Shashi Tharoor is an Indian politician serving as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009. He is a former career international diplomat. He is a member of Indian National congress and at present serves as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and All India Professionals Congress. Tharoor was a former Minister of State in the Government of India for External Affairs during the period of 2009-2010. Tharror as a writer have authored eighteen best selling works including fiction and non fiction both and he is also author of hundreds of columns and articles in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post etc.Tharoor was appointed as Director of Communications Executive Assistant to Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1996. Tharoor became Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information (UNDPI) on 1 June 2002. Tharoor was in controversy when her wife Sunanda was found dead in room number 345 of the Leela Palace hotel in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.