The book provides an authoritative account of the first significant overseas diplomatic missions and forays made by Indian civil servants. it e=recounts the key events in the formatives decades of Indian foreign policy and looks at the prominent figures who were t the center of this decisive period of change. Amit Das Gupta is Senior Researcher a the Universitat der Bundeswehr, Munvhen, Germany. His Previous work includes Serving India: A Political Biography of Subimal Dutt(90 - 1992), India's Longest Serving foreign Secretary; The Sino- Indian war of Handel, Hilfe.