Jyotindra Nath Dixit (8 January 1936 – 3 January 2005) was an Indian diplomat, who as served as

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

(1991–1994), the top bureaucrat in the Ministry of External Affairs. At the time of his death, he was the National Security Adviser (India) to the Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

and is most remembered for his role as a negotiator in disputes with Pakistan and China.J. N. Dixit: Hawkish diplomat and India's first full-time National Security Adviser
The Independent, 5 January 2005.

Early life and education

Born in Chennai, then known as Madras, to famous Malayali writer Munshi Paramu Pillai and Retnamayi Devi. He got his surname, ''Dixit'', from his stepfather Sitaram Dixit, a freedom fighter and journalist. He did his schooling in Central India, Rajasthan and Delhi. thereafter he did BA Honours Degree in Philosophy, Economics and Political Science the Zakir Husain College ( University of Delhi) (1952 Batch), then he did his Master's in international law and international relations from Delhi University, and pursued studies for Doctoral Degree at the

Indian School of International Studies The School of International Studies ( hi, स्कूल ऑफ इंटरनेशनल स्टडीज) (formerly Indian School of International Studies) is an academic institution created in 1955 which merged with the Jawaharlal Nehru ...

, now part of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Career

He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1958, and served in Vienna, Austria, became India's Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh (1971–74) after its liberation. Subsequently, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassies in Tokyo and Washington, followed by Ambassador in Chile, Mexico (1960-1961 3rd Secretary), Japan, Australia, Afghanistan (1980–85); High Commissioner Sri Lanka (1985–89) and Pakistan (1989–91). He was Chief administrator of Indian aid in Bhutan. He later served as the Indian Foreign Secretary from 1991 and ultimately retired from Government service in 1994. He was also a representative of India to the UN, UNIDO, UNESCO,

ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...

and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He was a member of the first

National Security Advisory Board The National Security Council (NSC) (IAST: ''Rāṣṭrīya Surakṣā Pariṣad'') of India is an executive government agency tasked with advising the Prime Minister's Office on matters of national security and strategic interest. It was est ...

. He was also the author of several books. He was the High Commissioner in Colombo in 1987 when India signed an accord with Sri Lanka government and deployed of the

Indian Peace Keeping Force Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lankan ...

(IPKF) to the Tamil area in the island nation at the height of ethnic crisis. He succeeded to the post of the

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

in 2004. And his columns on international and regional affairs, appeared regularly in various publications including '' Outlook'' and '' Indian Express'' and remained a visiting lecturer at many educational institutions.

Personal life and death

J N Dixit, died on 3 January 2005, in New Delhi, after suffering a heart attack. He was married to Vijaya Lakshmi Dixit (née Sundaram) and had five children, Ashok Dixit married to Mandakini Dixit (née Haldipurkar), Rahul Dixit married to Rupa Dixit(née Thakkar), Aabha Dixit married V. B (Anand) Dhavle, Dipa Dixit married to Rajiv Shakdher and the late Dhruv Dixit, who died in 2002. His grandchildren are Sanghamitra Dixit, Sumiran and Sagiri Dixit, Jaidev and Abhishek Dhavle and Vasudhaa Shakdher. He married a second time. He was the first National Security Advisor who died in office.

Awards and honours

India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, was posthumously conferred on J N Dixit in 2005.

Works

* ''Self in Autumn'', 1982 (collection of poems) * ''Anatomy of a Flawed Inheritance: A Survey of Indo–Pak Relations 1970–94'', Konark Publishers, 1995 * ''My South Block Years'', UBS publi * ''Assignment Colombo'', Konark Publishers, 1997. * ''Across Borders: Fifty Years of India's Foreign Policy'', PICUS Publishers. 1998. * ''Liberation and Beyond: Indo-Bangladesh Relations 1971–99'', Konark Publishers. 1999. * ''An Afghom: Diary-Zahir Shah to Taliban'', Konark Publishers, 2000. * ''Indian Foreign Policies and its Neighbours'', Gyan Books, New Delhi, 2001. . * ''India’s Foreign Policy—challenge Of Terrorism Fashioning Interstate Equations'', by Gyan Books, 2003. * ''External Affairs''. Roli Books, 2003. . * ''Indian Foreign Service: History And Challenge''. Konark Publishers, 2005. .

References

External links

J.N. Dixit, Official biography
Indian Embassy
J. N. Dixit Columns
at Outlook
A Mission in Jaffna & the Memories of War-Torn Jaffna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixit, Jyotindra Nath 1936 births 2005 deaths Delhi University alumni Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni High Commissioners of India to Pakistan Permanent Representatives of India to the United Nations Permanent Delegates of India to UNESCO Indian Foreign Secretaries Indian male writers Foreign policy writers International relations scholars Indian columnists Malayali people Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service High Commissioners of India to Bangladesh Ambassadors of India to Chile Ambassadors of India to Japan Ambassadors of India to Afghanistan High Commissioners of India to Australia High Commissioners of India to Sri Lanka Indian Foreign Service officers Indian political writers 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers Politicians from Chennai Writers from Chennai Indian foreign policy writers Scholars of Indian foreign policy International relations historians Indian Peace Keeping Force People of the Sri Lankan Civil War