Mani Shankar Aiyar was educated at The Doon School, St. Stephen’s College and Cambridge, U.K. In 2010, his Cambridge college elected him an Honorary Fellow.
He served 26 years in the Indian Foreign Service, including a deputation to the Office of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
He was thrice elected to the Lower House of Parliament from Tamil Nadu and also served a six-year term in the Upper House. In 2006, he was conferred the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award.
He served as a cabinet minister from 2004 to 2009, holding several different portfolios.,
He has thus far published nine books, including his latest, Memoirs of a Maverick. The companion volume to his Memoirs,”The Rajiv I Knew” has just been published and launched in January 2024.