Auto-driver’s daughter to be state’s firs Muslim woman IAS

Yavatmal/Mumbai: The daughter of a humble autorickshaw driver from Yavatmal has achieved what few from a similar background can dream of – cracked the UPSC to become the first Muslim woman IAS officer from Maharashtra – surmounting many hurdles.

When the name of Adiba Anam Ashfaque Ahemad figured on No. 142 in the UPSC results announced last week, her father Ashfaque, housewife mom Asiya Anjum, brothers Anique, 23, and Awais, 21, looked heavenward with a silent prayer, ‘Shukr-e-Alhamdulillah’.

For, Adiba’s was no mean feat. It fructified with ladles of blood, sweat and tears, sheer focus, determination, plus her family’s solid backing against all odds, mainly financial resources.

A labourer-turned-autorickshaw driver, Ahemad, SSC-pass, recalls how after marriage, he had fervently prayed for a daughter to fulfil his dreams.

“The Almighty gifted us Adiba… She turned out to be the ideal daughter any parents would be proud of. Always a different type of child, she was passionately studious and deeply religious, offers five-times ‘Namaz’ daily and fasts during the Ramadan month, even today,” Ahemad told The Perfect Voice.

Unlike other kids, Adiba shunned fancy dolls or new clothes, never demanded for special food or outdoor treats, and remained satisfied with whatever the parents could afford, added Ahemad in an emotional voice.

Starting her education in Urdu medium and continuing it till her UPSC level, Adiba attended Zilla Parishad Urdu Primary School, then a ZP Girls Urdu School, later Government Junior College (all in Yavatmal), finally graduating from Pune’s Abeda Inamdar Senior College in Urdu.

After graduation, she was keen to appear for the NEET exams, but her father’s delicate finances made her drop the plan for an alternate career option.

“She had been consistently intelligent and among the toppers in her academic years. A family friend, SEWA Foundation’s Nizamuddin A Sheikh inspired her to consider UPSC considering her education track record… Somehow, it clicked and Adiba changed her aim to bid for UPSC,” Ahemad said.

Sheikh also arranged meetings with some top serving officers to give teenaged Adiba an idea of what public service and administration is all about and she was fascinated, making it her ambition.

Tough preparations

The journey started for the grueling civil services exams with preparatory coaching courses in Haj House, Mumbai, then Jamia Hamdard Study Circle, and after clearing an entrance exam, joining the Jamia Millia Islamia University.

At JHSC, Adiba cleared her UPSC prelims but failed the Main (2022) by a few points, and lapsed into depression, but emerged with her parents’ counselling to bounce back.

The next year (2023), she cleared the prelims and the Main, and the family was delirious that she had made it – but Adiba crashed out of the crucial interview stage.

“This time, the whole family was in gloom, believing all was lost and even Adiba wanted to get into some ordinary profession. I had to again bring her on the tracks and goaded her to make another attempt in 2024,” remembers Ahemad.

Like an obedient daughter she always was, Adiba concurred for a fresh try, and finally was “blessed with Allah’s benevolence” – clearing the UPSC – and creating history for herself, he said.

“She will come home and then go for her training before being posted as the first Muslim woman IAS officer from Maharashtra,” explained Ahemad, his voice full of pride.

An excited Adiba briefly enlightened the media about her arduous journey to scale UPSC – ranked amongst the toughest competitive exams in the world – crediting her family for her triumph.

Her head in the clouds, Adiba's feet are firmly rooted in her modest origins and she declared that as an IAS officer she would strive to do something for society, especially girls like her who harbor lofty dreams and ambitions but can't fulfil them due to multiple reasons.

Many angels blessed Adiba

Never the one to give up anything half-done, Adiba Anam Ashfaque Ahemad had many ‘silent angels’ in her arduous journey from ZP schools to reaching the threshold of IAS.

Besides SEWA Foundation’s Nizamuddin A. Sheikh, the family is indebted to all the school teachers and college professors, plus Prof. Jawwad Quazi of The Unique Academy in Pune, for their direct and indirect financial help.

When she was in New Delhi, her miffed parents were in dire financial straits and secretly sold off their home in Yavatmal to support her aspirations.

However, when she learnt of it much later, she wept uncontrollably and quarreled with her parents for making such a huge sacrifice, but after clearing UPSC, the Ahemads are relieved and joyful.

“We have no words to describe our delight. She has accomplished it with her grit, many who quietly helped her en route and Divine blessings,” concluded a happy Ahemad.