Ovessa Iqbal, the first Muslim girl from Jammu and Kashmir to clear the Indian Administrative Services examination has come a long way from the sleepy village of Chachoot in Leh. 25-year-old Ovessa started her journey with the help and encouragement of her elder sister Sameena Iqbal, a history lecturer at Women’s College, Srinagar. Ovessa completed her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Chandigarh.
Sameena believes Ovessa’s determination helped her clear the IAS in her third attempt. Ovessa recently cleared the Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) examination too. Brimming with confidence she says that the government should set up some mechanism in all the three regions of J&K for students to receive the required education to clear such examinations. Six students from the state have cleared the examinations this year.
Last year Shah Faisal of Kashmir topped the IAS resulted. Faisal has been allotted the J&K cadre.
Talking to this newspaper Ovessa said that her parents wanted her to pursue MBA, but “I wanted to try my luck for IAS.” Ovessa said that she did not join any coaching institute. But Ovessa is broken by the sudden death of her mother Khalida, who died in an accident in Hyderabad recently. “I would have really enjoyed my success with my mother,” she said. “I want to serve the needy and help the exploited lot in J&K which was what my mother dreamt I would do,” Ovessa added.
Ovessa Iqbal’s great grand parents had migrated from Kadikadal area of Srinagar to Leh, Ladakh. Her great grandfather was the first Mirwaiz of Leh. Her maternal side is also from the Kashmir valley as her late mother Khalida Iqbal Bari was the daughter of Syed Abdul Bari of Buchpora, Srinagar.
Ovessa Iqbal would love to be in Kashmir as she considers the valley to be her second home.
Ovessa is firm that she will serve the people of J&K especially women. “I would love to see the end of women’s exploitation. I pray to God to allow me to make some difference,” Ovessa said.
Ovessa lamented that despite having huge potential J&K students were not getting proper coaching and guidance required to appear for such competitive examinations.
The J&K government has not been able to provide proper coaching centres to the students competing for various examinations. For the last few years a small voluntary group known as the Initiative for Competition Promotion in JK (ICPJK) has trained some students for such exams. This voluntary organisation is run by IPS officer Abdul Gani Mir who is the DIG (central) in J&K.
source: http://www.sunday-guardian.com / The Sunday Guardian / Home> News / by Noor-Ul-Qamrain / May 15th, 2011