He later joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1953 and served various countries like Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Laos, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, USSR, Consul General in South Vietnam.
In 1995, in recognition of his lifelong devotion to the cause of communal harmony and peace, the UNESCO Executive Board created the biennial ‘UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence’.
At that time he was a student of the orientalist Giuseppe Tucci, and also studied European art history under Lionelllo Venturi at Rome University.
Indian Sculpture in Bronze and Stone was followed in 1954 by India, the first volume in the UNESCO world art series published by New York Graphic Society.
In recognition of a lifelong devotion to communal harmony and peace, the Prize bears the name of its benefactor Madanjeet Singh, who was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Indian Artist, Writer and Diplomat.