Pavan Varma

• Name — Pavan Varma • Office1 — General Secretary of Janata Dal (United) • Office2 — MP of Rajya Sabha for Bihar • Term Start1 — 10 November 2016 • Term End1 — 29 January 2020 • Term Start2 — 23 June 2014 • Term End2 — 7 July 2016 • Office3 — Indian Ambassador to Bhutan • Predecessor3 — Sudhir Vyas • Successor3 — VP Haran • Term End3 — January 2013 • Office4 — Indian High Commissioner to Cyprus • Predecessor4 — Shyamala B Cowsik • Successor4 — Neelam D. Sabharwal • Birth Name — Pavan Kumar Varma • Born — 5 November 1953 • Birthplace — Nagpur, India • Other Party — Trinamool Congress (2021–2022) Janata Dal (United) (2016–2020) • Party — Jan Suraaj Party • Office — National Chief Spokesperson Jan Suraaj Party • Term Start — 23 January 2025

Varma a native of Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh was born on 5 November 1953 in Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh (now Maharashtra). He graduated with a degree in History from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, where he stood first in his class. He subsequently obtained a degree in law from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976.

Varma joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976. Over the course of his diplomatic career, he held several key positions, including Press Secretary to the President of India, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Joint Secretary for Africa, High Commissioner of India to Cyprus, Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Ambassador of India to Bhutan.

In June 2014, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parliament, representing the state of Bihar. He served in this capacity until July 2016. During this period, he was also appointed as the National General Secretary and National Spokesperson of the Janata Dal (United). Varma served as the National General Secretary of the JD(U) until 29 January 2020. He subsequently joined the Trinamool Congress on 23 November 2021 and was appointed the party's National Vice-President on 19 December 2021. He resigned from the post and left the party on 12 August 2022, following political realignments in Bihar associated with the formation of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government.

Varma is a noted author and commentator on Indian culture, history, and society. He has written both non-fiction and translations, contributing significantly to public discourse through his publications. Some of his notable works include: • Ghalib: The Man, The Times (1989) • Krishna: The Playful Divine (1993) • The Great Indian Middle Class (1998) • Being Indian: The Truth About Why the 21st Century Will Be India's (2004) • Becoming Indian: The Unfinished Revolution of Culture and Identity (2010) • Chanakya's New Manifesto (2013) • Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker (2018) • The Greatest Ode to Lord Ram: Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas (2021) Varma has also translated the poetry of prominent Indian figures including Kaifi Azmi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Gulzar into English. Varma is a regular columnist, with his articles appearing in publications such as The Times of India, The Asian Age, and other national and regional newspapers and journals.

* *

* * * * * * * * * * As a sequel to The Great Indian Middle Class in 1998, he, in association with journalist Renuka Khandekar, published Maximize Your Life: An Action Plan for the Indian Middle Class (Viking 2000). His 2004 Being Indian was published by William Heinemann, in the United Kingdom, as Being Indian: Inside the Real India in March 2005. Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker has translated and published in various Indian languages.

• Selected Poems: Kaifi Azmi (Viking/Penguin 2001) is the English translation of the Urdu poems of Kaifi Azmi. • 21 Poems (Viking/Penguin), a translation in English of the Hindi poems of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India, was published in December 2001. • Selected Poems: Gulzar (Penguin) a translated collection of the poems of Gulzar into English, one of India's best-known poets, came out in April 2008. • Neglected Poems, Pavan K. Varma's second volume of the English translations of Gulzar's poems was launched at the Jaipur Literary Festival in January 2012. • Green Poems: Gulzar, (Penguin, 2014) Pavan K. Varma's third volume of the English translation of Gulzar's poems. • Suspected Poems: Gulzar, (Penguin, 2017) Pavan K. Varma's fourth volume of the English translation of Gulzar's poems.

Pavan Varma is recorded with the occupation historian. Recorded as diplomat, essayist, novelist, jurist and historian.