From diplomat to Vice-President

NEW DELHI: Extremely fond of umpiring in cricket matches in his student days, Vice-President elect Mohammad Hamid Ansari is now tasked with ensuring fairplay in conducting affairs of a place which is the seat of Indian democracy.

''If 40 years of diplomacy is not an experience in politics, then I wonder what it is.''

That was the reply given by the writer-diplomat-scholar when he was asked during his election campaign how he would conduct proceedings of the Rajya Sabha with no political background.

A few seconds into conversation with Ansari, known as the most successful consensus maker during his diplomatic career, makes it clear that he is fully confident about the job he is going to take up.

Coming from a family of freedom fighters, Ansari's familiarity with politics, in fact, began much before he joined the Indian Foreign Service.

He hails from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, though he was born in Kolkata in 1937. He is the grand-nephew of freedom fighter Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, who presided over the Madras session of the Indian National Congress in 1927.

Ansari's father was in the forefront of the independence struggle. His uncle, Farid-ul-Haq, was secretary general of the Praja Socialist Party (PSP) and was elected to the second Lok Sabha.

After completing his post graduation in Political Science, Ansari joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1961. He was Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

He is a scholar of West Asian affairs and has written extensively on the subject. He has also edited the book, Iran Today: Twenty Five Years After the Islamic Revolution.

Ansari has been co-chairman of the India-UK Round Table, a member of the National Security Advisory Board and convener (and later chairman) of the Petroleum Ministry's advisory committee on Oil Diplomacy for Energy Security.

He also served as  chairman of the working group on 'Confidence building measures across segments of society in the State,' established by the Second Round Table Conference of the Prime Minister on Jammu and Kashmir in 2006.

The report, among other things, has underlined the need of recognising the right of Kashmiri Pandits to return to their original homes.

Besides he was a visiting Professor at the Centre for West Asian and African Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University and at the Academy for Third World Studies.

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1984. He was also the Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University from May 2000 to March 2002. 

Ansari handled the affairs of the AMU in difficult times and endeared himself to students by his clear, straightforward and consensual approach. He was considered to be one of the most accessible vice chancellors.

''Humility and hospitality was the hallmark of Hamid Ansari during his two years as a vice chancellor. When his name was announced, people in AMU feared he might turn out to be just another of bureaucrat VCs, the university has had. But to their surprise, they found him quite a different man who was always ready to listen to other's point of view,'' says Prof Shamim Ahmad, Ansari's friend of school days who later became acting vice chancellor of the University.

After his stint in AMU, Ansari was made Chairman of the National Minorities Commission and was serving in that capacity when he was nominated as the vice presidential candidate.

Ansari who would be the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, says that the proceedings of the House are conducted according to rules, which are very elaborate and leave no scope for any confusion.

By the way, Ansari, recall his old friends, was very fond of umpiring in cricket matches and had thorough knowledge of rules and byrules. The batting, bowling and fielding record of test cricketers were always on his finger tips. He loved cricket.

Talking about the system of which he is now an integral part, Ansari had said he has full faith in the parliamentary democracy of the country and would not agree that the system needed a change.

Ansari, who as a career diplomat has served in various countries and has first hand knowledge of the working of the systems there, said the main reason that has safeguarded democracy from attack by various forces was the Constitution.

''Our Constitution is the gist of the best laws and practices in successful democracies of the world. But the architects of the Constitution have finely tempered borrowings from others with some features keeping in view the country's political, social and historical background,'' he said.

Ansari's consensual and cool-headed approach in public life is indicative of the man he is in his private life. Wife Salma is all praise for him as a husband. ''He has given me my space in life. He has never come in the way of my freedom to do what I liked,'' she says.

Like him, Salma also had her college and university education in AMU.

She belongs to a West Uttar Pradesh town. The couple have two sons and one daughter.

Passing most of his life with heavy responsibilities in public life, Ansari, however, finds some time for reading Urdu poetry and listening to music.

Ghalib, Faiz, Mir are among his favourite Urdu poets while he picks up Hafiz, Rumi whenever he wants to have a taste of the Persian poetry, says wife Salma.

He also likes to listen to ghazal and Indian classical music

Ansari also likes to play golf whenever he finds time.