About the Speaker: Her Excellency Mrs. Shashi U. Tripathi was at that time the High Commissioner for India in Canada, currently Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. Mrs. Tripathi was a Patron of ICFC — See her profile below.

Topic: "India: Current Perspective"

Personal Profile of Mrs. Shashi Tripathi

Mrs. Tripathi is currently the Secretary (Deputy Minister) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Delhi.

Mrs. Tripathi was High Commissioner for India in Canada from August, 2002 to August 2004. She is a member of the Indian Foreign Service, having joined the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi on July 2, 1970.

During her career spanning over 30 years, Mrs. Tripathi has served in a number of Indian Missions abroad in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America and at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

She was Second Secretary and later First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, Nepal from November 1974 - September 1977; First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Moscow, U.S.S.R. from october 1977 - September 1980; First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Kabul, Afganistan from November 1980 - September 1983; Counsellor at the High Commission of India in Ottawa, Canada from September 1985 - August 1988; Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of India in Karachi, Pakistan from october 1988 - August 1992; Minister and subsequently Deputy Chief of Mission in Bonn, Germany from September 1992 - August 1994; Ambassador at the Embassy of India in Warsaw from August 1994 - September 1997; High Commisisoner at the High Commission of India at Harare from December 1997 - November 1998; and Consul general at the Consulate General of India in New York from November 1998 - May 2002.

Mrs. Tripathi's assignments at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi included Under Secretary in charge of Nepal from August 1973 to September 1974; and as Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) from September 1983 to July 1985.

Mrs. Tripathi passed her Senior Cambridge from Delhi Public School, New Delhi. She subsequently studied at Delhi and Patna Universities. Her post-graduate degree is in English literature. She is a Gold Medalist of Patna University, having topped in her B.A. and M.A. exams.

Mrs. Tripathi has been a broadcaster and has worked with All India Radio in the Drama and News departments.

She is married to Mr. Manilal Tripathi, who is the Ambassador of India in Japan. They have one son, Siddharth and one daughter, Namrata.

Besides being fluent in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, Mrs. Tripathi knows Polish, Russian and Gorkhali. Her interests include music, reading and the arts.