Topper is just one of the words that best describes this Sikh gentleman. But it really doesn’t do full justice, because Hardeep Singh Puri is a man who has worn many hats with equal flair and still doing the country proud as its Union Civil Aviation Minister. It would be difficult to list all his achievements appropriately enough, so we will have to just skim over the surface and make a brief mention.
As a lecturer in St. Stephens College, a Career diplomat for 39 years furthering India’s interests across the world, a prolific author, the first Sikh to represent India as its permanent representative at the United Nations in New York. And now more than ever, winning laurels and accolades, as The Union Minister for Civil Aviation. He is certainly a high-flyer in every sense of the word.
Some of his crucial postings include Japan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland (Geneva), United Kingdom, Brazil and USA – the last four in Ambassadorial capacities Perhaps one can safely assume that his father, Sardar Bhagat Singh Puri, a career diplomat himself, served as an excellent role model for the young Hardeep Singh Puri, as a fledging aspirant, reaching out towards his dreams. The Union Minister’s wife, Lakshmi, is a diplomat in her own right, an IFS topper from his own 1974 batch.
She has served in Japan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Hungary – the last in Ambassadorial capacity. A graduate from Delhi University of Delhi and post-graduate in History from Punjab University, she is fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabis and knows French and Japanese.
