PROMINENT WITNESS

 

THE passing away of Mr. K Natwar Singh, f o r m e r E x t e r n a l Affairs Minister of India, marks an end to the long innings of a prominent witness to, and participant in, foreign policy thinking of the country. A career diplomat, he contributed to India’s diplomacy and foreign affairs in official capacity. He worked closely with the offices of a few Indian Prime Ministers including Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, and with Dr. Manmohan Singh. All through working in official capacity as a diplomat, as an MP, and as External Affairs Minister, he was an active participant when India’s foreign policy shifted gears especially vis-a-vis Pakistan. The insight he had gained in the capacity of India’s Ambassador to Pakistan enriched the process of recalibration of Indian diplomatic thought with reference to Pakistan. But, his contribution was not restricted to Pakistan alone. He knew the dynamics of international relations well and his wisdom was put to good use by successive governments to further Indian interests on the platforms of different international institutions. That he was a Congress MP in later years does not affect the importance of his enriching the thought process of India reaching out to other nations towards multipolarity and multilateralism. 

 

 

A FTER the historic back-toback bronze medals in Tokyo and Paris Olympics, Indian hockey is looking at a new dawn. India’s showing in Paris has instilled big hopes from the men’s team which boasts of an incredible talent pool. Under captain Harmanpreet Singh and coach Craig Fulton the Indian hockey team has gelled into a well-oiled unit which is ready to take on powerhouses without fear. A major credit of the change in thinking also goes to just-retired goalkeeper P R Sreejesh who was the hero of Indian triumph for the bronze medal. Not for nothing he is bestowed with the sobriquet of ‘The Wall’ as the Kerala goalie has guarded the Indian citadel with tremendous grit. His saves against Great Britain in the quarter-final and then the solid showing against Germany in the bronze medal game firmed his place in the top-notch category of bartenders. Finding a replacement for Sreejesh would be a challenging task for Indian hockey Though Sreejesh has said that India possess enough talent to replace him, the fact remains that Sreejesh has created such a legacy guarding which would prove to be an onerous task for his replacement. Those are really big shoes to fill for the incumbent.