By IANS,
New Delhi : A pleasant surprise awaited Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor as he stepped inside his office in South Block Friday morning.
As the new minister, dapperly attired in a ‘bandgala’ suit, settled into his chair and formally took charge, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, the ministry’s foremost bureaucrat, who was some years senior to him at St. Stephen’s College, stood by his side.
A 1972 batch IFS officer, Menon did his masters in history from The College, as the prestigious Delhi University institution is sometimes called by its alumni.
The 53-year-old Tharoor graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the college, where he stood first in the university, graduating with a record score in History (Honours) before moving on to the US.
At least six Stephanians have found place in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s new council of ministers. There is an informal St. Stephen’s old boy network in the Indian Foreign Service that cuts across generations.