aamtina

KL News Network

SRINAGAR

In 2009, when Shah Faesal surprised India by becoming the first Kashmiri to top the IAS, the Kupwara medical doctor was already married. For hundreds he, however, emerged a model and an inspiration.

One of the boys who was inspired to follow his suit was Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan. He met him and sought advice. Eventually he studied and appeared in the UPSC examination for 2014. He managed to pass but got the Railway Service.

Khan joined the service but decided to chase the IAS. He appeared again in 2015 and bagged the second slot. He could not get No 1, though. Soon, something special happened. He fell in love with No 1, Tina Dabi, a Delhi girl. Now both No 1 and No 2 are going to be a family. That is exactly what has happened. This cross-cultural love story is splashed on front pages of newspapers and interestingly both belong to India’s “marginal” communities – Khan is a Kashmiri Muslim, Dabi is Dalit and a Buddhist.

aamtina2The two love-birds have posted their hangout photographs on social networking websites suggesting as if the environs of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy for Administration in Mussoorie have been converted into sets of a Bollywood massala film. Some IAS offices in J&K said they are surprised and shocked about how fast the changes are taking place in their tribe. During training the babus falling in love has been normal but taking the love story to newspapers front pages has been quite new, they say. Some photographs seem unreal and filmi but indications suggest it is no gossip.

Khan is 23 and Dabi is 22. The latter has told reporters that the parents of both have agreed to walk the talk and get them married. They are going for an engagement and soon they plan to marry.

aamtina3Interestingly, the two have fell in love in a perfect sarkari set-up, in the department of personnel and training (DoPT) office in North Block when they were part of the felicitation function on May 11. “We met in the morning and by evening Aamir was at my door. Uske liye pehli nazar mein pyaar ho gaya (For him, it was love at first sight)”, Tina Dabi told the Indian Express. She took her own time and by August she responded.”But I thank Aamir every day for his perseverance. He is a wonderful person.” Now they are in courtship and Sada India Janata Hai.

A resident of Devipora in Mattan (Islamabad), Khan was born in 1993. His father is a lecturer in a local state run Girl’s Higher Secondary School and his mother is a home maker.

Khan did his Class 11th and 12th from Tyndale Biscoe School in Srinagar. In 2007, he was awarded the best young scientist award when he participated in the National Children’s Science Congress in 2007. Eventually, he made it to the IIT but did not join as he was offered a B-Tech course when he wanted to pursue BE.  aamtina1From Mandi, he would travel overnight to appear for the mock tests in Delhi. In 2014, he cleared the examination and was ranked 560 thus getting Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS). While being trained for IRTS, he prepared and re-appeared thus getting the No 2 position.

Dabi is from Delhi. When she topped the list in 2015, she was projected to be a Dalit icon. Daughter of an engineer from Dabi village in Rajasthan, her mother is from Maharashtra. She has topped the Lady Shri Ram College.

Very vocal in defending her decision to marry Khan, Dabi has said she is in love and is very happy. “As any freethinking independent woman I am entitled to certain choices,” Dabi was quoted saying. “I am very happy with my choice and so is Aamir. Our parents are happy too.”

Though the Department of personnel is yet to assign them states, Kashmir is awaiting the couple, what officials have already nicknamed – AamTina, a fusion of Aamir and Tina.

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