In most households when kids reach a certain age, they are asked to focus on one thing and excel in it. For example, if you develop a liking towards Biology, chances are that you will be advised to pursue medical sciences in the future. However, Dr Darpan Ahluwalia from Punjab has proved that you can be two things at once!
According to The New Indian Express, 27-year-old Darpan Ahluwalia completed her MBBS in 2017 from Government Medical College, Patiala. After graduating, she served women by organising breast cancer screening camps through the NGO Pink Link Campaign.
But it was after a “short stint” at a government tertiary health care centre that she realised she wanted to join civil services and become a police officer. She was also inspired by her grandfather Narinder Singh, who had served in the Punjab police and retired as District Attorney and Chief Law Instructor.
“It was through him that I got my first exposure to the police. Though he retired a long time ago, I heard a lot from him about how the police can impact society and I decided to become a police officer,” she said.
It was in her second attempt that Darpan cleared the UPSC examination. In fact, she was the overall topper of the 73rd batch of the IPS! During her training, she got to interact with trafficking survivors which was a moving experience for her. It made her realise the importance of police services.
“Moving from working as a doctor to becoming an IPS officer is not a change of path or career, but I would say it’s an extension of what I have been doing in the past. With this new role, I will be more approachable to people, particularly women, as people look to the police as the first resort in any crisis or emergency,” she said.
May Darpan continue to inspire many others!