The viral image of PM Narendra Modi holding hands of Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping at 18th BRICS Summit in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, had a fourth man smiling at leaders.He is Siddharth Babu, 2017-batch IFS officer from Kochi, Kerala.
He serves as diplomatic interpreter for PM and Deputy Secretary for Europe and Eurasia in MEA.His role is to bridge language gaps in sensitive diplomatic meetings.
He studied mechanical engineering, worked in private sector including e-commerce, then cleared UPSC with All India Rank 15 in 2016 and chose IFS over IAS.Career: Officer Trainee at MEA Dec 2017, Third Secretary and Second Secretary at Indian Embassy in Beijing 2018-2022, Consul in Monterey County, California Aug 2022-June 2024, Under Secretary June 2024-Dec 2025, Deputy Secretary since Jan 2025.Social media had mixed views on his looks, others said skill matters more than grooming.