Pavan Varma

Pavan K. Varma (born 5 November 1953) is a Indian politician, author, and former diplomat who served as India’s Ambassador to Bhutan and High Commissioner to Cyprus. He has also served as the Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Bihar. He is also a widely published author, known for his works on Indian culture, identity, and politics.

Early life and education

Varma a native of Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh was born on 5 November 1953 in Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh (now Maharashtra). He graduated with a degree in History from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, where he stood first in his class. He subsequently obtained a degree in law from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976.

Career

Diplomatic career

Varma joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976. Over the course of his diplomatic career, he held several key positions, including Press Secretary to the President of India, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Joint Secretary for Africa, High Commissioner of India to Cyprus, Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Ambassador of India to Bhutan.

Political career

In June 2014, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parliament, representing the state of Bihar. He served in this capacity until July 2016. During this period, he was also appointed as the National General Secretary and National Spokesperson of the Janata Dal (United).

Varma served as the National General Secretary of the JD(U) until 29 January 2020. He subsequently joined the All India Trinamool Congress on 23 November 2021 and was appointed the party’s National Vice-President on 19 December 2021. He resigned from the post and left the party on 12 August 2022, following political realignments in Bihar associated with the formation of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government.

Literary career

Varma is a noted author and commentator on Indian culture, history, and society. He has written both non-fiction and translations, contributing significantly to public discourse through his publications. Some of his notable works include:

* ''Ghalib: The Man, The Times'' (1989)
* ''Krishna: The Playful Divine'' (1993)
* ''The Great Indian Middle Class'' (1998)
* ''Being Indian: The Truth About Why the 21st Century Will Be India’s'' (2004)
* ''Becoming Indian: The Unfinished Revolution of Culture and Identity'' (2010)
* ''Chanakya’s New Manifesto'' (2013)
* ''Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker'' (2018)
* ''The Greatest Ode to Lord Ram: Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas'' (2021)

Varma has also translated the poetry of prominent Indian figures including Kaifi Azmi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Gulzar into English. Varma is a regular columnist, with his articles appearing in publications such as ''The Times of India'', ''The Asian Age'', and other national and regional newspapers and journals.

Honours and recognition

In 2005, Varma was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the University of Indianapolis in recognition of his contributions to diplomacy, literature, culture, and aesthetics. During his tenure as Ambassador to Bhutan, he was conferred the Druk Thuksey Award, Bhutan’s highest civilian honour, by His Majesty the King of Bhutan. He remains the only serving Indian Ambassador to Bhutan to have received this distinction.

Varma has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from his alma mater, St. Xavier's School, Delhi, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. In February 2019, he was presented with the inaugural Wordsmith Award at the Words Count Festival in Pune. The same year, he was also honoured with the Kalinga International Literary Award for his contributions to Indian literature and public discourse.

Bibliography

Fiction

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Non-fiction

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As a sequel to ''The Great Indian Middle Class'' in 1998, he, in association with journalist Renuka Khandekar, published ''Maximize Your Life: An Action Plan for the Indian Middle Class'' (Viking 2000). His 2004 ''Being Indian'' was published by William Heinemann, in the United Kingdom, as ''Being Indian: Inside the Real India'' in March 2005. Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker has translated and published in various Indian languages.

Translations

* ''Selected Poems: Kaifi Azmi'' (Viking/Penguin 2001) is the English translation of the Urdu poems of Kaifi Azmi.
* ''21 Poems'' (Viking/Penguin), a translation in English of the Hindi poems of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India, was published in December 2001.
* ''Selected Poems: Gulzar'' (Penguin) a translated collection of the poems of Gulzar into English, one of India's best-known poets, came out in April 2008.
* ''Neglected Poems'', Pavan K. Varma's second volume of the English translations of Gulzar's poems was launched at the Jaipur Literary Festival in January 2012.
* ''Green Poems: Gulzar'', (Penguin, 2014) Pavan K. Varma's third volume of the English translation of Gulzar's poems.
* ''Suspected Poems: Gulzar'', (Penguin, 2017) Pavan K. Varma's fourth volume of the English translation of Gulzar's poems.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varma, Pavan
1953 births
Living people
People from Ghazipur
Ambassadors of India to Bhutan
Rajya Sabha members from Bihar
Janata Dal (United) politicians
High commissioners of India to Cyprus
Trinamool Congress politicians from Maharashtra