After finishing his higher studies in the London School of Economics, K.R. Narayanan returned to India. At that time he met Jawaharlal Nehru, who offered him a job in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). Narayanan joined the IFS in 1949.
During his service in the IFS, Narayanan worked as a diplomat in many foreign capitals such as Rangoon, Tokyo, London, Canberra, and Hanoi. He also served as India’s ambassador to Thailand, Turkey, and the People’s Republic of China. Narayanan’s tenure as Indian ambassador to China was the first such high level Indian diplomatic posting in that country after the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Narayanan retired from the IFS in 1978.
In 1980, Indira Gandhi appointed K.R. Narayanan as India’s ambassador to the United States. Narayanan played a pivotal role in facilitating Indira Gandhi’s landmark visit to the United States in 1982, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The visit played an important role in improving the strained relations between the two countries.
Nehru, who had also been the Minister for External Affairs during his 16 years as PM, commented that K.R. Narayanan was “the best diplomat of the country”.
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