Ratan Kumar Nehru
R. K. Nehru | |
|---|---|
Nehru in 1959 | |
| Minister (Legation) of India to Sweden | |
| In office January 1949 – September 1951 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | M. J. Desai |
| Foreign Secretary | |
| In office 1952–1955 | |
| Preceded by | K. P. S. Menon |
| Succeeded by | Subimal Dutt |
| Ambassador of India to China | |
| In office 1955–1958 | |
| Preceded by | Nedyam Raghavan |
| Succeeded by | G. Parthasarathy |
| Ambassador of India to United Arab Republic | |
| In office 1958–1960 | |
| Secretary-General of the Ministry of External Affairs | |
| In office 1960–1963 | |
| Preceded by | N. R. Pillai |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 October 1902 |
| Died | 2 April 1981 (aged 78) |
| Spouse | Rajan Nehru |
| Children | Dr. Ajay Nehru and Vivek Nehru |
Ratan Kumar Nehru, or R.K. Nehru, (10 October 1902 – 2 April 1981) was an Indian civil servant and diplomat. He served as the Foreign Secretary, 1952–1955, and later as India's ambassador to China and United Arab Republic (Egypt). During 1960–1963, he was appointed the Secretary-General of the Ministry of External Affairs, a period in which India faced an invasion from China. He retired in 1963, after which the position of Secretary-General was abolished, and the Foreign Secretary role became the head of the Ministry.[1][2][3]
He was son of Mohanlal Nehru, grandson of Nandlal Nehru, older brother of Motilal Nehru.[4] Ratan was married to Rajan Nehru (1909–1994), the daughter of Sir Kailas Narain Haskar (1878–1953), a prominent figure from Gwalior State. Couple had two sons, Dr. Ajay Nehru, a distinguished nuclear scientist, and Air Commodore Vivek Nehru, Air Attaché to several countries. .[5][6][7]
References
- ^ Benner, The Indian Foreign Policy Bureaucracy (2019), Sec 4.2.1: "The last secretary-general was R.K. Nehru, cousin to Nehru... after them, Nehru's death brought the secretary-general tradition to a close.".
- ^ Noorani, A. G. (13 July 2012). "A Nehru's Dissent". Frontline.
- ^ Sharma, Jagdish Saran (1981). Encyclopaedia Indica. S. Chand.
- ^ Tharoor, Shashi (2003). Nehru: The Invention of India. Arcade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55970-697-1.
- ^ Whitfield, David (15 September 2017). "A precious piece of Indian history is up for sale". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ Bassett, Ross (2016). The Technological Indian. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-50471-4.
- ^ Rakshak, Bharat. "Air Commodore Vivek Yeshvant Nehru". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
Bibliography
- Benner, Jeffrey (2019). The Indian Foreign Policy Bureaucracy. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-00-030241-7.