Sanjaya Baru

Sanjaya Baru – Life, Career, and Ideas

Sanjaya Baru is an Indian policy analyst, journalist, and former media advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This in-depth profile traces his career, writings, influence, and key ideas.

Introduction

Sanjaya Baru is a prominent Indian scholar, journalist, and public policy thinker known for his work at the intersection of economics, politics, and strategic affairs. He has served in high-level roles in government, media, and research institutions, and is best known for his memoir The Accidental Prime Minister. His voice is influential in debates on India’s foreign policy, domestic governance, and the evolution of its political elite.

Early Life and Education

• Sanjaya Baru was born in May 1954 in Hyderabad, India.

• He attended St. George’s Grammar School and The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet.

• He then studied at Nizam College, Hyderabad (affiliated with the University of Hyderabad).

• For postgraduate study, he earned a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) from the Centre for Development Studies.

• He later earned a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where his academic grounding was in economics and development.

Baru’s family background is also notable: his father, B. P. R. Vithal, was a civil servant and economist, who served as Finance and Planning Secretary in undivided Andhra Pradesh and founded research institutions.

Career and Achievements

Academia & Research

Before entering the media and policy sphere, Baru engaged in teaching and research:

• He has taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Hyderabad.

• He has also served at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).

• Internationally, he has been a visiting professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore.

• He has also held positions in strategic think tanks, such as Director for Geo-Economics & Strategy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.

Journalism & Media

Baru has had a distinguished career in economic and political journalism:

• He has been or of Business Standard.

• He has also been Chief or of The Financial Express.

• Previously, he was an associate editor for The Economic Times and The Times of India.

• As a columnist and commentator, he writes regularly in Indian media and international outlets on strategic, economic, and political issues.

Government & Public Service

One of Baru’s most prominent roles was in government:

• He served as Media Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from May 2004 to August 2008.

• In the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), this role was equivalent to an Additional Secretary.

• He later became Secretary-General of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) from September 2017 to April 2018.

Baru has also been a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board and contributed to policy processes.

Writing & Publications

Baru is the author of several influential works. Some of his key books include:

• The Political Economy of Indian Sugar (1990)

• Strategic Consequences of India’s Economic Performance (2006)

• The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh (2014) — his memoir of the PMO years, which became widely discussed and controversial.

• 1991: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Made History (2016)

• India’s Power Elite: Class, Caste and a Cultural Revolution (2021)

• Other edited volumes and essays on geoeconomics, foreign policy, and power shifts in India and globally.

His book The Accidental Prime Minister was adapted into a Bollywood film in 2019, bringing even more public attention.

Ideas, Influence & Controversies

Power, Governance & the Inner Workings of Politics

In The Accidental Prime Minister, Baru presents a candid view of how the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) operated under the Manmohan Singh government, arguing that Ms. Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party president, wielded considerable control over key decisions—a contention that stirred political controversy.

He has argued about the importance of geoeconomics—the interplay between economic power and geopolitical strategy—as a framework for understanding global shifts, especially in Asia.

In India’s Power Elite, he critiques how caste, class, and cultural identity intersect with political power in the modern BJP-led era.

Influence

Baru’s commentary is widely cited in Indian media and policy circles. His insights on foreign policy, media strategy, and internal dynamics of governance are influential among scholars, journalists, and political actors.

Because of his period in the PMO, his perspectives are often viewed as insider accounts—sometimes praised for transparency, sometimes challenged for bias. The PMO officially denied many of his claims on being “subservient” to Sonia Gandhi when his memoir released.

Personality & Approach

From his public interviews and writing style:

• Analytical & disciplined: His academic grounding and methodical approach show in how he frames arguments and critiques.

• Moderate voice: He avoids hyperbole and often frames arguments in balanced terms, even when making sharp critiques.

• Insider with reflective distance: Having been inside government, he blends experience with reflective commentary.

• Belief in institutional strength: He often emphasizes policy, institutions, and norms over cults of personality or rhetoric.

Notable Quotes

While Sanjaya Baru is more a policy writer than a quotable public speaker, some of his lines capture his perspective:

• “I am showing him [Singh] as a human being, I want there to be empathy for him.” (from The Accidental Prime Minister)

• His writings often explore how elites change, how power centers shift, and how narrative shapes governance—in his columns he states that geoeconomics is the new frontier of power.

Lessons & Takeaways

1. Access brings responsibility
   His tenure in PMO shows how proximity to power imposes responsibilities—but also raises questions about disclosure, loyalty, and narrative.

2. Perspective matters
   His blend of scholarship, journalism, and policy work allows him to straddle public debate and insider analysis.

3. The intersection of economics and strategy is increasingly central
   His emphasis on geoeconomics underscores that economic tools, trade, and investment are instruments of power.

4. Power structures evolve
   His writings show that political elites in modern India are shaped by caste, class, networks, and cultural narratives.

5. Speaking truth from within is fraught
   His memoir stirred controversy and pushback, a reminder that insider critiques often provoke defensive reactions.

Conclusion

Sanjaya Baru is a multifaceted thinker whose career spans journalism, government, academia, and strategic analysis. His work offers rare glimpses into the machinery of governance and the evolving structure of power in India. Whether one agrees with his interpretations or not, his insights are essential for anyone seeking to understand India’s political economy and its role on the global stage.