You arrived in Finland just as the pandemic began. How was it to commence your mission during such challenging times? I arrived in Finland with my family in July 2020, in the middle of Covid pandemic. There were restrictions on movement, on meeting people.
It felt like we were constantly navigating uncharted territory. Everything from remote work setups to health protocols kept changing, and it was a challenge to keep up. It was a test of adaptability and resilience like never before.
I was fortunate to present my credentials to then President Niinistö and continued with our outreach initiatives. Even though it was a tough period, I think we all came out of it stronger in some way. It’s all behind us now, thankfully.
You've been one of the most active ambassadors in Finland. Could you summarize your tenure here? Were you able to achieve your envisioned goals? As diplomats, we all are expected to do some groundwork before proceeding on our assignment. But then, implementation depends on the ground realities.
And here, I was quite fortunate to be around when our relations are looking up and have acquired a certain momentum. The backdrop of the evolving geopolitical order played its part too. We have Finland as a member of NATO, part of Nordic-BALTIC framework and an influential voice in the EU.
India is an important voice for the global south, the 5th largest and fastest growing economy and a country shaping the global narrative. We have a far larger global footprint and ar.
