Venkat represented the new face of the Indian Foreign Service. He was among the smarter set that felt it was no big deal serving in dead-beat Western capitals and preferred instead the turbulence of India’s extended neighbourhood.

Venkat was among a score of other IFS recruits who were ready to risk their lives every day in Afghanistan. These young officers volunteered despite the reluctance of Delhi’s babudom to provide them even minimal compensation.

Officers from the IAS and the public sector units working in the Northeast get better insurance cover than those from the IFS like Venkat who put their necks on the line in Afghanistan. So much for India’s empathy for its own heroes.

As New Delhi seeks a larger role in world affairs and chases complex strategic goals in dangerous lands beyond our borders, India will need a lot more officers like Venkat. His death would not be in vain, if New Delhi wakes up to this imperative.

The writer is a Professor at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore