Vikas Swarup

Vikas Swarup (born 1963) is an Indian writer and diplomat who formerly served as the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the High Commissioner of India to Canada. He presently serves as a Secretary to the Government of India for Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs. He is best known as the author of the novel Q & A, adapted in film as Slumdog Millionaire, the winner of Best Film for the year 2009 at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards. Swarup joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986 and served in Turkey, the United States, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Japan in various Indian diplomatic missions. His other novels are Six Suspects and The Accidental Apprentice. In April 2015, he was appointed as the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India to head its Public Diplomacy divisions at New Delhi, succeeding Syed Akbaruddin.On 12 July 2019, the Ministry of Pensions, Personnel and Public Grievances announced that Swarup would be promoted to the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, holding the newly created portfolio of Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs. He took office on 1 August 2019. His replacement as Indian High Commissioner to Canada has not yet been named.