India's Ambassador to China Nirupama Rao was on Tuesday named as the next Foreign Secretary to succeed Shivshankar Menon who will be retiring on July 31 after an eventful three-year stint as the top diplomat.
Rao, a 1973-batch IFS officer who has served in a number of key positions, will be the second woman Foreign Secretary of India after Chokila Iyer.
Prior to her posting in Beijing as Ambassador in October 2006, the 58-year-old seasoned diplomat had served as Indian envoy to Sri Lanka and the country's first woman spokesperson.
Earlier, she had served in the Indian Missions in Washington and Moscow besides having a stint in the Ministry of External Affairs as Joint Secretary (East Asia).
She will be taking over as the top diplomat at a time when India's relations with Pakistan are going through tough times in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks.
Born in Kerala on December 6, 1950, Rao will be the Foreign Secretary for about 17 months as she will attain superannuation by the end of next year.
Wife of senior IAS officer Sudhakar Rao, she holds a Masters Degree in English Literature from Marathwada University. Her early education took place in cities across the country, including Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Coonoor (Tamil Nadu).
Nirupama Rao is an accomplished singer in her own right and has a penchant for classical music (Hindustani and Carnatic) besides theatre and writing.
Her first book of poems Rain Rising was published in India in 2004. It was released in Sri Lanka also where she was posted from 2004 to 2006.
Along with Rao, her batch-mate Nalin Surie was also in the reckoning for the Foreign Secretary's post. Menon, who had superseded 17 seniors to the top post in 2006, has had an eventful tenure whose highlight was the clinching of civilian nuclear deal with the US and getting a waiver from 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group to end India's isolation in the field.