With Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and Atal Behari Vajpayee
at U N General Assembly, New York.

In a community better known for its business acumen and skills, Ambassador Prakash Shah ventured into a field that took him along a unique path – he joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). During his distinguished career, Prakash Shah was India’s Permanent Representative to U.N. in New York & Geneva, Ambassador of India to Japan, Venezuela & Malaysia and UN Special Envoy for Iraq as Under-Secretary General, UN. Amb. Shah is currently Consultant on international affairs and business policy.

Travelling down memory lane, Amb. Shah shares his early memories of Palanpur, some of the highlights of his career and his views on current international affairs in an interview with PO Editor, Stephen Rego, and reiterates that though it may be financially less lucrative than a future in finance, management or business, a career in international diplomacy provides one the opportunity to meet leaders and help shape policy on issues of national and international importance.

Palanpur Online (PO): Can you share with us some details of your connections with city of Palanpur? When did you (or your family) move to Mumbai? Why?
Amb. Prakash Shah (PS): As someone born and brought up in old Bombay city, my connections with the city of Palanpur were mainly confined to the annual family visits to Palanpur in the summer vacations during my childhood.  We used to spend almost two months during annual school holidays with my parents in their house in Palanpur near Khoda Limbda.  The entire family used to go there every summer as a number of close relatives of my parents resided in Palanpur.  My father moved to Bombay immediately after the first World War and settled in Bombay with my mother and family ever since.  The main reason for his move was his intense desire to pursue higher education and to become a lawyer, in a family of brothers who were in the diamond business.

PO: What are your early memories of Palanpur and the community?
PS: My early memories of Palanpur were the result of our annual summer visits to the city.  Palanpur was a relaxed small village during the 1940s & 50s when I used to go with my family during summer vacations.  Much of our time was spent meeting with cousins, gallivanting in different parts of Palanpur, plucking mangoes from orchards and milking other people’s goats among other activities.  I remember drinking Falsa juice from local berries and generally enjoying village life.  Much of my interaction with the community in Palanpur was with our uncles, aunts and cousins who were quite numerous.

Charge d’Affairs Prakash Shah being introduced
to Shah of Iran in Tehran

PO: Palanpuri Jains were able administrators in the state, yet today they are better known as a business community. Why? 
PS: It is true that Palanpuri Jains were able administrators in the State and had worked up extremely good relationship with the royalty of Palanpur including the Nawab of Palanpur and his family.  As urbanization began to grow in India, most of the Jain community moved to Bombay, Ahmedabad and Surat to test their entrepreneurship, particularly in the diamond business.  As administrators, the ancestors of the current Jain community never really progressed beyond Banaskantha and Palanpur as their ability as administrators was generally confined to the State of Palanpur.

PO: What led you in to the Foreign Service and diplomacy?
PS: Following the footsteps of my father and elder brothers, I also took great interest in higher education as well as in many sporting activities in my school and university years.  I studied both economics and law, particularly with the intention of joining my father’s legal practice under the banner of his company, Shah & Company Solicitors.  However, I always had a desire to pursue my education in foreign lands and university, even though circumstances did not quite provide me with that opportunity.  Following a Master’s degree in Economics and Law, I decided to appear for the Indian Foreign Service examinations conducted by UPSC in Delhi.  As I was successful in my first appearance I was invited to join the IFS after interviews by the Ministry of External Affairs as well as the then Foreign Minister of India who happened to be the Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru.  During the combined interview of the 10 Foreign Service officers of the 1961 batch, the Prime Minister asked some of us the reason why we wanted to join the Foreign Service.  There were different replies ranging from “I want to serve the country” to “I want to see the world”, most of which were greeted with a quizzical smile by Prime Minister Nehru.  When my turn came, I replied that a time had come in my life where I had to choose a career and diplomacy was the career that I decided to join.  I remember the Prime Minister remarking that it was the most honest answer he has received to his rather academic query!

Meeting Mr. Talebani, the Kurdish Iraqi Leader in Sulaimanish
as Special Envoy of U.N. Secretary General,
Mr. Talebani is currently President of Iraq

PO: Can you share with us some special memories and meetings during your career?
PS: I was indeed fortunate during my career in the Foreign Service to be in several important posts and to participate in some historical events in the life of our nation.  I was the only Foreign Service Officer selected to look after India’s Petroleum needs during the first oil crisis in the 1970s when I was appointed India’s Petroleum Advisor for the entire Gulf region.  I was also given the opportunity to serve as Joint Secretary to three Prime Ministers between 1978 and 1980.  The Prime Ministers I served were Shri Morarji Desai, Shri Charan Singh and Smt. Indira Gandhi.  During the later years of my career I was able to negotiate the Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC) and started negotiations on a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as Ambassador to Disarmament Conference.  I have accompanied our Prime Ministers in truly memorable meetings which they have had with international figures such as with Presidents Brezhnev, Tito, Reagan, Zia, Ayub as well as a number of Prime Ministers ranging from Japan to France & UK, Zambia & Tanzania, and Venezuela & Argentina.  I led Indian official delegations to a number of UN, Commonwealth, Non-Aligned Conferences, Antartic Treaty, Environment and Disarmament meetings.

PO: What is your view of the world situation today? And how can India play a larger role in world affairs?
PS: India has been universally recognized and accepted as one of the major emerging countries and markets.  India is now a member of the G 20, is consulted by the G-8 and has significant influence in regional and international deliberations on World Economic and Commercial issues.  India has, however, not yet reached a stage where it has similar influence on global or regional politico-military-security issues.

We find a world in which there is political turmoil in West Asia including Pakistan & Afghanistan and potential political hostility from our Northern neighbours in the region surrounding India.  Similarly, Northern & Eastern Africa is undergoing a major political change whose contours remain uncertain.  Terrorism and nuclear threats are increasing in our region particularly from Pakistan which has been identified by the international community as the home of international terrorist activities.  India is regarded by the international community as a soft country, unable and unwilling to exercise its power and influence even in its own SAARC region, let alone in West Asia or beyond.  India can certainly play a larger role in world affairs, and is poised to do so, provided the Indian leadership sheds its timid and soft approach and begins to exercise the influence and power it has acquired in the international community.  India’s voice is weak in the Arab uprising, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, terrorism emanating from Pakistan and developments in Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.  Despite encouragement from major powers such as USA, Russia, UK and France, to play a larger role in regional affairs and in Asia, our leadership is far too involved in domestic scams of its own making and has ignored the opportunities that the international scenario offers us.  Unless we are prepared to take greater responsibilities in world affairs, our candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council will continue to drift with end in sight.

PO: A message for young Palanpuris in general and to those who wish to develop a career in international diplomacy in particular?
PS: I am sure young Palanpuris guided and advised by their elders, are on the right course in fulfilling their objectives.  In my opinion, higher education is an essential part of the youth scene, both in India and abroad, and young Palanpuris should not miss the opportunity to excel in both higher education and sporting activities.  It is not unnatural for youngsters in High Schools and Universities to seek career in management, finance, banking and other related fields for obvious reasons.  A career in international diplomacy may not perhaps provide the lure of financial gains on the same scale as in other careers I have mentioned or in business activities.  But international diplomacy provides unique opportunities to interact with India and global leadership, and to participate in national and international policy making on such issues of national importance as economic growth, climate change, security issues, reducing terrorism, environment issues and general human development.  I have had a very interesting and fulfilling career in IFS and international diplomacy and would not hesitate to encourage our bright youngsters to join a career in diplomacy.