Hubballi, DHNS: The road from Hubballi to the Indian embassy in Portugal has been a mixed bag for K Nandini Singla (in pic), who has been designated the new ambassador to Portugal.

With the official paper work completed in both New Delhi and Lisbon, she is expected to assume charge by June-end or early July.

Despite scoring 88 per cent in SSLC, she was denied admission into arts course by a pre-university college in Bagalkot, until her parents intervened. “Engineering and medicine were not my areas of interest. I always wanted to be an IFS officer,” she said.

Her stint with the NCC in Hubballi gave her an opportunity to visit Canada, under the Youth Exchange Programme.

“This exposure to the ‘new world’ changed my perspective of life as I saw the problems faced by women and teenage girls there. The six-month programme at Canada made my desire of becoming an IFS officer even stronger,” she said.

Clearing the UPSC exam in the first attempt in 1997 with 46th All India rank helped her pursue her dream. “Portugal and India share one of the friendliest relationships as there are few conflicting issues between the two countries,” Singla said and added that her task would be to link the two countries in her term as the ambassador.

“Both the countries have ample opportunities to explore and Portugal can become India’s gateway to the European Union. Our country can benefit in many ways by exchange of technology and culture,” said the 1997-batch Indian Foreign Service officer. This is Singla’s first ambassadorial assignment.

So far, she has worked as Joint Secretary (West Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. “One of my important tasks in Portugal would be to get the Portugal prime minister, who has Indian origins, travel to India.”

Under the Modi government’s new initiative of ambassadors adopting states of their choice for cohesive development, she has selected Karnataka for the project.

“I shall try to be the link between the European countries and Karnataka in terms of exchange of culture, trade, education, tourism, Information Technology and also for the Smart City project,” she said . “I am proud to represent Karnataka in Portugal.”

Singla was born to K Gururaj Rao, a retired LIC officer, and K Premalatha. She is married to Sanjeev Singla, personal secretary to PM?Narendra Modi.