Nirupama Rao: ‘Foreign Service taught me to stay curious’

Tell us about your experiences as a jury member for the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2026It has been an absorbing commitment and a welcome reminder of the many ways there are to tell the history of modern India The books have taken me through constitutional precepts political lives migration borders and the experience of ordinary people living through decisions made far beyond them As a former diplomat I am accustomed to reading the official record Some of the most rewarding writing asks what that record leaves out or show how a familiar event looks when viewed from another region community or householdWith the South Asian Symphony Orchestra which Nirupama Rao and her husband Sudhakar had foundedI have especially savoured encountering work that combines patient research with the confidence to tell a compelling story A prize jury also teaches you to read more attentively A book may unsettle your assumptions without necessarily persuading you of every conclusion and the discussion with fellow jurors makes you return to the text and think again That seems to me a fitting way to honour Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay whose mind was like an ocean and whose own life crossed so many of the boundaries we tend to place between politics culture and public serviceWhat life lessons did the Foreign Service teach youTo listen before drawing conclusions That sounds simple but diplomacy often places you amid strong convictions partial information and pressure to respond at once You learn to ask what the other person apprehends what they desire to preserve and what history they believe they are living through Understanding their position does not require you to surrender your ownThe Service also taught me the value of preparation and the limits of certainty Countries are more complicated than the neat descriptions we give them and relationships rarely move in a straight line I learned to stay curious to treat people with respect whatever their rank and to remember that words can have consequences well beyond the room in which they are spoken Above all I came to believe that a country represents itself through the quality of its judgment as much as through the force of its argumentsNirupama RaoHow did music become a key part of your lifeMusic has been a companion through much of my life I sing and I know from performing how much feeling can be carried in a phrase that no spoken explanation quite captures After I left the Foreign Service I had more room to give that part of me sustained attention Music also provided a way to carry forward something I cared deeply about as a diplomat Bringing people into contact across bordersMy husband Sudhakar and I founded the South Asian Symphony Foundation in 2018 The orchestra brings musicians from across our region together to rehearse listen and make something none could make alone I do not imagine a concert can resolve a political dispute But I have watched musicians arrive with different histories and leave with a shared experience and that matters The work has grown to include young musicians and our Silver Songbirds programme for older singers It gives me enormous pleasure to see people find their place and fellowship in an ensemble sometimes for the first timeWhat can readers expect from your next bookMy book is about Indiarsquos image in the world the stories we tell about ourselves the images others form of us and the space between the twoA diplomat spends a great deal of time in that space I want to explore how a country as varied and inventive as India can make itself understood without reducing itself to a slogan It is a work in progress so I shall leave the rest forthe bookMumbai on her mindldquoA dear memory is the South Asian Symphony Orchestrarsquos debut at the NCPA in April 2019 We had spent so long imagining an orchestra that could bring together musicians from across South Asia Hearing it come to life on a Mumbai stage was deeply moving Mumbai is a wonderful city for such a beginning It has long made room for people and ideas arriving from elsewhere and it brings a generous curiosity to the artsOn my next visit I would like to attend a concert as a member of the audience browse a bookshop without looking at the clock and take a long walk by the seardquoRapid fire thinspWhat are you readingIrsquove just finished Qiu Xiaolongrsquos Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder Irsquove long enjoyed how his mysteries evoke the nooks and crannies of Shanghai while giving you a glimpse of the Party politics and social change beneath the surface thinspAn Indian writer who impressed youJhumpa Lahiri remains an alltime favourite Migration a topic she tackles with such sensitivity and detail especially fascinates me thinspA musician yoursquod love to perform a duet withJoan Baez She was my childhood icon and idol Her voice and the courage that sings with it have stayed with me all my life