Shining gem of the Indian Foreign Service who stood first in the Public Service Commission exams > > The Indian Foreign Service (IFS), formed post the nations independence, > needed to have talented individuals who would pave new paths for the country > through diplomatic missions. One such brilliant diplomat was Peter Lynn Sinai. > > He was born in Bombay in 1933. His father was a senior executive in Bombay > Port Trust and his mother was a prominent figure in social and educational > activities within the Catholic community of Bombay. Thus he was born in an > intellectually stimulating environment. > > Peter was a brilliant student. He passed his Matriculation from St. Xaviers > High School with a first class. He then joined Elphinstone College and had a > stellar academic record, securing First Class First ranks in most exams > including his BA with Honours in Mathematics in 1953. His father, a native of > Goa, instructed him to move to Delhi for further studies. The objective was > to make him learn Hindi, to better equip himself for a career in the newly > independent India. However, on his first day at St. Stephen’s, Peter > discovered that the conversation at the dining table was conducted in (as he > put it) a ‘very haw-haw English’. > > However he completed his MA in Economics with flying colors. He was the > college athletics champion, he represented the college in hockey and tennis, > in dramatics and debating. He was the Editor of the Elphinstone Wallpaper. He > was in the National Cadet and was selected the Best Trained Cadet. Such > glowing all round achievements led to him being chosen as a Rhodes Scholar > for India. He obtained his MA in Jurisprudence from Christ Church College, > Oxford in 1956-57. He stood first in all India Service list for the Public > Service Commission Exams and was admitted to the Indian Foreign Services (IFS) > > He had a distinguished career in the Indian Foreign Service. His most > memorable stint was in the formation of the Bangladesh Division in the > Ministry of External Affairs. He successfully opened the Indian mission in > Kuwait. He held various positions in Indian mission in Germany and Sri Lanka. > He was Ambassador to Iraq and Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow (Russia) and > Washington D.C (USA). He had various Directorial and Joint Secretary, > Secretary and Special Secretary stints within the Ministry of Extrenal > Affairs. Peter ended his career as the Indian Ambassador and Permanent Rep in > United Nations in Vienna. He was proficient in English, Hindi, Arabic and > German. As Chief of Protocol he was the one who > greeted the US President Jimmy Carter and the First Lady (along with US > Ambassador Robert F Goheen) during their visit to India on January 1, 1978. > > He passed away in 2014. > > >
