His Excellency Pavan Varma is an Indian Diplomat who served as the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan from 2009–2013. His Excellency was also a Member of Parliament for Bihar and served as the General Secretary of the Janata Dal (United). His Excellency is also an acclaimed writer, his latest book being “The Great Hindu Civilisation.”

1. What were your academic interests as a teenager, and what kind of experiences or what made you interested in Diplomacy or Politics?

I was not a good science student, and my teacher, for some reason, thought that I was a hidden genius in mathematics, which I was not. So, I chose Humanities; In school, my favorite subject was History. In fact, I had got 95 out of 100 marks in History. I joined the History Honors in St Stephens. It is a subject that I thoroughly enjoyed. Diplomacy struck me later. After doing History, I did Law. That was a partly utilitarian reason. Apart from my father, who joined the Civil Service, the rest of my Family was in Law. So I thought I would practice that. I think that you represent your country on the issues that are of vital interest. There is a glamour part of diplomacy that you are posted Abroad, but for me furthering our interest, persuading them to India’s point of view, and acquainting them with our culture and ethos was important for me.

2. What did you study at St Stephen’s College? Why did you decide to take the IFS examination?

In my time, there were eight papers, and they covered Indian History completely. You had a fixed course of 6 subjects. You also had supplementary, which in my case was economics. For me doing History was a natural progression of my interest. I didn’t do international relations because there was no such course available at the Undergrad level, but it was a residual interest for me. I was very active as a debater and was the president of the debating society. I felt I could be the convincing spokesman of my country’s interest, given a chance to pursue diplomacy. There was no ambiguity in terms of my career choices. I gave the IFS exam with complete clarity.

3. Was it difficult becoming an IFS officer, and how challenging was the selection process?

The Exam has changed since my time, but in my time, if you wanted to give foreign service or the IAS, you had to do two higher papers, three other papers, a GK test, and a language test. It was an endurance test, really. It is a tough exam because Lakhs of people sit for it. During my time again, you had to be in the top positions to get into the foreign services.

4. What were your first few assignments at the IFS?

The language allotted to me was Russian, and I was posted to Bulgaria as a third city both to serve at the mission and learn Russian. Bulgarian is very similar to Russian: They are both derived from the same language, Russian.

5. You were the Indian High Commissioner to Cyprus from 2001, How was the experience living in one of the most politically turbulent regions of the world?

Cyprus has had turbulent History, and I was acquainted with its international ramifications with Turkey and Greece, and the international community because prior to that, I was also posted in a mission to the UN as the first Centenary in New York, and there I also became the executive assistant to the chairman of the group of 77. By the time I was high commissioner in Cyprus, Cyprus had been divided. So, it was very interesting to live on a small island that has seen such a turbulent history, and what you observe is the remarkable overlapping of ethnicities and cultural influences of Turkey and Greece. It was an interesting assignment.

6. Did you enjoy living in different countries and exploring different cultures? What was it like to constantly move around to different countries both personally and professionally?

I thoroughly enjoyed my life as a Diplomat. I had an important assignment in Delhi as the understory in charge of the Soviet Union and East Europe. As the official spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, as the press secretary to the president of India, and later as the Director-General of ICCR. I have spent considerable time in Delhi. I thoroughly enjoyed my foreign postings. Me and my wife, I never got the feeling that we were Nomads. We always went as Indians with a defined purpose.

You are allowed to take domestic stuff with you, so there is an Indian kitchen running in your house, but the discovery of different cuisines is a fascinating one because remember cuisines also know about cultures and you discover a lot about people over a meal, about them and their own civilization. The challenge is to introduce our foreign friends to our Indian meals. Get them over at home and give them the taste of Indian food. It is very important for diplomats to respect other cultures. Diplomats who cannot bring themselves to explore cultures, can never ever be accepted as a friend. It is a minor subtext of diplomacy but a very important one.

7. You had also been assigned the prestigious role as the Indian ambassador to the Kingdom of Bhutan? What were some of your favorite events or moments there?

