Tharoor launches 'Listen to Your Body' after External Affairs meet
Synopsis
Congress MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor returned to Delhi on 26 September 2026 to attend a Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs session, then launched author Sanjay Sachdeva's book 'Listen to your Body', a study of the mind-body connection and emotional influences on health.
Key Takeaways
Shashi Tharoor attended a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs in New Delhi on 26 September 2026 .
He ended the day by launching Sanjay Sachdeva 's book 'Listen to your Body' , focused on the mind-body connection.
Tharoor described the book as 'a fascinating analysis' of how thoughts and emotions affect health and well-being.
The Standing Committee on External Affairs oversees India's foreign policy, diplomatic appointments, and international agreements.
Tharoor is a former Union Minister and former UN Under-Secretary-General, giving him deep foreign-policy credentials on the committee.
A parliamentary oversight session by morning, a literary launch by evening — Congress MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor packed Saturday, 26 September 2026 with the dual rhythm that defines an opposition MP's life in New Delhi.
Tharoor shared that on returning to Delhi, he 'plunged straight into a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs' before closing the day at the launch of author Sanjay Sachdeva's book, 'Listen to your Body' — which he described as 'a fascinating analysis of the mind-body connection and the extent to which our thoughts and emotions affect our health and well-being.'
What the Standing Committee on External Affairs does
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs is one of India's key legislative oversight bodies, responsible for scrutinising foreign policy, reviewing diplomatic appointments, and examining international agreements — typically in closed-door sessions. Tharoor, a former Union Minister and former UN Under-Secretary-General, brings rare multilateral experience to the committee's table.
The committee's work rarely makes headlines in real time — its influence surfaces when reports are formally tabled in Parliament — but its sessions represent the unglamorous, essential backbone of legislative foreign-policy accountability.
Sachdeva's book and the mind-body conversation
The evening's book launch gave the day a contrasting texture. Sanjay Sachdeva's 'Listen to your Body' sits within a growing genre of wellness literature exploring how mental and emotional states shape physical health outcomes — a field that has moved steadily from alternative philosophy into mainstream medical research over the past decade.
Tharoor, long known on the literary circuit as both a prolific author and an enthusiastic champion of books by others, described the work warmly — lending the launch a visibility that wellness titles often struggle to earn in a crowded publishing landscape.
For a parliamentarian who doubles as a public intellectual, a day that moves from foreign-policy oversight to a book on emotional health is less a contrast and more a signature.
Point of View
Literary advocacy by evening — is a deliberate projection of the 'public intellectual in Parliament' identity he has cultivated across decades. His presence at the Standing Committee on External Affairs carries institutional weight given his UN background, even as the session's closed-door nature limits immediate public impact. The book launch, meanwhile, underscores how opposition MPs increasingly use cultural platforms to maintain visibility and shape discourse outside the chamber. Together, the two events signal a seasoned parliamentarian navigating both the procedural and the reputational dimensions of political life.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs?
It is a key Indian parliamentary body that oversees the country's foreign policy, reviews diplomatic appointments, and examines international agreements, usually meeting in closed-door sessions before tabling formal reports in Parliament.
What is Sanjay Sachdeva's book 'Listen to your Body' about?
The book examines the connection between the mind and body, exploring how thoughts and emotions influence physical health and overall well-being.
Why did Shashi Tharoor launch a wellness book?
Tharoor is an active figure on India's literary circuit and regularly champions books by other authors; he described Sachdeva's work as a 'fascinating analysis' of the mind-body connection.
What is Shashi Tharoor's role in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs?
As Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram and a former UN Under-Secretary-General, Tharoor is a member of the committee, contributing foreign-policy expertise to its oversight work.
When did Tharoor attend the External Affairs committee meeting and book launch?
Both events took place on Saturday, 26 September 2026 , in New Delhi.
