Age, Biography, and Wiki
S. Jaishankar was born on January 9, 1955, in New Delhi, India. He comes from a distinguished family, with his father being the late Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam, a renowned strategic analyst. Jaishankar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has been a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. His diplomatic career started in 1977, and he has served in various capacities in different countries, including as High Commissioner to Singapore and Ambassador to the Czech Republic, China, and the United States.
| Occupation | Politician |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 9 January 1955 |
| Age | 70 Years |
| Birth Place | New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Country | India |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is limited information available about Jaishankar's physical measurements such as height and weight.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Jaishankar is married to Kyoko Somekawa Jaishankar, whom he married in 1998. They have three children together—two sons and one daughter. His wife is a consultant for Delhi International Airport and GMR Hyderabad International Airport.
Jaishankar advocated deeper Indian cooperation with China as long as India's "core interests" were respected, and argued for better market access for Indian businesses operating in China on the grounds that more balanced trade was necessary for the bilateral economic relationship to be sustainable. He was also involved in improving people-to-people contacts between India and China, promoting events that showcased Indian culture in 30 Chinese cities.
In October 2024, responding on the relationship with China, Jaishankar said at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, "The overall relationship with China had “not been great” over the last few years because China had reneged on certain agreements it had with India about how to keep the border between the two countries tranquil." In September 2024, on trade with China, he said at the Gulf Cooperation Council Joint Ministerial Meeting in Riyadh, "We are not closed to business from China. There is nobody who can say I will not do business with China. I think the issue is which sectors do you do business in and on what terms you do business. It is far more complicated than a black and white binary answer." During an official visit to London in March 2025, his security was breached.
Jaishankar was married to his first wife Shobha until she succumbed to cancer. The two had met while studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Later, he married Kyoko Somekawa, of Japanese origin, whom he met while working in the Indian embassy in Japan. They have two sons, Dhruva and Arjun, and a daughter, Medha.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Shobha Jaishankar Kyoko Somekawa Jaishankar (m. 1998) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, S. Jaishankar's net worth is estimated to be around ₹16 to ₹21 crore. His salary as a cabinet minister is approximately ₹2.25 lakh per month. His assets, which include two houses in Delhi and agricultural land in Shimla, were valued at ₹20.09 crore in recent disclosures. His primary sources of income include his salary and rent, with additional income from his wife's consultancy work.
Jaishankar was appointed foreign secretary of India on 29 January 2015. The announcement of his appointment was made following a 28 January 2015 meeting of the appointments committee of the cabinet chaired by the Modi. His tenure extension of one year saw a transformation in the working of the ministry of external affairs. His appointment came three days before the date on which he would ordinarily have retired and meant the unprecedented termination of Sujatha Singh’s two year tenure as foreign secretary. Singh was offered a sinecure as compensation but preferred to resign from government service. Jaishankar is widely criticised by Nepalese analysts for being the "original planner of 2015 Nepal blockade." His tenure expired in January 2018.
Career, Business, and Investments
Jaishankar began his career in the Indian Foreign Service in 1977. Over the years, he has held prestigious diplomatic positions, including serving as India's Ambassador to the United States and China. After retiring from the foreign service, he joined Tata Sons as President, Global Corporate Affairs. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in January 2019 and became the Minister of External Affairs in May the same year.
Jaishankar has also been a prolific author, publishing notable books such as "The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World" in 2020 and "Why Bharat Matters" in 2024.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (born 9 January 1955), better known as S. Jaishankar, is an Indian politician and retired diplomat of the Indian foreign service (IFS) who is serving as the minister of external affairs of the government of India since 31 May 2019. He is the longest serving minister of external affairs since Jawaharlal Nehru, who held the position during his entire 17 years as prime minister. Jaishankar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha. He previously served as the foreign secretary of India from 2015 to 2018.
Jaishankar joined the IFS in 1977, and during a diplomatic career spanning over 38 years, served in different capacities in India and abroad, including as a high commissioner to Singapore (2007–2009) and as ambassador to the Czech Republic (2001–2004), China (2009–2013) and the United States (2014–2015). Jaishankar was one of the officials in the ministry of external affairs, the department of atomic energy, and the prime minister's office, who played a key role in negotiating the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement. On retirement, Jaishankar received an unusual exemption from the “cooling off period” mandated for all retiring civil servants and joined Tata Sons as president, global corporate affairs. In January 2019, Jaishankar was conferred with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.
From 2004 to 2007, Jaishankar was joint secretary (Americas) at the ministry of external affairs in New Delhi. In this capacity, he was involved in negotiating the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement and improving defence cooperation, including during relief operations following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Jaishankar was also involved with the conclusion of the 2005 New Defense Framework and the Open Skies Agreement, and he was associated with the launch of the India–United States Energy Dialogue, the India-United States Economic Dialogue, and the India-United States CEO's Forum. In 2006–2007, Jaishankar led the Indian team during the negotiations on the 123 Agreement with the United States. He also represented the Indian government at the Carnegie Endowment International Non-proliferation Conference in June 2007.
From 2007 to 2009, Jaishankar served as India's high commissioner to Singapore. During his tenure, he helped implement the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) that expanded India's business presence in Singapore, and oversaw a defence arrangement by which Singapore keeps some of its military equipment in India on a permanent basis. Jaishankar also promoted the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, and IIMPact in Singapore.
In November 2022, during a joint press conference along with Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, Jaishankar praised Russia as an "exceptionally steady" and "time-tested" partner of India and advocated a return to dialogue and peace between Russia and Ukraine, amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. In June 2023, the Associated Press (AP) reported that Jaishankar had announced that India will remain committed in its stance on not inviting Ukraine to the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, India. Jaishankar firmly defended buying Russian oil even after sanctions by numerous countries during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and he criticised Europe for "double standards." During the GLOBSEC 2022 forum in Slovakia, responding to a question on India's official position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said, "Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems but the world's problems are not Europe's problems." In response, German chancellor Olaf Scholz said, "he has a point," before adding "it wouldn't be Europe's problem alone if the law of the strong were to assert itself in international relations." During his visit to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, Jaishankar emphasised that Europe must recognise that India cannot adopt the same perspective on Russia as Europe does.
In May 2023, during Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's visit to India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, Jaishankar sharply criticised Pakistan's record on terrorism. He described Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, then the Pakistani minister for foreign affairs, as a "promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry," asserting that this industry was the mainstay of Pakistan. Jaishankar stated, "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism," and emphasised that India would continue to defend itself, counter acts of terrorism, and delegitimise Pakistan's support for such activities. He further remarked that Pakistan's credibility on terrorism was "depleting even faster than its forex reserves," and dismissed any suggestion of normal engagement while cross-border terrorism persisted.
Social Network
While Jaishankar is active in public life, there is limited information available about his personal social media presence. However, his public engagements and speeches are widely covered by Indian media outlets.
Jaishankar was one of those considered for the post of India's foreign secretary in 2013 but lost out to Sujatha Singh, who became the third woman to serve in the post.
Education
Jaishankar holds a doctorate, though specific details about his educational institutions are not widely documented. His educational background has contributed to his deep understanding of international relations and diplomacy.
Jaishankar did his schooling at The Air Force School, Delhi, and at the Bangalore Military School, Bangalore. He then did his bachelor's degree in chemistry from St. Stephen's College, Delhi of Delhi University. He has an MA in political science and an M.Phil. and PhD in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he specialised in nuclear diplomacy.
Conclusion
S. Jaishankar's career is marked by significant contributions to Indian diplomacy and politics. His net worth reflects his varied career paths, from a distinguished diplomatic career to his current role as Minister of External Affairs and author.
