A Woman Leader in Indian Foreign Service: Ambassador Sangeeta Bahadur, Embassy of Minsk, Belarus, Shares her Journey.
When I was first posted to Belarus, the sentiment echoed most often was, 'Congratulations! But, uh, where is Belarus?"
Today’s woman dreamer, Ambassador Sangeeta Bahadur, is a senior Indian Foreign Service Officer, currently posted as Ambassador of India to the Republic of Belarus. Born in Kolkata, she joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1987, and has been posted in Indian diplomatic missions all over the world, including Spain, Bulgaria, Mexico, Belgium and UK. Additionally, she is a published author of speculative fiction, the Kaal Trilogy, and has received wide appreciation and has a dedicated fan-following. A True Woman Dreamer, Sangeeta shares what inspired her to pursue a career in foreign service, her experience living and working in different parts of the world, her passion for fiction writing, and how she seeks to empower other women in foreign service and policy. Enjoy her inspiring and captivating story below.
1) Tell us your story. What inspired you to go into foreign service, and what has that journey been like as a woman?
Would you believe that my first choice of career when I was at university was that of an air-hostess?! A born rebel, I had already disappointed my parents by turning down their suggestions to become a doctor, engineer or lawyer, opting to pursue English Literature instead. I was now stubbornly refusing to even consider the Civil Services as an option, for no other reason than that half my family - including my father - was a part of that glorified clan! Besides, who wanted to be stuck for life in a dim and dusty government office in some dreary town in the vast hinterland of India, when I could be flying around the globe, staying in fancy hotels, buying designer clothes in Harrods and Selfridges and dating handsome pilots? You see, by then I'd read both 'Coffee, Tea or Me?' and 'English, August'. You can't really blame a 20-something for being far more dazzled by the lifestyle described in the former than in the latter! Unfortunately, my parents had different ideas. They were convinced that I'd either gone nuts - a strong possibility, in their opinion - or was simply bent on cutting off my nose to spite their face - an even stronger possibility in view of my wild-child proclivities. Our war of words soon escalated into a war of silence. We hadn't been speaking to each-other for a week when my father's best friend from college - now my late father-in-law - came home for a brief stay with us. Quite providentially, as it turned out. After calming us all down, he had the good sense to ask my WHY? With a Masters degree almost under my belt, didn't I think I was a tad over-qualified for the job of a stewardess? So I told him that I was opting not for a job but for the life of a global gypsy. 'In that case,' he pointed out reasonably, 'why not join the Indian Foreign Service instead and travel in style?'
“After calming us all down, he had the good sense to ask my WHY? With a Masters degree almost under my belt, didn’t I think I was a tad over-qualified for the job of a stewardess? He pointed out reasonably, ‘why not join the Indian Foreign Service instead and travel in style?”
I must admit that I'd never even heard of this golden arrow in the government's quiver. So I had an epiphany right there and then and renounced my dream of handing out dinner-trays in the sky. As the then Foreign Secretary said rather bemusedly when I told him this story during our first interaction, 'Well, it seems some airline's loss was our gain!'
“My gypsy genes are more than satisfied. In between, I found the time to marry, bring up two lovely daughters, make friends around the world, do a lot of interesting work and charm a great number of interlocutors as a woman-diplomat! I have loved being both, and have found my femininity to be mostly an advantage.”
That was over three decades ago, and the journey that followed has been phenomenal! I have lived and served in 6 countries and twinkle-toed my way to at least another 40 for work and pleasure - a far higher tally, I suspect, than I may have notched up as an air-hostess. My gypsy genes are more than satisfied. In between, I found the time to marry, bring up two lovely daughters, make friends around the world, do a lot of interesting work and charm a great number of interlocutors as a woman-diplomat! I have loved being both, and have found my femininity to be mostly an advantage. The only grouse I have is that, unlike my male counterparts, I don't have a wife to take care of my home, my children and my dinner parties! The dual obligations have been tough, but challenges are what keep us going, aren't they?. . .
2) You have worked in many different places around the world, such as Spain, Bulgaria, Mexico, now serving as the Indian Ambassador to Belarus. What is it like living and working there? Do you have a favorite aspect of life/culture in Belarus?
“When I was first posted to Belarus, the sentiment echoed most often was, ‘Congratulations! But, uh, where is Belarus?”
When I was first posted to Belarus, the sentiment echoed most often was, 'Congratulations! But, uh, where is Belarus?" Well, with all the political upheaval going on here these past few months,, I'm gratified to realise that Belarus is suddenly on everybody's radar and nobody is asking me such geographical questions anymore! Jokes apart, though, I've rather enjoyed my tenure in Minsk - a surprisingly pretty, incredibly green and amazingly clean city that has arisen like a phoenix from the ashes of World War II. A country that lost over a quarter of its total population to Nazi brutality has painstakingly pulled itself up by its bootstraps, and has learned valuable lessons in endurance, kindness and humanity.. Very down to earth, Belarusians enjoy the simple things of life - flowers and herbs, forests and lakes, family and friends. Minsk is no New York, London or Delhi, of course. When you say a venue is 'very far', you are talking about maybe half an hour of driving time, and the city is home to perhaps two million souls. But the air sparkles and so do the streets, the parks and the very eye-catching, modern architecture. For me, the greatest plus point has been the unaffected love that people have for India - a continuation of the close ties we shared during Belarus' Soviet past. Whether it is Ministers or the people, as the Indian Ambassador I am welcomed everywhere with a warm smile and an open heart. With a virtually non-existent Indian community -- less than a hundred people in the entire country - it would have been impossible for us to project a cultural presence here had it not been for the amazingly talented Belarusian artistes who practise Indian dance,, music and painting styles, and the dozens of Yoga studios who turn the International Day of Yoga into a vibrant, inclusive event. Frankly, I had not expected to enjoy this assignment as much as I have, despite the challenges of language and a very different style of working.
