McLarty Associates is deeply saddened by the passing of Naresh Chandra, a member of our Board of Counselors.

Ambassador Chandra, who passed away on July 10, was one of the greats of the Indian Administrative Service. He held the top positions in India’s government service, served as governor of Gujarat, and was Ambassador to the United States during a momentous time that included India’s 1998 nuclear tests. After his retirement from government service, he headed the National Security Advisory Board.

His Indian colleagues remembered him for his skill, cunning, and strategic sense. As Ambassador Teresita Schaffer observes, “Americans who worked with him both during and after his time in Washington admired his strategic approach and his ability to shepherd US-India relations through a time that ended up being the formative period for the new partnership between the two countries.” And Ambassador Robert Blake, who leads our work in India, notes “I will miss Naresh’s shrewd judgment, warm smile, and personal grace.”

We will feel his loss keenly, as will his many friends and admirers.