Navtej Sarna is a diplomat and writer. A member of the Indian Foreign Service since 1980, he has served in various diplomatic capacities in Moscow, Poland, Bhutan, Geneva, Iran, Washington D.C. and Israel, and has the distinction of being India's longest-serving Foreign Office spokesperson. He was India's high commissioner to the UK before being appointed ambassador to the USA in 2016. His books include the novels We Weren't Lovers like That and The Exile ; non-fiction works Folk Tales of Poland and Second Thoughts ; a short story collection, Winter Evenings ; and two books of translations, Zafarnama (Guru Gobind Singh) and Savage Harvest (Mohinder Singh Sarna). His short stories have been broadcast over the BBC World Service and he contributes regularly to journals and newspapers, including the Times Literary Supplement , the London Magazine , The Hindu , India Today and Outlook .