Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai, KCSI, KBE, CIE (1891–1954) was an eminent Indian civil servant, diplomat and Governor. He entered the ICS in 1915, and was appointed a CBE in 1922. In 1926, he was appointed a CIE and was knighted in 1935 with the KBE.
By 1940, Sir Girija Bajpai was one of the six members of the Viceroy's Executive Council, which was the colonial version of a Cabinet. By 1943, he was the Agent-General (roughly equivalent to an ambassadorial post) to the USA for India. He was made a KCSI in that year. He was known for his ethics, oratory, strong will and far-reaching vision. It is said he warned Prime Minister Nehru about the potential for a Chinese invasion more than a decade before it happened. He represented India in numerous international forums in the 1930s and 1940s, including the UN during the Kashmir debate.
Following the independence of India from the British Raj in 1947, Prime Minister Nehru retained Sir Girija Bajpai as his principal foreign affairs adviser, appointing him the first Minister of External Affairs. Afterwards, Bajpai served as the Governor of Bombay Presidency from 1952 until his death in 1954.
Sir Girija Bajpai was known for his wealth and lifestyle. He always dressed impeccably and was considered an authority on clothes, fine wines and carpets. His ethics and strong sense of family responsibility led him to pay off his brother's debts, some of which were run up in his name, several times in an effort to preserve the family's reputation. He had four daughters and three sons, two of whom went on to become diplomats.
He was an early notable in Scouting and Guiding in India, and worked to unify their scattered organizations during the pre-independence era.
| Preceded by Raja Maharaj Singh |
Governor of Bombay 1952–1954 |
Succeeded by Hare Krishna Mahtab |