A white-turbaned Sikh youth seen prominently in photographs from the BRICS Summit, media briefings and negotiations has drawn considerable attention on social media and among observers of India’s diplomatic engagements.He is Angad Singh Brar, son of Ravcharan Singh Brar, a Punjab Police officer serving as Advisor-Training at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Police Academy, Phillaur. The family hails from Patiala.Angad, a Consultant with the Multilateral Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of External Affairs since July 2025, is part of the core team working on the planning and implementation of India’s BRICS Chairship 2026.His role places him at the heart of India’s engagement with multilateral institutions. He assists in drafting speeches and talking points for the Head of State or Government and other senior functionaries attending key international meetings, including G7 summits and the IMF-World Bank annual meetings.An alumnus of the University of Cambridge, where he completed an MPhil in Politics and International Studies in 2023, Brar’s academic record also includes an impressive run at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He topped both his MA in Sociology and BA (Honours), earning University Gold Medals in both programmes.The Cambridge photographA photograph from Brar’s Cambridge convocation has also attracted attention over the years. Unlike the customary practice of kneeling on a hassock before the Chancellor while receiving the degree, Brar is seen standing.His father, Ravcharan Singh Brar, explained that Angad had consciously chosen not to kneel. The gesture, he said, was intended to convey that India does not go down on its knees to achieve its goals.Before joining the Ministry of External Affairs, Brar worked as a Research Consultant at the Chintan Research Foundation and as a Research Assistant at the Observer Research Foundation.At the latter, he coordinated the Asian Forum on Global Governance, a 10-day international fellowship held as part of the Raisina Dialogue and attended by diplomats and academics from more than 33 countries.He also handled closed-door bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue 2024 and worked on Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomatic dialogues.Brar has authored several peer-reviewed research papers and expert opinion articles on multilateral institutions, tariffs and global governance for various platforms, including the Council on Foreign Relations.His presence at the BRICS Summit has now brought a young Sikh professional from Punjab into the spotlight as part of the team shaping India’s engagement with the expanding multilateral grouping.