VAdm Satish Soni exchanges a momento with the High Commissioner of India

Navdeep Suri (born 1959) is a retired Indian diplomat completing 36 years in the Indian Foreign Service, having served in India's diplomatic missions in Cairo,

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, Washington,

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

and London and as India's Consul General in Johannesburg. He has also headed the West Africa and Public Diplomacy departments at the Ministry of External Affairs. He was India's High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The President of UAE conferred on him the Order of Zayed II, the country's second-highest civilian award. His innovative use of social media in public diplomacy in 2010 also received extensive recognition and two prestigious awards. Suri has learnt Arabic and French, has a master's degree in Economics and has written on India's Africa policy, on Public Diplomacy and on the IT outsourcing industry. His English translations of his grandfather

Nanak Singh Nanak Singh, (b. 4 July 1897 as Hans Raj – 28 December 1971), was an Indian poet, songwriter, and novelist of the Punjabi language. His literary works in support of India's independence movement led the British to arrest him. He published nov ...

's classic Punjabi novels have been published by Penguin as ''The Watchmaker'' and by HarperCollins as ''A Life Incomplete'' and ''Khooni Vaisakhi''.

Early life and background

Suri was born in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

in the north Indian state of Punjab in 1959. He is the grandson of acclaimed

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

novelist and poet

. His father Kulwant Singh runs a reputed publishing house in Amritsar and his mother Attarjit has taught Punjabi language to college students. He did his schooling from St. Francis School. He then completed his master's degree in economics from

Guru Nanak Dev University The university is Entitled by University Grants Commission to offer higher studies degree courses online. Guru Nanak Dev University's campus is spread over near village of Kot Khalsa, nearly west of the Amritsar, next to Khalsa College, Am ...

Career

Early diplomatic career

Suri joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1983 and has served in India's diplomatic missions in Cairo,

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, Washington DC,

and London and as India's Consul General in Johannesburg.

Joint Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs

He has later headed the West Africa and Public Diplomacy divisions at the Ministry of External Affairs at New Delhi as a Joint Secretary. His tenure as Joint Secretary of Public Diplomacy divisions is particularly distinguished for his effort to create MEA's improved interaction with citizens through use of social media platforms and Internet.

Ambassador to Egypt

Suri's stint as Indian Ambassador to Egypt started in June 2012. As the Ambassador to Egypt his major challenge was a successful March 2013 state Visit of Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi to India. Morsi visited India from the 18 to 21 March 2013 as the head of a high-level delegation of Egyptian ministers and business leaders, at a time when trade between these two countries has witnessed a record 30 percent jump.

High Commissioner to Australia

On 26 February 2015,

Indian Ministry of External Affairs The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; hi, विदेश मंत्रालय, Videśa Mantrālaya, translit-std=ISO) of India is the government agency responsible for implementing Indian foreign policy. The Ministry of Ex ...

announced its decision to appoint Suri as India's next High Commissioner to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, through a press brief. In April 2015, Suri arrived in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, Australia. In November 2023, the Federal Court of Australia ordered Suri to pay a former housekeeper in Canberra more than a hundred thousand Australian dollars in back pay. This was due to breaching employment conditions under Australian law.https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2023/2023fca1346 The Court has yet to determine the civil penalty to be imposed on Suri, which is in addition to the wages owed to the housekeeper.

Awards and decorations

Foreign honours

*: ** First Class of the Order of Zayed II (12 September 2019)

Personal life

Suri is married to Mani, who has a degree in Economics and is a graphic designer and potter. The couple have two daughters.

Works

Suri has translated three of his grandfather Nanak Singh's classical Punjabi novels to English. * Singh, Nanak and Navdeep Suri (trans.). ''Saintly Sinner''. A 'n' B Publishers, 2003. * Singh, Nanak and Navdeep Suri (trans.). ''The Watchmaker''. Penguin India, 2009. * Singh, Nanak and Navdeep Suri (trans.). ''A Life Incomplete''. HarperCollins India, 2012. * Singh, Nanak and Navdeep Suri (trans.). ''Khooni Vaisakhi: A Poem from the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, 1919''. Harper Perennial, 2019.

References

External links

The High Commission of India in Australia
Official website.

Ambassador's Official Blog
Embassy of India in Cairo, Egypt {{DEFAULTSORT:SURI, NAVDEEP Living people 1959 births Ambassadors of India to the United Arab Emirates High Commissioners of India to Australia Ambassadors of India to Egypt Indian Foreign Service officers Recipients of the Order of Zayed