Shashi Tharoor

Who is Shashi Tharoor?

Shashi Tharoor is an Indian politician and has been twice elected Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was previously Minister of State in the Government of India for External Affairs and Human Resource Development. He is a member of the Indian National Congress and in January 2014 was appointed an official spokesperson for the party. Until 2007 he was a career official at the United Nations, rising to the rank of Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information in 2001. But after 29 years in service, he announced his departure after coming a close second in the 2006 elections for the Secretary-General to Ban Ki-moon.

Tharoor is also a well-known award-winning writer, having authored 14 bestselling works of fiction and non-fiction since 1985, all of which are centered on India and its history, culture, film, politics, society, foreign policy, and more. He is also the author of hundreds of columns and articles in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, and The Times of India.