Srinagar: Ruvaida Salam is scripting history in Kashmir. She's the only woman of eight successful candidates from the state to have cracked the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) exams this year.
But this is just one the many achievements for Ms Salam. She completed her MBBS degree from Government Medical College in Srinagar and after that also qualified for the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) in 2009.
A resident of Kupwara district near the Line of Control (LoC) her achievement is no easy feat. "Even if you're living in the Srinagar city it becomes difficult. Whenever the situation gets out of hand due to so many unavoidable circumstances, we have to face the ire of the public. There have been strikes, newspapers are unavailable, and study material is not available. There is a psychological effect on you, because you never know what is going to happen next," she explains.
Ms Salam says family support has been the key. "My father encouraged me and never made me feel that I am weak as a woman and I can't compete equally with boys," she adds.
"I feel honored. She is the first girl from my community to do so well," says her father Salamudin Bajad who retired as the deputy director of Doordarshan and brought her to Srinagar to escape the conflict and bombs of their home town.
The man often credited with inspiring many like Ms Salam is senior IPS Officer Abdul Gani Mir.
For the last seven years he along with a group of local officers has been working with boys and girls aspiring to take the IAS exams.
"When I joined this cadre in 2006, I tried to understand why people from this state are not making it to the civil services. I found that the students from this place are not appearing in the exams because they had certain misconceptions'' says A G Mir who is now Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir.
In a marked change from the previous years, there are now more youth from the Kashmir valley opting for government jobs. Ms Salam's success story is an inspiration for a new generation where hope and hardwork is translating into achievements.
But this is just one the many achievements for Ms Salam. She completed her MBBS degree from Government Medical College in Srinagar and after that also qualified for the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) in 2009.
A resident of Kupwara district near the Line of Control (LoC) her achievement is no easy feat. "Even if you're living in the Srinagar city it becomes difficult. Whenever the situation gets out of hand due to so many unavoidable circumstances, we have to face the ire of the public. There have been strikes, newspapers are unavailable, and study material is not available. There is a psychological effect on you, because you never know what is going to happen next," she explains.
Ms Salam says family support has been the key. "My father encouraged me and never made me feel that I am weak as a woman and I can't compete equally with boys," she adds.
The man often credited with inspiring many like Ms Salam is senior IPS Officer Abdul Gani Mir.
Advertisement
"When I joined this cadre in 2006, I tried to understand why people from this state are not making it to the civil services. I found that the students from this place are not appearing in the exams because they had certain misconceptions'' says A G Mir who is now Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Non-Local Labourer's Bullet-Riddled Body Found In Jammu And Kashmir's Shopian Omar Abdullah Passes Resolution For Restoration Of Statehood In J&K Cabinet Omar Abdullah's First Decision After Becoming CM: No Green Corridor Hamas Confirms Yahya Sinwar Killed By Israel, Won't Free Hostages Until... MK Stalin Asks Centre To Recall Tamil Nadu Governor In Row Over Anthem Drone Footage Of Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar's Last Moments Released By Israel UPSC ESE 2025: Application Window Reopens, Check Deadline And Key Details Australia's Northern Territory To Soon Resume Jailing 10-Year-Olds If You Doing Things After Eating A Meal, You Must Stop Right Away Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.