He said that the external affairs ministry would welcome much more spirited exchanges between diplomats and academicians, the corporate sector and civil society.

'The sustainability and success of our international policy depends on both leadership by the government of India and the active involvement of young Indians,' he argued.

Tharoor, also a well-known novelist and a former UN official, called upon the youth to commit themselves to thinking about India's place in the world and 'your own role in it, helping to shape it, and one day, I hope, helping to lead it.'

Responding a question raised at the interactive session after the lecture, Tharoor denied that India had departed from first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's foreign policy towards the Muslim world, especially the Arab World.

AMU Vice-Chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis said the university has decided to create a Centre of International Studies and Diplomacy from the next academic session. Ishrat Aziz, a retired senior diplomat, is preparing a blueprint of the proposed centre, he said.

He added that the human resource development ministry has sanctioned a Civil Service Coaching Academy with a grant of around Rs.10 crores so that the AMU could produce better civil servants to serve the country.