Congress mp shashi tharoor wikipedia: Shashi Tharoor, established as a respected leader between the youth and the urban middle class, is a major popular personality of Indian politics who has made a national recognition with his diplomatic, literary and political contribution to the attractive oratory arts, literary knowledge, and global perspectives like a respected leader. His life is full of diversities, including service, literary works and active roles in the Indian Parliament. The ideology of Tharoor is based on progressive and secular values.
Shashi Tharoor is a prominent Indian politician and former diplomat, who has been serving as a Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala since 2009. Currently, he is the chairman of the Standing Committee of Parliament related to Foreign Affairs, which plays an important role on India’s foreign policy and international relations. In September 2024, the Congress party entrusted Tharoor to the chairmanship of this committee, which recognized their expertise and experience in foreign affairs. Prior to this, he has been working as Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development from 2012-2010. Recently, in March 2025, in March 2025, the Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs headed by Tharoor met the Swedish delegation, with issues like gender equality, representatives of women, India-China border and America-China relations.
Additionally, in February 2025, the Committee headed by Tharoor discussed the issue of representation of non -resident Indians (NRIs) in Parliament, referring to examples of countries such as Italy.
Under the chairmanship of Tharoor, Foreign Affairs Standing Committee is actively working to strengthen India’s foreign policy and protect the country’s interests on international forums.
Early Life and Education
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Shashi Tharoor was born on 9 March 1956 in London. His father, Chandran Tharoor, and mother, Lily, Malayali were from Nair family, whose roots were in Palakkad district of Kerala. Chandran Tharoor worked for 25 years as an advertising manager in London, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Shashi was the native uncle of Tharoor, Tharoor Parmeshwar, the founder of the readers Digest in India. In 1962, his parents returned to India, after which Tharoor received his early education at Montfort School in Yarkoud. Later, he studied at Campian School (1963–68) in Mumbai and St. Xavier’s Collegiate School (1969–71) in Kolkata. He obtained a degree in history from St. Stephens College, University of Delhi. He was also the Chairman of St. Stephens College, where he was also the President of the College Union.
In 1975, Tharoor moved to the United States for higher education, where he received his MA, MALD, and PhD degree from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University at the age of 22. He was awarded the Robert B Stewart Award for his outstanding educational achievements. In Fletcher, he assisted to become the first editor of the ‘Fletcher Forum of International Affairs’. Additionally, he has been awarded honorary D.Lit by Pujet Sound University and Honorary Doctorate in History by Bucharest University.
Career in United Nations
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Tharoor started his career in the United Nations in 1978, where he held various important positions for 29 years. Which includes the chief for the United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR) for refugees and special assistants for the peace mission in Egoslavia. In 2001, he was appointed Under General Secretary for Communication and Public Information of UN Secretary -General Kofi Annan. In 2006, he was India’s official candidate for the post of UN Secretary -General, where he finished second after Ban Ki Moon, South Korea.
Shashi Tharoor Literary Contribution
Shashi Tharoor is a prestigious writer who has written over 19 books, which fall into both narrative and non-cultural categories. Some of his major works are as follows:
– The Great Indian Novel (1989): It is a political satire on the basis of Mahabharata, depicting the Indian freedom struggle and subsequent politics.
– India: From Midnight to the Millennium (1997): This book analyzes the social, political and economic change of fifty years of India’s independence.
– An Era of Darkness (2016): In this book, Tharoor has described a detailed description of the negative effects of British colonialism on Indian society, economy and culture. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2019 for this work.
Political journey (Shashi Tharoor Political Career)
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After farewell to the United Nations, Shashi Tharoor stepped into Indian politics. In 2009, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala as a member of the Indian National Congress. Subsequently, he also won the seat in 2014, 2019, and 2024 elections, making him MP four times in a row. The major events in his political journey are as follows:-
– Minister of State for External Affairs (2009-2010): He was appointed Minister of State for External Affairs in Manmohan Singh’s government. During this time, he focused on promoting India’s soft power and improving the image of the country on the global stage.
– Minister of State for Human Resource Development (2012-2014): While in this post, he worked to improve education system and encourage innovation in higher education.
– Role in parliamentary committees: Shashi Tharoor has played an active role in various parliamentary committees, including his tenure as the chairman of the Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs. He has contributed significantly to Indian diplomacy and foreign policy.
Controversies and challenges
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Shashi Tharoor’s political life has not been untouched by controversies. His wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was found dead on 17 January 2014 at a hotel in Delhi. In this case, Tharoor was accused of abetment and marital cruelty to suicide. However, he was later acquitted of all allegations.
Personal life
Shashi Tharoor’s personal life includes three marriages. His first wife, Tilottama Mukherjee, was an educationist with whom he has two sons: Ishaan and Kanishka. The second wife, Christa was Giles, Canadian Citizen and Officers in the United Nations. The third wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was a businessman who died in 2014. The most followed Indian was the most followed Indians on Twitter for their grip on English language, but later the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi overtook him.
Honor and Awards
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Shashi Tharoor, an eminent Indian politician, writer and former diplomat, have received various national and international honors and awards for his versatile contribution. The details of his honor and awards are as follows:-
1. France’s highest civilian honor: Shewellier de la Legegeian D’Onur
In February 2024, Shashi Tharoor was awarded France’s highest civilian honor ‘Shellier de la Legendian D’Onur’ (Night of the Legion of Honor). This honor was awarded to him for strengthening India-France relations, his commitment to international peace and cooperation. The French Senate President Gerard Lartcher presented him the award at a ceremony held at the French Embassy in New Delhi.
2. Pravasi Bharatiya Award
In 2004, Shashi Tharoor was awarded the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ by the Government of India, which is the highest honor given to Indians living abroad. He accepted this honor in 2007.
3. Literary Awards
The literary works of Shashi Tharoor have also received extensive recognition. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2019 for his book ‘An Era of Darkness’, a prestigious award for excellence in Indian literature.
4. Other honors
Excelsier Award (1998):
He was awarded the Excellessier Award for excellence in literature by the US -based Indian Community Organizations, Association of Indians in America and Network of Indian Professionals (NETIP).
Global Leader of Tumoro (1998):
He was recognized as a ‘Global Leader of Tumoro’ by the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland.
Zakir Hussain Memorial ‘Pride of India’ Award (2009):
He was awarded the ‘Pride of India’ Award by the Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust.
It is clear from these honors and awards that Shashi Tharoor has contributed significantly to the fields of diplomacy, literature and public service, which has received widespread appreciation at national and international levels.
Shashi Tharoor has always supported inclusive politics and has been vocal against communalism. His global vision and deep understanding of Indian culture has established him as a thoughtful leader.
Recently, Tharoor indicated in an interview that if the party does not use their services, they can focus on other methods such as writing, reading and speaking. This statement has given rise to speculation about his political future. In addition, some of his comments have highlighted differences with party leadership 6, which is discussing their situation.
