Nehru_s_First_Recruits__The_Diplomats_Who_Built_Independent_India_s_Foreign_Policy.srt
Nehru’s first diplomats shaped India’s foreign policy in the most volatile decade in world history — author Kallol Bhattacherjee tells the inside story at Kashmir Lit Fest.
At the Srikula Foundation’s Kashmir Literary Festival in Srinagar, journalist Kallol Bhattacherjee discusses his book Nehru’s First Recruits — a narrative account of the IFS officers who built Independent India’s foreign policy from 1947 onward. Former Foreign Secretary and co-panellist offers a practitioner’s perspective on how the profession has changed: from an era where diplomacy was left entirely to quiet professionals to today’s highly informal, citizen-shaped foreign policy environment.
The conversation ranges from the V.K. Krishna Menon era (his anti-American posture and UN Kashmir debates that poisoned India-US relations for decades), to why India negotiated rather than fought its independence, to the consequences of making the last Viceroy the first Governor-General. A rare, literate exploration of the human beings behind India’s foreign policy architecture — and why their decisions in the 1940s–60s still reverberate today.
About The Speakers:
Kanwal Sibal is a distinguished career diplomat and former Foreign Secretary to the Government of India. Over the course of his diplomatic service, he held ambassadorial roles in Turkey, Egypt, France, and Russia. In recognition of his contributions to public affairs, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017. He currently serves as the Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Kallol Bhattacherjee is a senior journalist and foreign affairs expert with over two decades of reporting experience. Currently a Senior Assistant Editor with The Hindu, he has covered major developments across South Asia, West Asia, and North Africa. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books: The Great Game in Afghanistan: Rajiv Gandhi, General Zia and the Unending War and Nehru’s First Recruits: The Diplomats Who Built Independent India’s Foreign Policy.
Chandrachur Ghose is an author, researcher, and commentator known for his work in history, economics, and environmental studies. An alumnus of Visva Bharati and the University of Sussex, he co-authored the bestselling book Conundrum: Subhas Bose’s Life After Death, which explores one of modern India’s most debated historical mysteries.
