Former diplomat Katyayani Shankar Bajpai died Sunday at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Bajpai joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1952 and went on to become India’s ambassador to the United States, China, and Pakistan — three of the most important diplomatic postings for an Indian official.
He was also the government’s Political Officer in Sikkim from 1970 to 1974 and was involved in the integration of the state into the Indian Union.
He served in Pakistan as a younger officer during the mid-1960s when the war with Pakistan broke out across the western sector. He subsequently accompanied Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to Tashkent.
His most challenging assignment was to be India’s envoy during Indira Gandhi’s tenure when the Cold War had begun to slow down new opportunities for India in the West, especially the United States.
After he retired from government service in 1986, he transitioned to academic life in many universities, including the University of California in 1987-88, and Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley, 1989-92.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted, “Deeply grieved at the passing away of Amb. Shankar Bajpai, mentor and friend. Will be missed by so many of us.”
Amitabh Mattoo, Professor of International Relations at JNU, called him one of India’s “most exceptional diplomats”. “Shankar Bajpai was a confidante of decision-makers across the political spectrum,” he tweeted.
Former foreign minister K. Natwar Singh remembered Bajpai with fondness. “He was a year senior to me, having joined the foreign service in 1952. I succeeded him in Pakistan in 1980, and have always counted him as a fine diplomat and a friend.”