National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

Moving To South Block

Shyam Saran is the first Indian ambassador to Nepal to be promoted as the Secretary of Indian External Affairs Ministry

By A CORRESPONDENT

When Indian Ambassador Shyam Saran presented credentials to King Gyanendra in 2002, Nepal had a functional House of Representatives and Sher Bahadur Deuba was an elected prime minister. At a time when Saran is returning to New Delhi to take charge of South Block – the top post in Indian External Affairs Ministry – Deuba was again an appointed prime minister.

A seasoned diplomat, Saran is one of the very few Indian ambassadors assigned to Nepal who always avoided using hash words. Not only did he maintain good relations with ruling elite in capital, ambassador Saran also traveled throughout the country during his tenure checking the pulse of Nepalese people. Saran visited villages from mountains to terai meeting the people of different strata of life.

When he arrived in Nepal, the Indian Diplomatic Mission in Kathmandu was without a full-fledged ambassador for nine months. During his two years tenure, Saran has developed good relations with all political forces in Nepal who are bitterly divided on their own issues.

“One day before External Affairs minister K. Natwar Singh arrived in Kathmandu last week to begin his first visit abroad as minister, India’s ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran was closeted with King Gyanendra. Twenty-four hours later when Singh arrived, his entourage drove in through the Narayanhity palace gates, an honor normally reserved for bluebloods and heads of state or government,” writes Jyoti Malhotra in Indian Express, India’s leading daily newspaper.

“In the highly nuanced world of foreign affairs, protocol is often regarded as icing on the cake. Since your ambassador has already pulled off a few coups, such as by beginning to right a terribly prickly relationship (in which India, rather than perceived as a friend, guide and partner, is seen as a collection of pejoratives, the most complimentary of which is ‘Big Brother’), then it’s alright to wallow in the aura of a successful visit.”

“As a 1970 batch officer, Saran, 58, supercedes six officers in the IFS — another bloodless coup. He cut his teeth in the diplomatic service in China and learnt to speak fluent Mandarin — a considerable asset in the highly stylized world of Chinese pomp and power. Saran understands the Chinese that will be spoken at these meetings, he doesn’t really need an interpreter,” the article states. Saran has served in Myanmar, Mauritius, Indonesia and Geneva. “There was so much to do in Nepal, though. Saran not only set about rebuilding the political relationship with Kathmandu — severely tried during the palace massacre three years ago — but also the economic one. India was given a second consulate in Birganj. He persuaded New Delhi to extend the rail and road network from Bihar into the Terai, so that the fruits of economic development in India could also benefit Nepal. In Kathmandu last week, as Nepalese and Indian journalists waited to meet the newly reinstated prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, it was a good time to swap gossip. One Nepalese talked about how Saran, having returned from a recent trip to New Delhi, came home from the airport, rested awhile and then drove straight to Deuba’s house. It showed, the Nepalese journalist said, among other things, how well Shyam Saran was clued into Nepal,” writes Malhotra.

During Saran’s tenure, India has made tremendous achievement for short-term. However, as the country’s Maoist insurgent is gradually adopting to difficult mountain terrain of Nepal, Saran’s short-term gain may have a boomerang effect on long-term interest of Nepal-India relations. Nepal shares more than 1,600 kilometers of open border with India: how unstable and chaotic Nepal can be of long-term interest to India?