Interview/ Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, executive chairperson, Biocon, and honorary consul general of Ireland for south India
IN 1916, WITH BRITAIN preoccupied by World War I, coordinated home rule leagues were founded in India—one by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and the other by Annie Besant. Both were modelled on the Irish home rule movement. Born in London to an Irish mother, Besant had spent years supporting the Irish cause before arriving in India in 1893. The league she founded in Madras in September 1916 grew into 200 branches. When she was arrested in 1917, protests erupted across India, and the British raj had to release her. She would soon become the first woman president of the Indian National Congress.
Three decades later, when the Constitution was being written, India drew inspiration from Ireland. The directive principles of state policy, speaking of welfare, equity and the obligations of government to its people, came from the Irish constitution. In fact, a member of the Constituent Assembly complained that large parts had simply been copied out. B.R. Ambedkar said there was nothing to be ashamed of it.
Then there was W.B. Yeats, who found the translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali tough to put down. He wrote in the introduction to the book—which won the Nobel in 1913—how it stirred his blood as nothing had for years. Their friendship was complicated; Yeats romanticised India in ways Tagore found uncomfortable. But, it was one of the first moments the literary energies of the countries recognised each other. In Sligo—inspiration for much of Yeats’s poetry—there is a statue of Tagore, a gift from the Indian embassy, unveiled in 2015.
Ireland, which became a republic in 1949—33 years after the Easter Rising—was among the first countries to recognise Indian independence. In 2021-22, both nations joined the UN Security Council. Today, Ireland accounts for roughly 10 per cent of all EU trade with India, nearly €16 billion a year (around Rs1.78 lakh crore, at current rates). Over a lakh Indians live there and more than 10,000 study in Irish universities.
None of this happened on its own. Relationships are built by people. And one person has been working quietly from Bengaluru to build that for 25 years. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been honorary consul general of Ireland for south India since 2001. Her connection to Ireland goes back further.
In 1978, an Irish entrepreneur named Les Auchincloss persuaded a young woman with no capital or experience to start a biotech company in India. She launched Biocon in the garage. Mazumdar-Shaw went to Cork to learn the fundamentals of the business. What she absorbed there—the Irish capacity, as she describes it, to think globally from a small base—stayed with her.
Mazumdar-Shaw recently announced that her niece Claire Mazumdar will succeed her. The company an Irishman helped create is preparing for its next chapter. So, perhaps, is the relationship it embodies.
Mazumdar-Shaw spoke to THE WEEK about the bond she has helped build and what she believes it can become. Edited excerpts:
Q/ What do you find special about Ireland?
Its unique combination of entrepreneurial spirit and intellectual depth. It has an extraordinary ability to punch above its weight, whether in science, education, literature or global business.... The Irish mindset of resilience, openness and ambition had a lasting impact on me. It shaped not just the founding of Biocon, but also my belief that innovation from emerging ecosystems can compete and lead on the global stage.
Q/ How has the India-Ireland relationship changed since you became honorary consul general?
When I assumed the role, engagement was largely limited to diplomatic exchanges and a smaller volume of trade. Today, the relationship has evolved into a far more strategic and multi-dimensional partnership—strong trade and investment flows, deep engagement in higher education and research, and growing collaboration across technology, health care and innovation. There is also a significant and expanding presence of Irish companies in India, and Indian companies in Ireland. This transformation reflects not just the deepening of bilateral ties, but also the evolving global roles of both countries and a shared commitment to knowledge-led growth.
Q/ What have been the key initiatives in strengthening India-Ireland relations?
Our focus has been on building strong institutional and sectoral bridges. Key initiatives have included advancing biotechnology and life sciences collaborations, leveraging Ireland’s research strengths and India’s scale and talent; enabling academic partnerships between Irish universities and leading Indian institutions; and facilitating business engagement across pharmaceuticals, medtech, IT and fintech. Cultural diplomacy has been part of it, too—St Patrick’s Day celebrations, youth engagement initiatives.
Q/ How do you foresee the relationship evolving?
I see it becoming even more future-facing and innovation-led. There is immense potential in advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, digital health, climate action, and green technologies, as well as expanded student mobility and greater collaboration between startups and innovation ecosystems. Recent high-level engagements in Dublin demonstrate the shared commitment to building a stronger corridor for innovation, sustainability and growth. As knowledge economies, both India and Ireland stand to gain enormously from deeper collaboration based on co-creation rather than mere exchange.
Q/ How will the relationship fare in the current geopolitical context?
In an increasingly complex and uncertain geopolitical environment, partnerships anchored in shared democratic values, openness and multilateralism become even more important. India and Ireland, while different in scale, share a strong commitment to the rule of law, innovation-led growth and global cooperation. As countries look to build reliable, like-minded partnerships, I believe India-Ireland ties will continue to strengthen across trade, technology, education and broader global problem-solving.