Who has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia?

Introduction / Context:
Ambassadors represent India in foreign countries and play an important role in diplomacy, trade, and cultural relations. Competitive exams sometimes include questions about key ambassadorial appointments announced by the Ministry of External Affairs. This question asks specifically about the appointment of the Indian Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia, a South American nation.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The position is Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia.
• Options include Dinesh Bhatia, Navtej Sarna, Vijaya Laxmi Pandit, and Sanjiv Ranjan.
• Only one of these diplomats was appointed to Colombia in the context of the question.
• We are dealing with a specific appointment, not general diplomatic service.

Concept / Approach:
This is a personality and appointment based question. Sanjiv Ranjan, a career diplomat, was appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia. Other names in the options are also noted diplomats but posted to different countries or known from different historical periods. The approach is to recall or recognise that Colombia was assigned to Sanjiv Ranjan during the relevant period, instead of relying on guesswork based on general familiarity.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the question is about a specific ambassadorial posting to Colombia. Step 2: Recall from current affairs that Sanjiv Ranjan was appointed as India's Ambassador to Colombia. Step 3: Look at the options and locate his name under Option D. Step 4: Recognise that Dinesh Bhatia, Navtej Sarna, and Vijaya Laxmi Pandit have been posted to other countries or eras. Step 5: Select Sanjiv Ranjan as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A useful check is to associate each diplomat with their more public or historically known postings. Navtej Sarna served as Indian Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Vijaya Laxmi Pandit was a noted diplomat and politician from an earlier era, associated with the United Nations and various European postings. Dinesh Bhatia has held postings such as Ambassador to Argentina. Sanjiv Ranjan matches the Colombia appointment, confirming Option D.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Dinesh Bhatia: A senior diplomat with important postings, but he is not the person associated with the Colombia appointment in this question.
Navtej Sarna: Well known as Ambassador to the United States and other high profile roles, but not specifically for being Ambassador to Colombia in this context.
Vijaya Laxmi Pandit: A historic figure in Indian diplomacy, but her career predates the modern pattern of postings referred to here, and she was not appointed to Colombia in the period relevant to the question.

Common Pitfalls:
One pitfall is choosing the most famous name instead of the correct one for the specific post. Another is not distinguishing between current era appointments and historic diplomatic figures. To handle such questions reliably, it is helpful to maintain updated notes on recent ambassadorial postings, especially when they appear in government press releases and news reports.

Final Answer:
Sanjiv Ranjan