Meet IAS Farah Hussain, second Muslim woman to crack UPSC exam from...., comes from family of officers, her husband is..., her AIR...

UPSC Civil Services Examination is one of the toughest exams in the world. It has three levels, Prelims, Mains and Interview. Achieving a government job in prestigious positions, like IAS, IPS, IFS officer, is a dream for many young people. Numerous candidates appear for the exam annually, but not everyone is able to crack UPSC examinations. It requires days of hard work and many sleepless nights. Today we'll look into the story of IAS Farah Hussain, who cracked UPSC CSE in 2015. Farah has broken many stereotypes about woman and Muslims. Coming from a well educated Muslim family, she is now inspiration for many Muslim girls eyeing for administrative role in Indian government. 

Meet IAS Farah Hussain

IAS Farah Hussain hails from Nawa village in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. She belongs to the Kayamkhani Muslim community and have produced many IAS and IPS. Her father, Ashfaq Hussain, was also an IAS officer and former District Collector and her uncle Liaquat Khan, served as an IPS officer and chairman of the Waqf Board. Her husband, Qamar Ul Zaman Chaudhary, is also an IAS officer posted in Jodhpur.

Her UPSC Preparation

Farah did her schooling in Jhunjhunu. She pursued law from the 'Government Law College, Mumbai. This college is among the prestigious law colleges in India. After graduating, Farah started her career as criminal lawyer. However, Farah was determined to crack UPSC, feeling motivated by her own family members. Farah started her preparation for UPSC early in her lawyer career. She opted for 'self study' over any coaching institution. She then appeared for her first attempt, however was not able to crack it.

In 2015, Farah Hussain cam back stronger and gave her second attempt to the UPSC exam, which is one of the most difficult exam in India. And her hard work paid off and she secured AIR 267. She became an IAS officer at the age of 26. She also became second Muslim woman from Rajasthan to join IAS without any coaching. She is currently posted in Jodhpur

Family of officers 

Farah Hussain hails from the family of officers. There are 14 officers in her family who holds prestigious positions.  

• Zakir Khan (IAS) – Collector of Sriganganagar
• Shaheen Khan (RAS) – Chief Medical Officer, formerly OSD to CM Ashok Gehlot
• Monica (DIG, Jail) – Jail Superintendent in Jaipur
• Shakib Khan (Brigadier, Indian Army) – Currently posted in Hisar
• Salim Khan (RAS) – Deputy Secretary, Education Department
• Shana Khan (RAS) – Officer in Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
• Javed Khan (RAS) – PS to Minister Saleh Mohammad
• Ishrat Khan (Colonel, Indian Army) – Commissioned 17 years ago, now a Colonel
• Farah Khan (IRS) – Another cousin, who also cracked UPSC and joined IRS
• Qamar-ul-Zaman Choudhary (IAS) – Farah’s husband and fellow IAS officer from J&K cadre