Former diplomat and once India's External Affairs Minsiter, K Natwar Singh gained fame in the realms of diplomacy, politics, and writing. Yet, one quality remained consistent across decades: his sharp wit and plain-speaking.
The former Congress leader had a complex relationship with the party. While he enjoyed a close rapport with ex-Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he had a fallout with Sonia Gandhi after facing corruption charges during his tenure in the UPA-I Cabinet.
Singh passed away on Saturday night after a prolonged illness at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, near Delhi, where he had been admitted for a few weeks, family sources confirmed. He was 93 years old.
Born in 1931 in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, Singh was a career diplomat who brought extensive experience in diplomacy to his political career. He was also a prolific author, penning works on subjects ranging from the life of a maharaja to the nuances of foreign affairs.
Singh joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1953 but resigned in 1984 to contest elections as a Congress candidate, winning the seat and serving as a Union Minister of State until 1989.
He returned to the political forefront in 2004 when the Congress party regained power and appointed him as the External Affairs Minister. However, 18 months later, he had to resign after the UN's Volcker committee named both him and the Congress party as beneficiaries of illegal pay-offs in the Iraqi oil scam.
Natwar Singh was abroad on an official visit in October 2005 when the Independent Inquiry Committee headed by Paul Volcker released a report on its investigation into corruption in the Oil-for-Food programme. The report stated that Natwar Singh's family were non-contractual beneficiaries of the programme.
Natwar Singh had to resign as minister and later quit the Congress party, upset that Sonia Gandhi had not defended him.
He did not join the BJP, which seemed a possibility at the time. Instead, in mid-2008, both Natwar Singh and his son Jagat joined Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, only to be expelled within four months for alleged indiscipline.
Jagat later became a member of the BJP.
As a diplomat, Singh is considered a highly respected mentor to young diplomats, many of whom went on to achieve great success in the field of diplomacy.
He served in key postings in countries such as China, the US, Pakistan, and the UK.
Singh was also appointed secretary-general of the Seventh Non-aligned Summit in New Delhi in 1983 and Chief Coordinator of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in New Delhi that same year.
From March 1982 to November 1984, he served as secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, in 1984.
He has also 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.
Born into an aristocratic Jat Hindu family in the princely state of Bharatpur, Natwar Singh attended prestigious schools like Mayo College in Ajmer and Scindia School in Gwalior, before earning an undergraduate degree from St. Stephen's College in Delhi.
Those who knew him well praised his knowledge, diplomatic insights, and sharp wit, which sometimes also got him into trouble.
With inputs from PTI
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