Evolution of the Indian Foreign Service: From Elite Origins to Diverse Representation

At the launch of Kallol Bhattacherjee’s “Nehru’s First Recruit,” former diplomat and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar highlighted the transformation of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) from an “upper caste” and “Macaulay ki aulad” cadre to a more inclusive and representative body. Aiyar, recalling his own tenure starting in 1963, noted the service’s evolution towards greater diversity, exemplified by the increasing presence of Hindi speakers and women.

He recounted meeting an IFS officer in Istanbul who had mastered English and Turkish within a year, illustrating the dynamic capabilities of modern recruits. This shift reflects the broader democratization within the IFS, shedding earlier elitist biases and embracing the rich cultural fabric of India. Aiyar’s remarks, alongside Congress’s distancing from his controversial statements on the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, underscore ongoing debates about India’s diplomatic and social heritage.