One of the Shankar duos, the powerful, charismatic, and diplomat father, who feels he is the originator of the idea of a New Global Order, has somehow transformed a private event into an official one of the central Ministry of External Affairs. The tenth edition of ‘The Raisina Dialogues,’ which wrapped up on March 19, 2025, like the earlier annual ones, felt like the fiefdom of S. Jai Shankar, the powerful cabinet minister, who graced most of the sessions. However, ‘The Dialogues’ are organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), which is a defence-security think tank funded by Mukesh Ambani, who owns the largest Indian company in the private sector, Reliance Industries. For Jai Shankar, the event showcases how India, not the US, Russia, China, Middle East, or Europe, can emerge as the leader in the emerging Multipolar World. For Ambani, it shows his power in Track-II diplomacy, and his ability to influence India’s role in this century.
According to information provided in the Lok Sabha, the Ministry of External Affairs spent Rs 4,46,29,202 on ORF’s ‘The Raisina Dialogues’ between 2014 and 2020 Although we do not have the subsequent data, one can only imagine the expenses for the 2025 event. If the brain behind the ‘Dialogues’ is Jai Shankar, the brawn is none other than his son, Dhruva Jai Shankar, who is the Executive Director of ORF, America. Reporters who attended the event said that Dhruva was the VIP of VIPs, apart from his father, and the former was mobbed by VIPs, and left no stone unturned to meet important dignitaries. The Shankar duo is no stranger to such conflicts of interest. Before he became a cabinet minister, Jai Shankar served as an advisor to the Tata Group, without observing the mandatory cooling-off period reserved for civil servants – he retired as the country’s Foreign Secretary in 2018.
Similarly, fathers grooming sons for crucial global roles runs in the family. Jai Shankar followed his father’s footsteps – K. Subrahmanyam too was a former civil servant. It is truly a never-ending circle of time – incidentally, the theme of ‘The Dialogues’ this year was ‘Kalachakra: People, Peace, and Planet.’ The people we have introduced. The peace we are not sure of – top-ranking officials in the Ministry of External Affairs whisper and wonder about India’s paradoxical role in diplomacy and conflicts, trying to get close to the US, support Russia against Ukraine, and Israel against Palestine. The planet – well, let us leave it in the hands of God, for only the Supreme Being knows what is in store for us.
