Shashi Tharoor (Indian Diplomat) Biography

Quick Info

Profession	Diplomat, Politician, Writer
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	09/03/1956
Age	70 years
Birthplace	London, England

Latest News about Shashi Tharoor

06/01/2026

Shashi Tharoor re-engaged with Congress leadership amid discussions about a potential ambassador-equivalent assignment in Delhi with cabinet rank in the event of the UDF returning to power in Kerala. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal facilitated meetings between Tharoor and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss political and organisational matters ahead of crucial Kerala assembly elections.

2026

Tharoor was named co-chairman of the Congress party's Kerala assembly election campaign committee, signaling his return to a prominent role in party politics after resolving internal differences. His appointment alongside campaign chairman Ramesh Chennithala was seen as key to the party's efforts to maintain internal cohesion ahead of the high-stakes Kerala polls.

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Bio/Wiki

Shashi Tharoor was born in London, England to Chandra Shekharan Nair Tharoor and Sulekha Menon, a Nair couple from Palakkad, Kerala, India.
He was raised in Bombay and Calcutta.
Tharoor has two younger sisters, Shobha and Smitha.

Physical Stats & More

Height	5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight	75 Kg (165 lbs)
Eye Color	Hazel Green
Hair Color	Salt & Pepper

Educational Qualification(s)

Graduated from St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 1975
Ph.D. in international relations and affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in 1978 (youngest person at the time to receive such an honour from the Fletcher School at age 22)

Personal Life

Age (as of 2024)	68 Years
Religion	Hinduism

Relationships & More

Marital Status	Widower
Affairs/Girlfriends	Mehr Tarar
Wife/Spouse	Tilottama Mukherji Christa Giles Sunanda Pushkar
Children	Ishaan Kanishk

Family

Father	Chandra Shekharan Nair Tharoor
Mother	Sulekha Menon
Siblings	Smita Tharoor Shobha Tharoor-Srinivasan

Career

Politics

Party

Indian National Congress

Political Journey

Tharoor's Career in the United Nations started in 1978 as a staff member of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva.
He was head of the UNHCR office in Singapore from 1981 until 1984.
In 1989, he was appointed as the special assistant to the Under-Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs, the unit that later became the Peacekeeping Operations wing in New York.
Tharoor was appointed the director of communications and special projects and executive assistant to the then Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1996.
He became Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, and as Head of the Department of Public Information (UNDPI) in 2001.
In 2006, the Government of India nominated Shashi Tharoor for the post of UN Secretary-General. Tharoor finished second, behind Ban Ki-moon.
On 9 February 2007, Tharoor resigned from the post of UN Under-Secretary-General and left the United Nations on 1 April 2007.
In the 2009 Indian General Elections, Tharoor was the MP candidate for Congress Party from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Tharoor won the election by a margin of about 100,000.
In the Govt. of Manmohan Singh, he was sworn in as Minister of State for External Affairs, in charge of Africa, Latin America, and the Gulf on 28 May 2009.
In May 2014, Tharoor was re-elected from Thiruvananthapuram, defeating O. Rajagopal of the Bharatiya Janata Party by a margin of around 15,000 votes, and got the membership of the 15th Lok Sabha, sitting in Opposition. He was named Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.
Shashi Tharoor was removed from the post of Congress spokesperson on 13 October 2014 after he praised his party's opponent, Narendra Modi.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, he won from Thiruvananthapuram.
In October 2022, he contested the Congress party’s presidential polls; however, he lost to his rival, Mallikarjun Kharge, by more than eight times votes.
He won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala by 16,077 votes against the BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
In May 2014, Tharoor was re-elected from Thiruvananthapuram, defeating O. Rajagopal of the Bharatiya Janata Party by a margin of around 15,700 votes, and became a member of the 16th Lok Sabha, sitting in Opposition. He was named Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.
In 2012, Tharoor was re-inducted into the Union Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the portfolio of minister of state for Human Resource Development.
In 2019, he was appointed as the chairman of Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology.
On 26 September 2024, he was appointed as the chairman of Committee on External Affairs.
He won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala by defeating BJP cabinet minister Rajeev Chandrashekar.
On 20 August 2023, Tharoor was elected to the AICC Working Committee.
In 2026, Tharoor was named co-chairman of the Kerala Congress campaign team for the state assembly elections, working alongside campaign committee chairman Ramesh Chennithala.

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Shashi Tharoor was born in London to a Malayali Nair family. His father Chandran had a varied career working in London, Bombay, Calcutta, and Delhi, including a 25-year tenure at The Statesman Newspaper.
2. Since 1981, Tharoor has gained recognition as a writer, with 15 best-selling works of fiction and non-fiction that delve into various aspects of India including its history, culture, film, politics, and more.
3. Tharoor has contributed articles to esteemed publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, and The Times of India. Additionally, he has written columns for The Indian Express (1991–93, 1996–2001), The Hindu (2001–2008), and The Times of India (2007–2009).
4. Tharoor has attempted to introduce several Private Members' Bills in Parliament, a rarity for an Indian parliamentarian. His efforts to amend Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code were voted out by the majority of parliamentarians on two occasions, though the Supreme Court later ruled in favor of amending the controversial article in 2018.

Shashi Tharoor Diplomat, Politician, Writer Indian London, England