Cadre is also the reason for the increasing marriages among themselves.
When IAS and IPS officers who have passed the Civil Services Examination of the Union Public Service Commission come to Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) Mussoorie for training, this is the place where their love stories begin and they get married.
Why is closeness natural in training?
It is common for IAS, IPS, IFS or other services to be selected between 23-30 years of age. This is the age when people become serious about their life partner and quickly connect with like-minded people. This is such a time for them that while here, they also start thinking about their career and direction of life. Usually, the foundation course of training in all these services is held simultaneously at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie.
Here all of them stay together in the same hostel for 90 to 120 days, so they get the opportunity to live and work together in classes, studies, groups and activities and spend time together. In such an environment, friendship naturally deepens and sometimes turns into a relationship.
Officers of both the services come after passing the toughest examination of the country, due to which there is a feeling of professional equality and respect among them.
how relationships become stronger
- similar socio-educational background
- Most of the candidates who come here after passing the Union Public Service Commission examination, have the same level of hard work, thinking style, social understanding and talent. In such a situation, compatibility is formed very quickly with all these things. It is easy to understand the nature of work. All of them also start understanding each other's work and challenges.
Generally, this is the biggest challenge in the marriage of IAS and IPS officers. Because they are transferred continuously. There is no fixed limit of time. Very little time is available for family. The nature of work can engage at any time of the day or night. But it is also a fact that one officer understands the responsibilities of the other very well, hence this marriage is considered "sustainable".
Why do you consider this a good match?
The IAS and IPS couple are often seen as a “power couple” who command immense respect and influence in the society. The public sees them as 'role models'.
Both have the same status. This match also gets immediate approval from the society. The family also believes that a "good match" has been found. This job is considered to have the highest security cover in government service.
Since when have such marriages been happening?
Intermarriages between IAS and IPS have been happening since the 1950s. Which are very much in vogue now. Some such marriages took place in the 1950-60s.
- T.N. Seshan (IAS) and Jayalakshmi (IAS)
-Viresh Kumar (IAS) and Aarti Ahuja (IAS)
- Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha (IFS) and Geeta Bhagat (IAS)
- Amarnath Verma (IAS) and Umesh Kumar (IAS)
Many cases of their love marriages are found in old records, but after the year 2000 this number has increased significantly.
Famous IAS-IPS couples with famous love stories
1. Tina Dabi (IAS) - Athar Aamir (IAS) -1 Both of them came close during the foundation course in the batch of 2015. Both of them fell in love. The marriage and love of both were very much talked about but after their marriage in the year 2018, they also got divorced. Now both of them have married separately again. Tina Dabi married ISIS officer Pradeep Gawande in the year 2022. Pradeep is an IAS officer of 2013 batch. Athar Aamir Khan also got married for the second time after this divorce in the year 2022. He married Dr. Mehreen Qazi, a resident of Kashmir.
2. Pooja and Manu Maharaj (both IPS) - Both are in IPS Bihar cadre, they met during training. Manu Maharaj is counted among the most popular IPS officers of Bihar.
3. Chetan Tambe (IAS) - Ashwini Vaidyan (IAS) - Both of Karnataka cadre. This IAS couple came closer during training and then got married.
4. Deepak Yadav (IPS) - Preeti Yadav (IPS) - Both officers of MP cadre. The relationship started from the time of training, they were seen working together even after marriage.
5. IAS Rashmi Kamal - IPS Kamaldeep - Their love story started from the classes of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy and then turned into marriage.
6. IAS Harsh Mangala - IAS Anjali - UPSC topper Harsh Mangala and Anjali met at Lal Bahadur Academy. Both of them got married.
7. Yuvraj Marmat (IAS) and P. Monica (IPS) - He presented a unique example of simplicity in his marriage. Spent only ₹ 2000 in court marriage.
8. Srishti Deshmukh (IAS) and Dr. Nagarjuna Gowda (IAS) - Both of them also met in Lal Bahadur Academy. Got married after about two and a half years of training.
9. Dr. Navjot Simi (IPS) and Tushar Singla (IAS) - They got married in Tushar Singla's office on Valentine's Day.
There are hundreds of records of such marriages. Many such marriages have taken place in the last 75 years.
Did Lal Bahadur Academy become "matrimonial ground"?
Many senior IAS officers jokingly say that officers become couples in Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy faster than the cadre. Although this is just a joke. Actually, in this academy everyone's foundation course takes place simultaneously. There are 350-400 trainees at a time. In this, 10-15 percent people marry each other. These numbers are increasing now. The reasons for this may be
- Social media increased openness
- Professional life is the same
- Transparency in cadre allocation.
Does cadre allotment also advance love stories?
Many current and former IAS and IPS officers believe that this happens. Some people also do this to get the desired cadre. If two officers were getting married, earlier the government considered keeping them in the same cadre. Now however these rules have changed. But married couples can take posting in the same state on a case-by-case basis. This flexibility helps in taking relationships forward.
The government does not put any restriction on such relationships being formed during training, only the condition of discipline is there. Hostel timing should be followed. Any kind of unwanted behavior is strictly prohibited. However, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy administration does not interfere in personal relationships unless they affect the training.
what does the research say
Some research has also been done regarding this. Research shows that the tough phase of UPSC preparation makes the way of thinking of these officers similar. During training, they understand each other's struggles, which creates a strong emotional bond. Social studies conducted in recent years have shown that in earlier decades the number of women officers was less, hence such marriages were less common. As the number of women in the services increased, the percentage of batch mate marriages also increased.
Experts keeping an eye on administrative reforms have also studied the impact of these marriages. Studies show that when both husband and wife are in bureaucracy, they understand each other's work hours and stress better, which leads to less discord and more understanding in their personal lives. Research also says that 'ego clash' can definitely be a big challenge, especially when both are posted in the same district and the situation regarding protocol is not clear.