THIS book written by a former diplomat and curated by an IAS
officer is a ready reckoner for young diplomats. “Applied Diplomacy through the
Prism of Mythology” released on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram establishes a
link between diplomacy and mythology. Written by former ambassador TP
Sreenivasan, and curated by 2014 batch IAS officer…
Dr Divya S Iyer, it has
chapters named after mythological figures Hanuman, Vibheeshana, Kripacharya
etc., whose attributes get reflected in those chapters. The book also contains
non-diplomatic issues such as higher education in Kerala, Malayalee mind-set,
feasting and splurging in Onam etc. The foreword of the book is written by economist of global repute Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati.
Sreenivasan had served as a career diplomat for 37 years,
with postings in many countries such as Russia, Japan, Bhutan etc. Ten years
after his retirement, he admits, he has found it boring to stay in one place.
The IFS officers usually are transferred to a new country in every three years.
In an article published in The Hindu, Sreenivasan is quoted as
saying how and why more and more civil services toppers now prefer IAS over IFS. In his
days, Sreenivasan says, it was a big prestige to be selected for the Indian Foreign
Service. It’s no longer the case. “Some feel that becoming a collector is far
more glamorous than becoming a junior diplomat in some corner of the globe.
Then there are some idealistic youngsters who feel that they can serve the
nation better by becoming an IAS officer while an IFS officer’s job is all
about partying and rubbing shoulders with world leaders,” Sreenivasan is quoted
as saying.
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