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{{Short description|Indian civil servant and diplomat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Gopalkrishna Gandhi
| image = Gopalkrishna Gandhi - Chatham House 2010.jpg
| office2 = [[List of governors of Bihar|21st]] [[Governor of Bihar]]
| term_start2 = 31 January 2006
| term_end2 = 21 June 2006
| predecessor2 = [[Buta Singh]]
| successor2 = [[R. S. Gavai]]
| office1 = [[List of Governors of West Bengal|18th]] [[Governor of West Bengal]]
| term_start1 = 14 December 2004
| term_end1 = 14 December 2009
| predecessor1 = [[Viren J. Shah]]
| successor1 = [[Devanand Konwar]] ''(additional charge)''
| birth_name = Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|4|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Delhi]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| otherparty = NIL
| spouse = Tara Gandhi
| children = 2 daughters
| alma_mater = [[University of Delhi]]
| occupation = Professor of History and Politics at [[Ashoka University]]
| parents = [[Devadas Gandhi]]<br />Lakshmi Gandhi
| relations = Tara Gandhi Bhattacharya (sister)<br />[[Ramchandra Gandhi]]<br />[[Rajmohan Gandhi]] (brothers)
}}
'''Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi''' (born 22 April 1945) is a former administrator and diplomat who served as the 22nd [[Governor of West Bengal]] serving from 2004 to 2009.<ref>{{cite web| title = At farewell, Gopalkrishna Gandhi calls for change in mindsets | newspaper=The Hindu | url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article64508.ece|date=13 December 2009| access-date = 2013-11-29}}</ref> He is the grandson of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] and [[C. Rajagopalachari]] (Rajaji).<ref name="gg1"/> As a former [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]] officer he served as Secretary to the [[President of India]] and as [[High Commissioner]] to [[South Africa]] and [[Sri Lanka]], among other administrative and diplomatic posts.<ref name="gg1">[http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?234468 Gopal Gandhi] ''outlookindia.com''. 23 Apr 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2014</ref> He was the [[United Progressive Alliance]] nominee for [[2017 Indian vice-presidential election|Vice President of India 2017 elections]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/gopalkrishna-gandhi-was-oppositions-nominee-for-vice-president-report/articleshow/59541414.cms|title=Gopalkrishna Gandhi is opposition's nominee for vice president: He lost the Vice Presidential elections miserably Report - Times of India}}</ref> and lost with 244 votes against NDA candidate [[Venkaiah Naidu]], who got 516 votes.

==Early life and background==

Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi was born on 22 April 1945 in [[Delhi]], to [[Devdas Gandhi|Devdas]] and Lakshmi Gandhi. His father was a journalist. Gandhi graduated with a master's degree in English literature from [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi|St. Stephen's College]] of [[Delhi University]].<ref name=gov>{{cite web | title = Hon'ble Governor of Bihar - Gopalkrishna Gandhi Profile | publisher = Governor of Bihar website | url = http://governor.bih.nic.in/Governorgdsafgdsgsdgss/GopalKrishnaGandhi.htm | access-date = 2013-11-30 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Career==
He joined [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]] as an Officer in 1968 and served in [[Tamil Nadu]] state till 1985. Thereafter, he remained Secretary to [[Vice-President of India]] (1985–1987), Joint Secretary to [[President of India]] (1987–1992).

In 1992, after retiring voluntarily from the IAS, he became Minister (Culture) in [[India House, London|High Commission of India, UK]] and Director of [[The Nehru Centre, London]], UK. This was followed by various diplomatic and administrative positions for the rest of his career, including High Commissioner of India to [[South Africa]] and [[Lesotho]] (1996), [[President of India#Secretaries|Secretary to President of India]] (1997–2000), [[India House (Colombo)|High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka]] (2000), and Ambassador of India to [[Norway]], and [[Iceland]] (2002).<ref name=iias/>

On 14 December 2004, he was appointed [[Governor of West Bengal]] following the expiry of the term of office of incumbent [[Viren J. Shah]]. He was succeeded by [[Devanand Konwar]] (the serving governor of [[Tripura]]), who was given additional charge of [[West Bengal]]. For a few months in 2006 he also took on additional duties as the [[List of Governors of Bihar|Governor of Bihar]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Veteran politician R S Gavai new Bihar Governor |date=22 June 2006 |newspaper=One India |publisher=Greynium Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd. |url=http://www.oneindia.com/2006/06/22/r-s-gavai-sworn-in-as-bihar-governor-1150981920.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925094737/http://www.oneindia.com/2006/06/22/r-s-gavai-sworn-in-as-bihar-governor-1150981920.html |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

He was the Chairman of [[Kalakshetra Foundation]], Chennai from December 2011 to May 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gopalkrishna-steps-down-as-chairman-of-kalakshetra-iias/article6035117.ece|title=Gopalkrishna steps down as chairman of Kalakshetra, IIAS}}</ref> In 2015, he translated the [[Tamil literature|Tamil classic]], the [[Tirukkural]], into English.<ref>{{cite news | last = Parthasarathy | first = Indira | title = Couplets for modern times | newspaper =The Hindu| publisher = Kasturi & Sons | date = 12 December 2015 | url = https://www.thehindu.com/books/literary-review/indira-parthasarathy-reviews-gopalkrishna-gandhis-translation-of-tirukkural/article7975168.ece | access-date = 3 September 2018}}</ref> He was the chairman of governing body of [[Indian Institute of Advanced Study]], and president of its society on 5 March 2012 and served until May 2014.<ref name=iias>{{cite web|title=Chairman's Profile: Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi |publisher=Indian Institute of Advanced Study |url=http://www.iias.org/administrative_chairmans_profile.html |access-date=2013-11-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914022724/http://iias.org/administrative_chairmans_profile.html |archive-date=2013-09-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Gopal Gandhi is IAAS chairman |newspaper=The Hindu| url = http://www.thehindu.com/features/education/article2964487.ece|date=6 March 2012| access-date = 2013-11-29 }}</ref>

