IFS officer Sidharth Babu draws attention after BRICS Summit photo

The brief

Context

A photograph from the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin went viral, and with it the young Indian Foreign Service officer standing beside them. He is Sidharth Babu, a 2017-batch IFS officer and Chinese-language interpreter, currently deputy secretary in the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs. India hosted the summit on September 12 and 13 under its 2026 chairship, as BRICS entered its third decade. The episode has drawn attention to the role of language interpreters and desk diplomats in high-level summit diplomacy.

Key facts

• Sidharth Babu, 36, is a 2017-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, presently deputy secretary in the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.
• He was present in the viral photo to translate Xi Jinping's remarks during the exchange with PM Modi and President Putin at the 18th BRICS Summit.
• Babu belongs to Kochi and holds a BTech in mechanical engineering from Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, graduating in 2012.
• He secured All India Rank 15 in his second UPSC attempt and opted for the IFS, according to a report by India Today.
• He learned Chinese during his first overseas posting in Beijing between 2018 and 2022.
• He earned a master's degree in Language Interpretation and Translation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, while posted in the US as consul from August 2022 to June 2024.
• India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13 under its 2026 chairship, with the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.
• India played a key diplomatic role in bridging differences among members and building consensus on the New Delhi declaration.

Timeline

1. 2012Babu graduates with a BTech in mechanical engineering from Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kochi.
2. 2017Joins the Ministry of External Affairs as an officer trainee after clearing UPSC with All India Rank 15 and opting for IFS.
3. 2018-2022First overseas posting in Beijing, where he learns Chinese and handles China-related bilateral matters.
4. August 2022 - June 2024Serves as consul in the United States; obtains a master's in Language Interpretation and Translation at Monterey, California.
5. 2024Returns to New Delhi and is appointed Under Secretary.
6. January 2025Takes over as deputy secretary in the East Asia Division of the MEA.
7. September 12-13India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi; the viral photograph of Modi, Xi and Putin with Babu beside them is taken.

Who has a stake

• Sidharth Babu, IFS — The interpreter and East Asia Division deputy secretary who translated Xi Jinping's remarks and became the face of a viral summit photograph.
• Ministry of External Affairs, East Asia Division — Handles China and East Asia bilateral matters; its officers provide language and substantive support at leader-level meetings.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi — Hosted the summit and led India's engagement with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin during the exchange captured in the photo.
• President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin — Key BRICS leaders whose interaction with PM Modi in New Delhi became a defining image of the summit.
• BRICS grouping and member states — Consensus on the New Delhi declaration as the bloc enters its third decade under India's 2026 chairship.
• UPSC aspirants — Babu's AIR 15 in a second attempt and his interpreter career path illustrate how IFS officers build regional and language expertise.

Why it matters

Summit diplomacy at the leaders' level depends on unseen professionals such as language interpreters, and this photograph put that machinery in public view. India's hosting of the 18th BRICS Summit and its role in building consensus on the New Delhi declaration underline the country's ambition to bridge differences within a diverse plurilateral bloc. It also shows the value the Indian Foreign Service places on hard skills like Mandarin fluency for managing the China relationship.