City based IAS officer makes it big in Mussoorie

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 26

Having been appointed the first woman Director of the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, Himachal Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Upma Dada Chawdhry has done the city proud.

Born and brought up in Jalandhar, the 1983-batch IAS officer still frequently visits her family in Urban Estate here. “The city pulls me back for it was here that I nurtured and fulfilled my childhood dreams. I did my initial years of schooling at Government School at Nehru Garden. Then I went onto study in St Joseph’s Convent School and passed from the ICSE board. I did BA with English honours from Kanya Maha Vidyalaya and passed around 1979-80. I did my MA in English from DAV College,” recalls the officer who has last served as the Additional Chief Secretary of the hill state.

“Then on, I even took training for the IAS examination from Dr Ghai, professor of political science, here,” Upma Chawdhry tells as she adds that her parents had an immense role to play in building her career. “My mom Uma Dada has been an inspiration not just for me but for several other women around her. Way back in early 1950s when most parents did not even send their daughters to school, she postgraduated in English and was already a professor at HMV College when she got married. She retired as the head of the department of English from KMV College,” the celebrated officer said, more excited to share her mother’s feat than hers.

“Actually, by becoming an IAS officer, I fulfilled the expectations that my maternal grandfather Gurdial Singh had from my mother. He had himself served on the high post of Deputy Director, Indian Railways Board. He too belonged to Jalandhar, but kept on moving because of his job,” the officer said.

“My father Prof Uday Raj Dada also was equally motivating for me. Sadly, he is no more today to see me reach bigger heights,” Chawdhry adds. Her brother Umesh Dada is a well-known chartered accountant in the city. “It’s indeed a big moment for our family as my sister has become the first woman director of the academy of IAS officers,” he said with a smile.

Interestingly, the officer has another connect. “My husband Vineet Chawdhry, too, hails from Jalandhar. My father-in-law DS Chaudhary too was in the civil services”. He is 1983-batch IAS officer. The couple has remained in news of late for proceeding on medical leaves in May and then on study leave, expressing their grouse against the appointment of an officer superseding them to the post of Chief Secretary. “We were still on study leave when the news came,” she said.

On her new assignment, Chawdhry said, “I will be joining in the first week of December. I am really excited, for it is indeed a challenge to head the country’s bureaucracy building institute. As young probationers, the director of the institute had been our role model. Taking the charge of the same post one day had been a dream from the beginning. As for now, I am yet to draw my priorities as it will be done only after I get in there.”