Tina Dabi – That Girl Who Topped UPSC at 22

Tina Dabi – That Girl Who Topped UPSC at 22 The IAS officer who suddenly became famous in 2015. She was only 22 when she got Rank 1 in the Civil Services Exam on her very first attempt. First woman from the Scheduled Caste community to top it. That itself made people sit up and notice. She’s from the 2016 batch and works in Rajasthan cadre. Over the years she’s been Collector in a few places, including Barmer, and did some solid work on water conservation too. Who is she? Tina was born on 9 November 1993 in Bhopal. When she was in class 7 the family moved to Delhi. Her father Jaswant Dabi was a senior guy in BSNL. Her mother Himani (people also call her Himali) was an IES officer. Mum actually left her job so she could be around full-time while the girls studied. That mattered a lot. Tina has a younger sister Ria, who later also cleared UPSC and became an IAS officer. Early life and education She studied first at Carmel Convent in Bhopal, then Convent of Jesus and Mary in Delhi. In class 12 she scored full 100 in Political Science and History. After school she joined Lady Shri Ram College for a BA in Political Science. She has said she first thought of doing B.Com, but Political Science felt more right for what she wanted. From the first year of college itself she started preparing for UPSC. While everyone else was busy with college life, she was reading newspapers every day and putting in steady hours. In 2015 she wrote the exam and topped it with 1063 marks.   Biography table Family table Personal life During training she got close to Athar Aamir Khan (he was Rank 2 the same year). They got married in 2018. It didn’t work out and they divorced in 2021 by mutual consent. In 2022 she married Pradeep Gawande, another IAS officer from Rajasthan. They have a son now. These days she keeps her personal life quite private and stays away from social media mostly. FAQs people usually ask Q.How did she prepare? Started early, stayed consistent, read newspapers daily, and had full family support. No magic formula. Q.Did she take reservation benefit? She is from SC category, but her marks put her right at the top of the list. The reservation debate was mostly media noise. Q.What is she doing now? Still in Rajasthan cadre, has handled important district postings. Q.Who does she thank the most? Her mother. Tina has said clearly that mum leaving her career so the daughters could study without stress made all the difference. A girl from a service family who decided early what she wanted, worked steadily for it, and delivered when it mattered. Nothing over-the-top, just clear focus and strong support at home. Published By – Rohit Manral Written By – Anjali Pandey