How many times have we seen two persons who compete for the top slot in an examination or competition, have cordial relationship between them? Rarely, isn’t it? However, Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan, the person who got the second rank in UPSC 2015 not only lost the top slot but also his heart to the top ranker, Tina Dabi.
Tina Dabi (22) who is presently taking training in Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy for Administration, Mussoorie, told that no date for the marriage has been decided so far; however, engagement ceremony will take place pretty soon.
They both met on May 11, during a felicitation function at the department of personnel and training (DoPT) office, North Block.
This is what Tina told,
“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).”
She said that it was by August when she felt completely in control of his love. She further adds,
“But I thank Aamir every day for his perseverance. He is a wonderful person.”
Aamir and Tina have never even made an attempt to hide their relationship and they have been posting their photos of holidays, fun time with friends, etc. on Facebook. As it happens, their photos also attracted a lot of praise, encouragement and a little criticism too, as some are getting critical of Aamir’s religion. Tina said,
“We are in love and very happy. But I must admit that I get very disturbed when I read stuff about us. We have stopped googling our names and reading news about ourselves. I think it is a small price to pay for being in the public eye.”
She also talked about the criticism,
“As any freethinking independent woman, I am entitled to certain choices. I am very happy with my choice and so is Aamir. Our parents are happy too. But there will always be those elements, that small minority who will always pass negative comments about dating someone from another religion. It is just that 5%. The majority are very happy. You would have seen in my Facebook timeline that most of the comments are encouraging. In fact, I am overwhelmed by the support and congratulatory messages. I thought “yeh to achcha hai” (this is good.)”
She added,
“There have been a lot of comments attributed to me falsely. Then there are comments that are anti-caste, targeting reservations, religion. It’s as if I have committed a crime by falling in love with someone who is not the same religion or caste as me. Things do become offensive. I then wonder if I should be active on social media and confront such stuff. But then I tell myself that I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
When asked how she feels when the Dalit community sees her as an icon, Tina said,
“I don’t think I can be an icon yet because I am yet to do something concrete. By hard work, God’s grace and some luck, I managed to top an exam. But at the end of the day it is just an exam and I still have a long way to go. I still have to go on the field and do something. I still have to prove myself. I know that there is so much social stigma attached to being a Dalit that it is unthinkable for many Dalit students that they can ever top the exam. So if I can encourage any student to do better, I think it is wonderful.”
Our best wishes are with the couple and we hope that they both have a great professional and personal life.
Image Source: Facebook