Who is Siddharth Babu, the diplomat Who Was Found Standing at Modi, Xi, Putin Trilateral?

A photograph from the BRICS Summit featuring a young Indian diplomat sharing the frame with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly caught viral attention online.

​The official in the spotlight is Siddharth Babu, a 2017-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer hailing from Kochi, Kerala. An engineer-turned-diplomat who cracked the UPSC exam with an impressive All India Rank 15, Babu currently serves as Deputy Secretary in the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).  

​His presence beside the three world leaders was not accidental—it was critical. A specially trained Mandarin interpreter, Babu facilitates real-time, high-stakes dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing. In top-level diplomacy, where a single misinterpretation can alter bilateral nuance, trusted linguists are indispensable. His front-row presence offered a rare public glimpse into the quiet, vital craft of Indian statecraft.