Cornelius R at 10:00, 2 March 2026

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{{Short description|Indian politician (1940–2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chandrashekhar Dasgupta
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1940|5|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|3|2|1940|5|2|df=y}}
| death_place =
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| occupation = Diplomat<br />Civil servant
| yearsactive =
| known for = [[Indian Foreign Service]]
| spouse =
| domesticpartner =
| children =
| parents =
| website =
| signature =
| awards = [[Padma Bhushan]]
}}

'''Chandrashekhar Dasgupta''' (2 May 1940 – 2 March 2023) was an Indian civil servant, diplomat and writer who served as Indian ambassador to the European Union, Bangladesh, Belgium, Luxembourg and China.<ref name="Executive Profile">{{cite web | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=25243903&capId=9617796&previousCapId=34509209&previousTitle=Piramal%20Fund%20Management%20Pvt.%20Ltd. | title=Executive Profile | publisher=Bloomberg | date=2016 | access-date=19 June 2016}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Dasgupta was born on 2 May 1940,<ref name="Dasgupta on CESCR">{{cite web | url=http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CESCR/CVMembers/ChandrashekharDasgupta.pdf | title=Dasgupta on CESCR | publisher=International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | date=2016 | access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref> He graduated with honours in Economics from the [[Delhi University]].<ref name="Speakers"/>

== Career ==
Dasgupta entered [[Indian Foreign Service]] in 1962 and worked as a diplomat till his superannuation in 2000.<ref name="Distinguished Fellow, TERI">{{cite web | url=http://wsds.teriin.org/2011/cv/ambassadordasgupta.pdf | title=Distinguished Fellow, TERI | publisher=TERI | date=2016 | access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref> During this period, he served as the [[List of ambassadors of India to China|Indian ambassador to China]] (1993–1996) and Belgium and Luxemburg and the European Union (1996–2000). Prior to his postings as an ambassador, he was the high commissioner to Singapore (1981–84) and Tanzania (1984–86) and held the vice-chair of the preparatory committees of [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]] (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), popularly known as the [[Earth Summit]], held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.<ref name="Dasgupta on CESCR" />

Dasgupta, a distinguished fellow of [[The Energy and Resources Institute]] (TERI), delivered several keynote addresses on Climate and Climate policies.<ref name="Speakers">{{cite web | url=http://ceew.in/climate-conference/ | title=Speakers | publisher=Council on Energy, Environment and Water | date=2010 | access-date=20 June 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610103608/http://ceew.in/climate-conference/ | archive-date=10 June 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> He was a member of the United Nations [[Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]] and was a former chairperson of the China Task Force.<ref name="Distinguished Fellow, TERI" /> He served as the co-chairman of the EU-India Round Table and presented one of the key reports at the 12th EU-India Round Table held at Paris in July 2008.<ref name="Report on climate change, by Mr Dasgupta">{{cite web | url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.eu-india-twelfth-round-table-reports.5137 | title=Report on climate change, by Mr Dasgupta | work=European Economic and Social Committee | publisher=12th EU-India Round Table | date=2016 | access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref> He sat in the [[International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]] from January 2007 to December 2010<ref name="Dasgupta on CESCR" /> and was a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change.<ref name="PM's climate change council recast">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/govt-reconstitutes-pms-council-on-climate-change/article6567187.ece | title=PM's climate change council recast | work=The Hindu | date=6 November 2014 | access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref>

== Death ==
Dasgupta died on 2 March 2023, at the age of 82.<ref>[https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/former-diplomat-padma-bhushan-awardee-chandrashekhar-dasgupta-passes-away/ Former diplomat, Padma Bhushan awardee Chandrashekhar Dasgupta passes away]</ref>

== Works ==
* {{cite book |author=C. Dasgupta |title=War and Diplomacy in Kashmir,1947-48 |date=19 March 2002 |publisher=SAGE Publications India |isbn=978-0-7619-9588-3}}

While on his assignment with the European Union in Brussels, Dasgupta made frequent visits to London to consult the British archives at the [[India Office Library]]. The information from the archives forms the core of the material in ''War and Diplomacy in Kashmir, 1947-48'', which covers the onset of the [[Kashmir conflict]] in October 1947 and the conduct of [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]] along with the diplomatic developments in which Britain played a central role. Most of the book is about British strategies which showed a decided tilt towards Pakistan in the Kashmir dispute, earning the British the epithet [[Perfidious Albion]] in the Indian public discourse.<ref name=Noorani>{{citation |last=Noorani |first=A. G. |author-link=A. G. Noorani |title=Kashmir in retrospect |newspaper=Frontline |date=11 May 2002 |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/static/html/fl1910/19100780.htm}}</ref><ref name="Perfidious Albion and the first Kashmir war ">{{cite web | url=http://www.kashmirherald.com/bookreviews/waranddiplomacyinkashmir.html | title=Perfidious Albion and the first Kashmir war | publisher=Kashmir Herald | work=Book review | date=June 2002 | access-date=20 June 2016}}</ref>

The book was received in India with much acclaim, and was republished in 2014 as a "SAGE classic".<ref>{{ISBN|8132117956}}, {{ISBN|9788132117957}}</ref> Dasgupta's conclusions were broadly confirmed by Rakesh Ankit in 2013, based on the newer Dominion Office material made available in 2008–2009.<ref>{{citation |last=Ankit |first=Rakesh |title=Britain and Kashmir, 1948: 'The Arena of the UN' |journal=Diplomacy & Statecraft |volume=24 |number=2 |pages=273–290 |year=2013 |doi=10.1080/09592296.2013.789771 |s2cid=154021048 }}</ref>

== Awards ==
The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the [[Padma Bhushan]], in 2008, for his contributions to Indian civil service.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2016 |access-date=3 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>

{{Portal|India|Politics}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web | url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/chandrashekhar-dasgupta-raising-the-heat-on-climate-change-114070701144_1.html | title=Raising the heat on climate change | publisher=Business Standard | work=Guest column | date=7 July 2014 | access-date=20 June 2016 | author=Chandrashekhar Dasgupta}}

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{{succession box|title=High Commissioner of India to Singapore|before=(-)|after=(-)|years=1981–1984}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of High Commissioners of India to Tanzania|High Commissioner of India to Tanzania]]|before=[[P. M. S. Malik]]|after=[[H. D. Bhalla]]|years=1984–1986}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of ambassadors of India to China|Ambassador of India to China]]|before=[[Salman Haidar]]|after=[[Vijay K. Nambiar]]|years=1993–1996}}
{{succession box|title=Ambassador of India to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union|before=A. N. Ram|after=P. K. Singh|years=1996–2000}}
{{end}}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2000–09}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasgupta, Chandrashekhar}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service]]
[[Category:Writers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Indian Foreign Service officers]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to China]]
[[Category:High commissioners of India to Singapore]]
[[Category:High commissioners of India to Tanzania]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Delhi University alumni]]
[[Category:Indian officials of the United Nations]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to the European Union]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian political writers]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Belgium]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Luxembourg]]

Chandrashekhar Dasgupta - Revision history

Cornelius R at 10:00, 2 March 2026