Bhutan is a fascinating country. It’s a very large landmass with a limited population, pristine in its beauty. India has a very special and important role in Bhutan. Bhutan is a kind of a buffer country between India and China. There are huge strategic security and military implications with Bhutan, apart from the fact that perhaps Bhutan is one of our closest neighbors in terms of friendship. I have enjoyed all my postings, but Bhutan was really special. There is a special art in handling the relationships between a big and small neighbor, where you never show dominance, you go out of your way to show that we are equals. This is what diplomacy should teach you. On a personal side, I had a private golf course, and there were mountains on one side and a river on the other side as a part of my residence. It was a remarkable experience.

8. You had a successful career in the IFS, What led you to give it all up for a career in Politics?

Truthfully, I felt that I needed a larger platform. The life of a diplomat was fulfilling, but you are bound by the court of bureaucrats, so I resigned to join politics. I joined Mr. Nitish Kumar in Bihar, part of the JDU. The month in which my resignation was kicked in, the same month I was appointed as the advisor to the chief minister of Bihar with a cabinet ranking in which I was the national spokesperson for both the party and Mr. Nitish Kumar.

9. What was your weekly schedule like, being a Rajya Sabha, MP for JD(U)?

In a year and a half’s time, I became a Member of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha. Your public profile changes because you are involved to considerable degree in legislation. I remember my maiden speech in parliament was on the Budget in 2014. As a Maiden speech, you get extra time, I spoke for almost half an hour. A lot of work in parliament goes in committees. I was a member of several. I was a member of the committee on MEA. Since this was my domain experience, I had a disproportionately large role in that committee. I was also a member of a committee on government assurances. Parliament took me a little away away from Patna, where I was more active as the advisor to the CM.

10. During the Prime Minister’s visit to Bhutan in 2014, he wished to maintain a close relationship with Bhutan, How are the current relations between India and Bhutan?

I think India has one of the best relations in terms of both work friendship and trust. Bhutan & Indian cooperation is very significant. India is its largest partner. A part of any assignment to Bhutan is the China factor. China is seeking to gain a hold in Bhutan, but it is being stopped. Furthermore, Bhutan has not even established a Diplomatic relationship with China.

11. You are well known for your deep understanding of Indian Culture and Philosophy. Recently you have published “The Great Hindu Civilisation: Achievement, Neglect, Bias, and the way Forward” Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker”. Can you give us a gist of the book?

Well it’s a book that explores our great past, in this case, the Hindu civilization. From questions about it was a civilization or not, to some of its great refinements, its antiquity, its diversity, and then it examines its impact on Islamic conquest and later of British’s colonial group. What needs to be done today to save this very civilization from distortion.

12. You are not afraid to be anti-establishment and take a stance on issues. As a writer, what is your opinion on the current state of Media, given that India ranked 142nd on the World Press Freedom index?

There are obvious pressures on the media today and we should acknowledge them. There is pressure to conform and a tendency by the state to look at those who are willing to critique or question as somehow working against the National interest. They are donned as Anti-nationals. This is unfortunate. In a democracy media is the fifth pillar, we are entitled to have our own point of view and the freedom to express.

13. What has been the highlight of your career?

I have enjoyed every aspect of it. I have no regrets. I enjoyed my career as a Diplomat thoroughly, I am enjoying my stint as a politician and as a someone working in public life, I have enjoyed writing my books. The secret is time management. Never believe someone who says, he does not have time for something what he loves. If you love it, you will find time. People ask me even today, how I have managed to write 25 books in midst of my busy career? And I have told them there are non 24 hours in a day but 36 hours.

14. Is a career in diplomacy rewarding? what is one piece of advice you have to aspiring diplomats?

Yes. I have three pieces of advice. First, acquaint yourself thoroughly with your brief. A good diplomat never exceeds their brief, which means what best promotes national interest? Second, as a diplomat, you are not only representing your country in a bureaucratic role but in its entirety. You must know about its culture, civilization, customs, and philosophy. Then you are a full bureaucrat. Thirdly, you must always show respect to the culture and civilization where you are posted. If you combine these three that’s my advice for you.