The IFS officer who stood beside Modi, Putin and Xi at the BRICS summit

A widely shared photograph from the BRICS summit features Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping, with Indian diplomat Sidharth Babu standing just behind them. Babu, a 36-year-old Indian Foreign Service officer, was assisting Modi in tracking Xi’s comments during the high-profile meeting. He currently holds the post of Deputy Secretary in the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, a role that leverages his fluency in Chinese.

Originally from Kochi, Kerala, Babu earned a mechanical-engineering degree, worked in e-commerce, and secured All India Rank 15 in the civil services exam before joining the IFS in 2017. His diplomatic career includes four years in Beijing as Third and Second Secretary, a consular posting in California, and a master’s in language interpretation from the Middlebury Institute. He returned to New Delhi in January 2025 and has previously appeared alongside Modi at the 77th Republic Day celebrations, interpreting for the prime minister and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.