Taranjit Singh Sandhu Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	His excellence Taranjit Singh Sandhu
Profession(s)	• Politician • Diplomat (retired)
Known for	• Being Delhi's new Lieutenant Governor (2026) • One of the most experienced Indian diplomats on US affairs
Physical Stats
Eye Colour	Light Brown
Hair Colour	Salt and Pepper
Politics
Political Party	Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	23 January 1963 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2026)	63 Years
Birthplace	Amritsar, Punjab, India
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Amritsar, Punjab
School	The Lawrence School, Sanawar, Shimla
College/University	• St. Stephen's College, Delhi • Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi • Moscow State University, Russia
Educational Qualification(s)	• A bachelor of arts with honors in History from St. Stephen's College • A master of arts in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (1984)
Religion	Sikhism
Hobbies	Reading books, watching films
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Reenat Sandhu ( retired Indian diplomat)
Children	Son- 1 Daughter- Meher Sandhu
Parents	Father- Bishan Singh Samundri (Educationist) Mother- Jagjit Kaur Sandhu (School Principal)
Siblings	Brother- Jasjit Singh Samundri (deceased) (politician) Sister- None

Some Lesser Known Facts About Taranjit Singh Sandhu

• Taranjit Singh Sandhu was born and grew up in an educator’s family based in Amritsar, Punjab. His father, Bishan Singh Samundri, was the founding Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar when it opened in 1969.
  

  Childhood picture of Taranjit Singh Sandhu with his father

• Taranjit’s paternal grandfather, Sardar Teja Singh Samundri, was a renowned freedom fighter who worked with the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in Punjab.

• In 1984, after completing his master’s degree, Taranjit started preparing for the civil services exams. In the 1988 batch, he qualified for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and joined the Indian Foreign Service.

• After joining IFS, Taranjit completed his basic training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussorie. Later, he completed his professional training at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), New Delhi.

• Taranjit’s first duty assignment after completing his initial post in 1990 was as Third Secretary (Political) in the Indian Embassy in the former Soviet Union. Later promoted to Second Secretary (Commercial).

• In December 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Taranjit was tasked to establish Indian diplomatic representation in the newly independent states. From 1992 to 1994, Taranjit served as the head of the Political Administration Wing at the Indian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 1992, he also completed Russian language training at Moscow State University.

• In 1995, Taranjit Singh Sandhu returned to India and was appointed in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, as an Officer on Special Duty.

• In 1997, Taranjit received his next foreign assignment as a First Secretary (Political) in the Embassy of India in Washington, DC.

• From 2000 to 2004, he served as Counselor (Political) to the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka.

• From July 2005 to February 2009, Sandhu was assigned to the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York, where he contributed to India’s multilateral diplomatic initiatives.

• In 2009, Sandhu returned to India and served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 2009 to August 2011, where he managed India’s UN policy, multilateral diplomacy, and engagement with various global governance institutions.

• From September 2011 to July 2013, he served as the Consul General of India in Frankfurt, Germany.

• From July 2013 to January 2017, Sandhu was appointed Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington, DC, where he was the second-in-command and managed day-to-day operations during a time of enhanced bilateral relations.

• On 22 September 2017, he was appointed High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.

• On 28 January 2020, Taranjit Singh Sandhu was appointed as the Ambassador of India to the United States.

• Under Sandhu’s guidance, US and India’s relations improved in all areas, including defense, technology, and the economy.

• During his tenure as an Ambassador of India, Sandhu initiated many high-level visits, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the U.S. in June 2023, which resulted in agreements for defense co-production and collaboration on space.

• One of the notable achievements during his tenure was convincing then-President Joe Biden to approve the participation of Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian astronaut, in the Axiom 4 mission to the International Space Station.

• On 31 January 2024, Taranjit Singh Sandhu retired from the Indian Foreign Service. In an interview, he revealed that he was granted a one-year service extension in December 2022 that allowed him to serve until January 2024 after an initial retirement that was scheduled for January 2023.

• After his retirement, Sandhu moved back to his hometown, Amritsar, and started interacting with local communities and nearby villagers.
  

  Taranjit Singh Sandhu, while interacting with local people in Amritsar, Punjab

• In 2024, he joined politics. On 19 March 2024, he became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), New Delhi.

• On 30 March 2024, the BJP announced him as their candidate for the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency for the 2024 general elections. Unfortunately, Sandhu didn’t make his win.

• In April 2025, during the tragic Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, Taranjit was part of an all-party delegation led by Shashi Tharoor to explain India’s perspective on the attack.
  

  Taranjit Singh Sandhu, with the all-party delegation team during the tragic Pahalgam terror attack  (June 2025)

• In July 2025, Taranjit Singh Sandhu was appointed as an advisor to the Board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and also became the chairman of its newly founded Geopolitical Institute.

• On 5 March 2026, Taranjit Singh Sandhu was appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi.

• Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s wife, Reenat Sandhu, is also a retired Indian ambassador to Italy and to the Netherlands.

• Sandhu enjoys reading books in his free time. He also enjoys playing outdoor games.