NIRUPAMA RAO

 

          Ms. Rao was born in the State of Kerala, India on 6 December 1950.  Her early education took place in cities all over India, including Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Coonoor (Tamil Nadu).  She holds a Masters Degree in English Literature (First Class) from Marathwada University (1972). She joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1973.

 

 She has served in various world capitals, including Washington and Moscow.  She has had extensive experience in relations between India and China, having served in the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi from 1984 to 1992, including as Joint Secretary (East Asia).  Ms. Rao was Minister in the Indian Embassy in Washington from 1993-1995, in charge of Press Affairs.  She was Ambassador of India to Peru from 1995 to 1998.  From 1998-1999, she was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Moscow.  In 1999-2000 she was Distinguished International Executive in Residence at the University of Maryland, USA.   From 2001 to 2002, she served as the first woman spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.  Thereafter she was Additional Secretary in charge of Administration & Personnel in the Ministry of External Affairs.  From 2004-2006, she was the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka.  Since late October 2006, Ms. Rao is serving as the Ambassador of India to People’s Republic of China.

 

          Ms. Rao was a Fellow of the Centre for International Affairs (now the Weatherhead Centre) of Harvard University from 1992-93.  She is married to Sudhakar Rao, a senior civil servant, who belongs to the Indian Administrative Service.  She has two sons, Nikhilesh and Kartikeya.  Ms. Rao’s hobbies include music (Hindustani, Carnatic and Western), theatre and writing.  She is also an accomplished singer in her own right. Her first book of poems “Rain Rising” was published in India in 2004 and also released in Sri Lanka.