There are no items in your cart

Enjoy Free Shipping on orders above Rs.300.

AnIndian Woman in Islamabad

₹ 594 ₹ 699

(15% OFF)

(Inclusive of all taxes)
  • Free shipping on all products.

  • Usually ships in 1 day

  • Free Gift Wrapping on request

Description

RUCHI GHANASHYAM joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1982. During her career of thirty-eig... Read More

Product Description

RUCHI GHANASHYAM joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1982. During her career of thirty-eight years, she worked in various capacities at the Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India, including as director (Pakistan) and secretary (West). Outside India, she served in the Indian embassies in Damascus, Kathmandu, Brussels and Islamabad, as well as the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, New York. She was India’s high commissioner to Ghana, South Africa and the UK, where she retired in 2020.

Post retirement, she has written newspaper columns and articles as well as chapters for books. She has also participated in seminars and panel discussions, speaking on India’s foreign policy to students in India and the UK as well as at think tanks. She is a member of the board of patrons at the India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development, University of Southampton, and adjunct faculty at the Manipal Centre for European Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. She is also involved in social work.


She is married to A.R. Ghanashyam, who joined the IFS in 1982 and retired as India’s high commissioner to Nigeria. They have two sons.

Ruchi Ghanashyam was in Pakistan at an exciting time, when India and Pakistan fought a war, became overt nuclear weapon states, when Pakistan underwent a military coup, and when IC 814 was hijacked to Kandahar. Ghanashyam was an astute observer and participant in these events. In addition to the already onerous professional challenges that an Indian diplomat faces in Pakistan, and the exceptional circumstances of her posting, she had the further complexities of being a modern Indian woman in a traditional patriarchal society, with the demands of raising a family. It is only right that this deft and accessible book should bring to the general public what some of us in the foreign service have long known—the aplomb, yet modesty, with which the author dealt with these challenges and turned them into opportunities and served the national interest. This is a book to instruct diplomats, delight the general reader and inspire women of all ages.This is a memoir that brings life to the tangled complexities of a relationship between two neighbours who have remained adversaries throughout their history as independent nations. With skilled expertise, born of her years as a professional diplomat, Ruchi Ghanashyam weaves the tapestry of a life lived through various settings and scenarios in Pakistan. Her diplomatic tenure in Islamabad was witness to key, fundamental milestones in the relationship. This is more than a ringside view; it is a living history told with the skill of keen observation and profound insight. The fact that the writer served as an Indian woman diplomat navigating the daily challenges of her work in Pakistan, makes this fascinating story doubly compelling.Ruchi Ghanashyam’s tenure in Pakistan witnessed a pronounced see-saw in bilateral relations from the nuclear tests to Prime Minister Vajpayee’s Lahore visit to the Kargil conflict to the Musharraf coup and then the IC 814 hijacking. This fascinating book covers the full interface of India–Pakistan relations, from the personal to the geopolitical, while exploring deeply rooted animosities and goodwill.Ruchi Ghanashyam’s memoir offers a rare insight into one of the most complex bilateral relationships in modern diplomacy. As the first Indian woman diplomat posted to Islamabad, her unique perspective illuminates not only the geopolitical tensions of the late 1990s but also the subtle interplay of culture, gender and tradition in Pakistan. Beyond the high-stakes political arena, Ghanashyam’s astute observations on Pakistani society and its potential for change demonstrate the depth of understanding that only immersive diplomacy can achieve.

Product Details

Title: AnIndian Woman in Islamabad
Author: Ruchi Ghanashyam
SKU: BK0510610
EAN: 9780143466987
Language: eng

About Author

RUCHI GHANASHYAM joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1982. During her career of thirty-eight years, she worked in various capacities at the Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India, including as director (Pakistan) and secretary (West). Outside India, she served in the Indian embassies in Damascus, Kathmandu, Brussels and Islamabad, as well as the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, New York. She was India’s high commissioner to Ghana, South Africa and the UK, where she retired in 2020.

Post retirement, she has written newspaper columns and articles as well as chapters for books. She has also participated in seminars and panel discussions, speaking on India’s foreign policy to students in India and the UK as well as at think tanks. She is a member of the board of patrons at the India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development, University of Southampton, and adjunct faculty at the Manipal Centre for European Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. She is also involved in social work.


She is married to A.R. Ghanashyam, who joined the IFS in 1982 and retired as India’s high commissioner to Nigeria. They have two sons.

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)

Recently viewed