"Not An Accidental Rise": A fitting testament to Harsh Vardhan Shringla's diplomatic career

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India's G20 Chief Coordinator and former Foreign Secretary of India is a highly-respected figure globally. But his global fame wasn't earned overnight, and definitely not by chance. Building upon the success of each of his achievements, Shringla rose in the ranks and is now managing the herculean task of organizing G20 meetings in India as the Chief Coordinator of G20 Presidency. Capturing all these momentous milestones and more, a biography "Not An Accidental Rise: Harsh Vardhan Shringla" was launched at an event in Darjeeling last week.

The book launch in the midst of the tranquil Himalayas was a special one as it welcomed guests from across the world to witness the immortalization of an important story - one of the most distinguished diplomats of India. Having conquered new heights as the Foreign Secretary of India, Shringla is handling the seamless organization of more than 200 meetings in over 55 locations, the largest ever for any G20 Presidency so far.

Dr. Dipmala Roka, Assistant Professor at Sikkim University and a native of Darjeeling, who is the author of the book, narrates the tale of how a son of Darjeeling and Sikkim represented India on the world stage and rose to the highest position in the Indian Foreign Service. The biography is a passionate and analytical rendering of the life and experiences of a self-made man as it traces the life and career trajectory of Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

"It is not an accidental rise. It is the story of each promotion being built on the achievements of the last," the preface to the book by Dr. Dipmala Roka rightly points out. The book reflects upon the sheer grit and hard work that went into chiseling a noteworthy diplomatic career, which will serve as a motivational guide for the youth.

Speaking at the book launch event, Shringla said: "Today the smart youth of Darjeeling can be seen in New York, can be seen in Dubai, can be seen in Singapore, and in cities across the country, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai."

He also emphasized the success and capabilities of the youth in the region, stating, "We need to impart to the younger people in our hometown, in our district and in our area the ability to seek better opportunities and better lives. We need to create capacities that are in-house and provide skills."

The book was launched in English and Nepali (digital version), which is the most-spoken language in the region, in order to make it accessible to the masses. A Bengali version of Not An Accidental Rise will also be out very soon.

Prem Bhandari, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA, the world's largest non-profit organisation for the disabled, was present at the event. He praised Shringla's dynamic and efficient tenure as an Ambassador in the United States of America and elsewhere in the world.

"He is not only the darling of North East, he is the darling of 4.6 million Indian Americans and 40 million NRIs throughout the world," Bhandari said in Shringla's praise.

Bhandari recalled Shringla's instrumental role in bringing oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and cylinders during the COVID-19 pandemic and renewing the contract for 12 international Jaipur Foot USA camps under the program "India for Humanity."

Harsh Vardhan Shringla's diplomatic journey

"Not An Accidental Rise" reflects on the life and career trajectory of Harsh Vardhan Shringla and his extremely diverse professional portfolio, which brings insights and experience in virtually all of India's major diplomatic accounts. In his four-decade-long career, Shringla has been posted in Vietnam, deployed in the Europe West Division that oversaw India's relations with major European counties, handled India's relations with Nepal and Bhutan, and during his service in Tel Aviv worked on India's relations with Israel.

Shringla was later appointed to the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations at New York. After having served as the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh for three years, he was appointed as the Indian Ambassador to the United States in 2019. He has worked on major diplomatic geographies and issues. His experience of the neighborhood, important in the era of 'Neighbourhood First' diplomacy, is extensive. He is an experienced multilateral diplomat, having worked on two UN Security Council tenures, served in the Indian Mission to the UN in New York and as Permanent Representative to UNESCAP. He has headed both the UN Political and SAARC Divisions in headquarters.

Shringla has managed key economic diplomacy initiatives; worked on overseas Indian issues and with the diaspora, including on events such 'Howdy Modi'; and coordinated major evacuation and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations such as Operations Vande Bharat, Sagar (pandemic HADR) Ganga (Ukraine), Devi Shakti (Afghanistan) and Insaniyat (Bangladesh).

As the Foreign Secretary of India, he steered through many challenges even as the world reeled under the COVID-19 pandemic. Even towards the end of his tenure, he met with a challenge, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, during which Operation Ganga by the Government of India rescued thousands of students and citizens who were stranded abroad.