8. Shashi Tharoor: India's minister of state for HRD Shashi Tharoor began his career in the United Nations and became its Under Secretary General. He contested for the Secretary General's post unsuccessfully. He joined Indian politics and was elected from Thiruvananthapuram. Soon, he was made Minister of State for External Affairs, but after the Kochi IPL franchise controversy involving his wife Sunanda, he had to resign. He was reinstated in the recent reshuffle as MoS HRD. Tharoor reportedly provides the world view for Rahul Gandhi in international affairs,