Feb 18 2026 to Feb 18 2026 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

One diplomat. Four decades. An entire world in upheaval.

From the dying days of the Soviet Union to the streets of Burma, from a kingdom being absorbed into India to the two Germanys becoming one, this memoir traces an extraordinary career lived at the fault lines of history.

Written by a former Indian diplomat, the book moves across the Soviet Union, Sikkim, Burma, South Korea, Germany, Ukraine and Indonesia, charting four decades of geopolitical transformation through the eyes of someone who was there. Not in the briefing rooms of power, but on the ground, watching, listening, and recording what ordinary people wanted for their lives: freedom, openness, dignity.

Running through it all is a quieter story, of India itself, navigating a turbulent world as a non-aligned nation, finding its footing politically and economically while the old order collapsed around it.

This is history as it was lived. Up close, and impossible to look away from.

Speakers

Sudhir T Devare
Former Ambassador & Author
Sudhir T. Devare was a member of the Indian Foreign Service from 1964 to 2001, serving in key assignments in Moscow, Washington, Geneva, Rangoon and Sikkim, and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs handling Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar. He went on to serve as Ambassador to South Korea, India’s first Ambassador to Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia, and later as Ambassador to Indonesia and Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, where he played an important role in shaping India’s ‘Look East Policy.’

Post-retirement, he held several distinguished positions, including Member of the National Security Advisory Board, Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), and academic appointments at JNU, Symbiosis International University, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. He has authored India and Southeast Asia: Towards Security Convergence and edited volumes on China’s emerging role in Asia and energy cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region.

N Parthasarathi
Former Ambassador
Ambassador N. Parthasarathi is a senior Indian Foreign Service officer with over three decades of diplomatic experience. He served as Ambassador to South Korea (2005-2008) and Senegal (2008-2011), with concurrent accreditation to several West African nations, and as Consul General of India in San Francisco (2011-2014). He retired from the Foreign Service in 2014.

Post-retirement, he has served as Secretary General and CEO of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry and as CEO of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. He is currently engaged in mentoring startups, advising institutions, writing on international affairs, and participating in television discussions. He has authored several books, including The Reluctant Assassin, The Legend of Ayodhya Princess in Korea, Suspended Lives, and Navigating UPSC CSE – A Roadmap to Success.

Saurabh Kumar
Former Ambassador
A gold medalist from the University of Delhi, Prof. Saurabh Kumar is a former Indian Foreign Service officer with a distinguished career in diplomacy and academia. His final diplomatic assignment was as India’s Ambassador to the IAEA, UNIDO and the UN Offices in Vienna, and India’s Governor on the Board of Governors of the IAEA.

Post-retirement, he served on the faculty of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru (2010-2020), where his research and commentary focused on disarmament, nuclear issues, and India-China relations, his long-standing area of specialization. A fluent Chinese speaker, he pioneered the “India in the Chinese Media” project at NIAS. He is currently a freelance strategic analyst, writing on issues of statecraft, security, and development.

Nirupama Rao
Ambassador & Former Foreign Secretary, GoI
Nirupama Rao is a former Foreign Secretary of India who has spent a lifetime navigating capitals, crises, and conversations that matter. She was the first Indian woman to serve as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Ambassador to China, and later represented India in Washington. A writer (The Fractured Himalaya: India, Tibet, China 1949 to 1962), teacher, and cultural bridge-builder, she now blends policy with symphonic music  through the South Asian Symphony Foundation which she founded in 2018.