V. K. Krishna Menon

V. K. Krishna Menon

Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon (3 May 1896 – 6 October 1974) was an Indian nationalist, diplomat and statesman, described as the second most powerful man in India by Time magazine and others, after his ally and intimate friend, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Described as "vitriolic, intolerant, impatient, and exigent – yes, but generous, sensitive, considerate, a great teacher too, and a great man" by Lord Listowell, the last British secretary of state for India, Menon was an influential and controversial figure on the world scene, and the architect of the Third Bloc foreign policy of non-alignment. He headed India's diplomatic missions to both the United Kingdom and United Nations, and was repeatedly elected to both houses of the Indian Parliament from multiple constituencies, serving as Defence Minister from 1957 to 1962.

Menon was the founding editor of Pelican Books, the non-fiction and educational arm of Penguin Books in 1935. He had been an editor along with Sir Allen Lane, the founder of Penguin Books at Bodley Head publishers. He also created the Sainik Schools and was one of the first people to be awarded India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, when it was instituted in 1954.