Dr. Ruveda Salam first woman qualifying for the UPSC

Formidable Dr. Ruveda Salam wrote history when she became the first Muslim woman from the remote Farkin village in the border district of Kupwara to have cracked the prestigious IAS examination back in 2013. What started out as a dream that her father and she collectively shared from her growing up years soon became reality through Ruveda’s dedication, hard work and steely perseverance.

Ruveda began her career in 2009, after getting her medical degree from the Government Medical College in Srinagar. While still an intern, she applied for the J&K Public Service Commission examination. There were 398 posts advertised and Ruveda, with her state rank of 25, secured one of them. She quit medicine and joined the state civil services, working there for two years.

In 2013, she took the UPSC exams and cracked them to become the first woman from the Kashmir valley to do so. Her initial posting was in the Indian Police Services. She trained in Hyderabad and on completion of the training served as the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Chennai. But this wasn’t the real success she sought. She still had to fulfil her childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer. So, again in 2015, she cleared the UPSC exam for the second time. This time she got a higher rank, which enabled her to join the IAS.

In her recent interview to Rediff, Dr. Ruveda shares her story of how dreams become a reality when your heart and mind is in the right place. “When I was growing up in Kashmir, my father often used to say that I should become an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer. That's when I first thought of becoming one. It inspired me and I decided to go ahead and aim for it.”

Before becoming the Dr. Ruveda Salam examination in 2013, Ruveda got her MBBS degree from the Government Medical College in Srinagar.

After qualifying for the UPSC, she was then allotted the police services, and joined the police academy in Hyderabad for training. However, after the completion of her training, the lone Muslim woman police officer was put in the Tamil Nadu cadre.

“Last year, I was selected to the Indian Police Service cadre. I went for training to Hyderabad. The training was very strenuous. Physically it was very hard. I joined the IPS cadre in Tamil Nadu and was posted as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Chennai.”

Having served in Tamil Nadu cadre for the past months, Dr. Ruveda has realized that there is nothing more satisfying than serving humanity, whether it’s in Kashmir or Tamil Nadu. As a lone woman police officer from her state, she now wishes to see more girls from Kashmir scale new heights of success.

“I have also given motivational speeches to the youth, particularly girls. I encourage them to appear for the IAS exams in Jammu and Kashmir. When girls see me in uniform they look at me with admiration. I had conducted a workshop for girls in Hyderabad. The girls who attended said they wanted to join the IPS, but were apprehensive about whether their parents will support them.”
It was Ruveda’s father who inspired her, giving her the confidence to work towards becoming an IAS officer.  Her mother helped by fending off all suggestions of an early marriage, letting Ruveda focus on building the life she wished for herself.