• Former Minister of External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh passed away on August 10. He was 93.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the former Union minister, saying Singh made rich contributions to the world of diplomacy and foreign policy and was known for his intellect and prolific writing. 

• Natwar Singh wore many hats as he straddled the worlds of diplomacy, politics and writing but what remained consistent across decades was his sharp-wit and plainspeaking.

• He was a career diplomat, who brought a wealth of experience in diplomacy to his political career and a prolific author on subjects ranging from the life of a maharaja to nuances of foreign affairs.

• Natwar Singh was born in 1931 in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.

• He attended Mayo College, Ajmer and Scindia School, Gwalior, and thereafter, he took an undergraduate degree at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. 

• Singh was selected into the Indian Foreign Service in 1953.

• He was attached to the office of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1966 to 1971.

• Singh served as India’s UK Deputy High Commissioner from 1973 to 1977. He was the High Commissioner to Zambia in 1977 and the ambassador to Pakistan from 1980 to 1982.

• He was also appointed secretary-general of the Seventh Non-aligned Summit in New Delhi held in 1983 and Chief Coordinator of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in New Delhi in the same year.

• Natwar Singh served as secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 1982 to November 1984. 

• He was bestowed the third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 1984. 

• In 1984, he joined the Congress and was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Bharatpur constituency in Rajasthan.

• In 1985, he was sworn in as a Minister of State and allotted the portfolios of steel, coal and mines, and agriculture. In 1986, he became Minister of State for external affairs.

• When the Congress came back to power in 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed Natwar Singh as the Minister for External Affairs.

• In October, 2005, the Independent Inquiry Committee headed by Paul Volcker released the report on its investigation of corruption in the Oil-for-Food programme.

• It stated Natwar Singh’s family were non-contractual beneficiaries of the ‘Oil for Food’ programme. Singh had to quit as minister and later resigned from the Congress.

• In mid-2008, both Singh and his son Jagat joined Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party,only to be expelled by that party within four months for alleged indiscipline.

• His son Jagat became a member of the BJP.

• Natwar Singh authored several books including, ‘The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute’ and ‘My China Diary 1956-88’. His autobiography is titled ‘One Life is Not Enough’.

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