3) You are also the author of the Kaal Trilogy, full of amazing and powerful stories. What was the inspiration behind these books, and what is it like being both an author and in foreign service, two very different worlds?
“I wrote a number of stories and novels through my school and college days, which were eagerly devoured by my friends and teachers, but since I had no idea how to get them published, they remained confined to the notebooks in which I lovingly scribed them by hand. All romances, incidentally - and the reason why I never sought my parents’ help regarding publication. They approved of my writing but did not approve of the genre”
For me, writing has always been an absolute joy, flowing from the love of books and great stories inculcated in me by my father at a very early age. I wrote a number of stories and novels through my school and college days, which were eagerly devoured by my friends and teachers, but since I had no idea how to get them published, they remained confined to the notebooks in which I lovingly scribed them by hand. All romances, incidentally - and the reason why I never sought my parents' help regarding publication. They approved of my writing but did not approve of the genre, disdainfully describing the M&B novels - so popular with women in the age-group of 13 to 90 and such an inspiration for me in those days! - as 'trash literature'. I chose to continue my rebellion rather than change my genre, content to bask in the glory of the admiration that came my way from fellow-students. It was only much later in life that I discovered the genre that resonated with me so deeply that I decided not just to write such books but to also get them published if I could. That genre was Speculative Fiction, which lent wings to my imagination and allowed it to soar. That was how the Kaal Trilogy was born, along with an entire universe that contains the world where the action takes place, and a dazzlingly original superhero called Arihant - a divine weapon created for the impossible task of killing an immortal God. Besides telling a rip-roaring action-adventure tale, I also wanted to give the reader a glimpse into the bottomless treasure-trove of Indian spiritual traditions in a fun and interesting way. Hence, many such concepts were woven into the story, giving it depth and texture. My new stand-alone novel, Devdaasi, which I have co-authored with my husband Yuresh and which is expected to hit the shelves next year, continues this exploration of Indian spirituality - this time through a story woven around historical characters of the India of 6th Century BCE.
“Surprisingly, I have found the two worlds I straddle - diplomacy and writing - to be rather symbiotic.”
Surprisingly, I have found the two worlds I straddle - diplomacy and writing - to be rather symbiotic. Language and imagination play a big role in both, for example, as do the ability to connect the dots to form a bigger picture and the skill to resolve dichotomies and encourage a happy outcome. The difference is, of course, that a diplomat necessarily has to be a people's person, spending a great deal of time making and maintaining helpful contacts, while an author's job is a lonely one, confined to her intimate and intense relationship with her computer screen. In my case, the transition has always been rather effortless, because I am basically an extrovert who finds her periods of creative isolation refreshing and energising. So the symbiosis is complete!
4) How do you seek to empower women interested in foriegn policy?
“ I think that women have a tremendous inborn knack for understanding a problem and coming up with a solution that men, with their inborn pugnacity, are incapable of visualizing.”
Join your country's Foreign Service - and don't let naysayers discourage you by quoting such silly difficulties as finding a husband, raising children across half-a-dozen countries and missing out on family obligations. Trust me, it all works out. Besides, I think that women have a tremendous inborn knack for understanding a problem and coming up with a solution that men, with their inborn pugnacity, are incapable of visualizing. It probably comes from our countless millennia of experience in separating quarreling children and soothing squabbling relatives - a skill we can wield with panache when dealing with cantankerous foreign policy issues. Even if you don't want to become a career-diplomat, there's nothing to prevent you from studying and teaching and writing about foreign policy issues and offering innovative ideas to resolve differences through means other than bashing the other guy on the head with a big rock. As the presence of women in this still male-dominated field grows, the chances of a third World War will recede further. So go ahead and read up, and learn to speak your mind on these issues. They are not rocket science, and they are ripe for the feminine touch!
5) As a "Dreamcatchers" platform, we would like to ask, what is your next dream?
Ans. To become an internationally acclaimed best-selling author with the publication of Devdaasi . And to get my architect husband to build us a beautiful home in the hills somewhere, so that I may finally put down roots after a lifetime of being a nomad.
To quote one of my favourite Urdu couplets, Issi ummeed pe hum aaj tak bhatakte hain - har ek shaqs ka koi thikaana hota hai.… Which translates into something like I continue my restless peregrinations in the hope that someday, I'll find my own place in the sun...
Bio: Sangeeta Bahadur is a senior Indian Foreign Service Officer, currently posted as Ambassador of India to the Republic of Belarus. Born in Kolkata, she was raised and schooled in various cities across India. With a double major in Economics and English at the undergraduate level, she went on to obtain her Post Graduate degree in English Literature from Bombay University. She joined the prestigious Indian Foreign Service in 1987. Since then, she has been posted in Indian diplomatic missions in Spain, Bulgaria, Mexico, Belgium and UK. She has also served in various capacities in the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. She is also a published and popular author of speculative fiction, whose heroic fantasy epic, the Kaal Trilogy, has received wide appreciation and has a dedicated fan-following. She is simultaneously working on several other works of fiction. In addition, she is also a good singer who is constantly invited to sing in public on special occasions. She is married to Yuresh Sinha, an architect, urban philosopher and also a published author. She has two lovely daughters and an equally charming step-daughter.