Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (born 9 January 1955), known as S. Jaishankar, is an Indian diplomat and politician who has served as India’s Minister of External Affairs since May 2019. A member of the Indian Foreign Service for 38 years, he was ambassador to China and the United States and then Foreign Secretary before joining Narendra Modi‘s cabinet. He is known for his blunt, articulate defence of India’s foreign policy on the world stage.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar |
| Born | 9 January 1955, New Delhi, India |
| Age | 71 |
| Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Office | Minister of External Affairs (2019–present) |
| Earlier posts | Foreign Secretary (2015–2018); Ambassador to the United States (2013–2015) and China (2009–2013) |
| Parliament | Rajya Sabha, Gujarat (since 2019) |
| Education | St. Stephen’s College, Delhi; Jawaharlal Nehru University (Ph.D.) |
| Spouse | Kyoko Jaishankar |
| Children | 3 |
| Honour | Padma Shri (2019) |
Early Life and Education
Jaishankar was born in New Delhi into a Tamil family. His father, K. Subrahmanyam, was a civil servant who became one of India’s most influential strategic thinkers, and his brother Sanjay Subrahmanyam is a well-known historian. He studied at the Air Force School and St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and then at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he earned an M.A. in political science and a Ph.D. in international relations, specialising in nuclear diplomacy.
Diplomatic Career
Jaishankar joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977. His first posting was in Moscow, where he learned Russian. He later served in Washington, in Sri Lanka as an adviser to the Indian Peace Keeping Force, in Budapest and in Tokyo, and was ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2000 to 2004.
As head of the Americas division in the foreign ministry from 2004 to 2007, Jaishankar was a key negotiator of the India–United States civil nuclear agreement under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He was High Commissioner to Singapore (2007–2009), then India’s longest-serving ambassador to China (2009–2013), and ambassador to the United States (2013–2015).
In January 2015 Jaishankar was appointed Foreign Secretary, the head of the foreign service, and held the post until January 2018. After retiring he worked briefly for the Tata group as head of global corporate affairs.
External Affairs Minister (2019–present)
On 30 May 2019 Jaishankar was sworn in as Minister of External Affairs, the first former Foreign Secretary to head the ministry. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat as a BJP member. As minister he has handled the border crisis with China that began in 2020, India’s position on the war in Ukraine, the country’s G20 presidency in 2023 and relations with the United States and the Gulf states. He kept the portfolio after the 2024 election. His frank replies to foreign journalists and audiences have often gone viral in India.
Books
Personal Life
Jaishankar’s first wife, Shobha, died of cancer. He later married Kyoko, who is of Japanese origin. He has two sons, Dhruva and Arjun, and a daughter, Medha. He speaks Russian, Japanese and some Hungarian besides English, Hindi and Tamil, and he is fond of music and squash.
Awards and Honours
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was S. Jaishankar born?
S. Jaishankar was born on 9 January 1955 in New Delhi, India and is 71 years old.
Featured image: S. Jaishankar during a visit to the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna, 3 January 2023. Photo by IAEA Imagebank, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