Mr. Gandhi teaches at [[Ashoka University]], where he is a Professor of History and Politics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ashoka.edu.in/welcome/faculty|title=Faculty/Staff - Ashoka University|first=Ashoka|last=University|website=Ashoka University}}</ref>

==Controversies==

While delivering the 15th D P Kohli Memorial Lecture for CBI on "Eclipse at Noon: Shadows Over India's Conscience" with nearly 3000 officers of the agency in the audience, Gandhi noted that "The CBI is seen as the government's hatchet, rather than honesty's ally. It is often called [[DDT]] — meaning not the dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane, the colourless, tasteless, odourless insecticide it should be, but the department of dirty tricks."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chauhan|first=Neeraj|date=April 16, 2014|title=Gopalkrishna Gandhi: Former Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi calls CBI 'department of dirty tricks', RIL a parallel state {{!}} India News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Former-Bengal-governor-Gopalkrishna-Gandhi-calls-CBI-department-of-dirty-tricks-RIL-a-parallel-state/articleshow/33792797.cms|access-date=2020-09-28|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

In 2015, he wrote a letter to the President of India, [[Pranab Mukherjee]], to reconsider the rejection of the mercy plea of the [[1993 Bombay bombings|1993 Mumbai serial blast]] convict, [[Yakub Memon]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gopalkrishna-gandhis-letter-to-president/article7476839.ece|title=Pardoning Yakub Memon will be a tribute to Dr. Kalam: Gopalkrishna Gandhi|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-07-17|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/gopalkrishna-gandhi-tried-to-save-yakub-memon-1993-mumbai-blast-convict-says-shiv-sena/766336/|title=Gopalkrishna Gandhi tried to save Yakub Memon, claims Sena: Here's what Congress Vice-Presidential candidate said in 2015|date=2017-07-17|work=The Financial Express|access-date=2017-07-17|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Personal life==
His paternal grandfather was [[Mahatma Gandhi]] and maternal grandfather was [[C. Rajagopalachari]] (Rajaji).<ref name="gg1"/> He is the son of [[Devdas Gandhi|Devadas Gandhi]] and Lakshmi Gandhi. Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the younger brother of [[Rajmohan Gandhi]], [[Ramchandra Gandhi]], and Smt. Tara Bhattacharjee (Gandhi). Gopalkrishna Gandhi and his wife Tara have two daughters.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

== Bibliography ==
'''Hindi'''
* ''Saranam'', translated as ''Refuge'' in English
* ''Dara Shukoh'', a play in verse
* ''Koi Acchha Sa Larka'' (translation into Hindustani of [[Vikram Seth]]'s ''[[A Suitable Boy]]'')

'''English'''
* ''Gandhi and South Africa''
* ''Gandhi and Sri Lanka''
* ''Nehru and Sri Lanka''
* ''India House, Colombo: Portrait of a Residence''
* ''Gandhi Is Gone. Who Will Guide Us Now?'' (edited)
* ''A Frank Friendship/ Gandhi and Bengal: A Descriptive Chronology'' (compiled and edited).
* ''Tiruvalluvar: The Tirukkural'' (translated from the Tamil original) (2015)
* "Restless as Mercury : My Life As A Young Man" (ed. Aleph, 2021)
* "Scorching Love : Letters from M.K.Gandhi to his son Devadas" (ed. with Tridip Suhrud, OUP, 2022)

==See also==
* [[List of translators into English]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Refbegin}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111008192001/http://governor.bih.nic.in/Governors/GopalKrishnaGandhi.htm Gopalkrishna Gandhi Profile] of the [[Governor of Bihar]] website.
{{Refend}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Viren J. Shah]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of West Bengal]]|years=2004–2009}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Devanand Konwar]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Buta Singh]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of governors of Bihar|Governor of Bihar]]|years=2006}}
{{s-aft|after=[[R. S. Gavai]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Gandhi}}
{{Governors of West Bengal}}
{{Governor of Bihar}}
{{Tirukkural}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Gopalakrishna}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Iceland]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Norway]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Governors of Bihar]]
[[Category:Governors of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Gujarati people]]
[[Category:High Commissioners of India to South Africa]]
[[Category:High Commissioners of India to Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mahatma Gandhi family|Gopalkrishna]]
[[Category:St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Tamil–English translators]]
[[Category:Translators from English]]
[[Category:Translators to Hindi]]
[[Category:Tirukkural translators]]
[[Category:Translators of the Tirukkural into English]]
[[Category:People of the Sri Lankan Civil War]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]
[[Category:Modern School (New Delhi) alumni]]

Gopalkrishna Gandhi - Revision history

Bot at 19:59, 25 October 2022