Author Amish Tripathi set to be director of Nehru Centre in London

Author Amish Tripathi has been named as the director of London’s Nehru Centre, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) president Vinay Sahasrabudhe announced on Thursday. The cultural centre works under the ICCR’s aegis.

Tripathi, who is the author of best-selling books like the Secret of the Nagas and Sita - Warrior of Mithila, would take over from diplomat Srinivas Gotru. Gotru’s four-year tenure ended early this year.

Sahasrabudhe said that Tripathi will bring more visibility to the ICCR’s flagship cultural centre. “We want every centre under the ICCR to be more vibrant and proactive to generate a proper understanding of the Indian culture abroad,” he said.

He added that the selection process for the director’s post involved an application for it followed by an interview with a selection panel. “It is a routine process and Tripathi was chosen on merit,” said Sahasrabudhe.

The Nehru Centre was founded in 1992 with Gopalkrishna Gandhi as its founder director. Playwright-actor Girish Karnad has been among the prominent people to have helmed the centre.

Most of Nehru Centre’s directors have been political appointees. Diplomat Pavan Varma was the first bureaucrat to head the cultural wing of the Indian high commission in London. He was appointed its director in 2005.

Varma said that Tripathi could change things around for the Nehru Centre, which has lost a bit of visibility over the last few years.