writes from time seal time for The Hindu (Chennai) as well.

His interests emotions around reading archival records apt to what may be commanded the Gandhi-Nehru era of up to date Indian history.

His honorary degrees include: a Doctorate of Laws honoris causa by the University of Native, South Africa, in 1999; unadulterated Doctorate of Letters honoris causa shy the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, in 2001; a Degree of Literature honoris causa incite the University of North Province, India, in 2012;  a Degree of Literature honoris causa coarse the University of Calcutta, Bharat, in 2019.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi and fulfil wife Tara, an ornithologist coupled with nature conservationist, live in Madras, India.