Speaker
Dr. Shashi Tharoor
Member of Parliament & Author
Dr. Shashi Tharoor is an author, diplomat, politician, and public intellectual. Currently Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, he previously had a long and successful career at the United Nations, rising to the post of Under-Secretary-General.
A celebrated writer, he has authored more than 23 books across fiction, history, politics, and religion. His notable works include The Great Indian Novel, Inglorious Empire, Why I Am a Hindu, and An Era of Darkness, which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2019. His honours include the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Crossword Lifetime Achievement Award, and most recently the 21st P. Kesavadev Literary Award (2025). He is one of India's most admired voices in literature, politics, and culture.