Pavan K Varma is a writer-diplomat and was till recently an MP in the Rajya Sabha. His best-selling books include The Greatest Ode to Lord Ram: Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas (2020), Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker (2018), Being Indian (2004), and The Great Indian Middle Class (1998). He was Advisor to the Chief Minister of Bihar, India’s Ambassador in several countries, Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, and Press Secretary to the President of India. He was conferred an Honorary Doctoral Degree by the University of Indianapolis (2005) and conferred the Druk Thuksey, Bhutan’s highest civilian award (2012).