She is the first Gujjar IAS officer from Poonch dedicating her life to serving people and working towards the empowerment of women. As a doctor, she hopes to use her knowledge to implement a better health environment, especially in rural India.
Meet Rehana Bashir, a tribal from Salwah village of Mendhar tehsil in frontier Poonch district.
Bashir lost her father, Mohammed Bashir, a State Forest Corporation employee, to prolonged illness in 2006. She was barely 14 at the time.
Her mother, working in the Agriculture Department, inspired her children to dream big. “My mother, Parveen Akhtar, stood like a rock behind me,” says Dr Bashir proudly, while speaking exclusively to The Indian Tribal. “She is one of the most powerful women I have seen in my life.”
After leaving Army Public School, Ratnuchak, in Jammu, Bashir earned her degree in medicine from the prestigious Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar.
But it was while she was doing her internship from the Government Medical College, Jammu, that she changed her focus. “I realised that I can serve people better by taking part in governance,” she recalls.
The tribal IAS officer says she appeared for her UPSC exams in 2017 but “could not make it.” Her brother Amir, an Indian Revenue Service officer, motivated her to try again.
The next year, this driven young woman secured an all-India ranking of 187. “I can say Amir is my real mentor. He guided me through the journey,” Dr Bashir says with a smile.
Bashir has served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Health and Family Welfare Department of West Bengal, part of the team chiefly responsible for successful implementation of the National Health Mission there.
In her maiden field posting, she is currently serving as Sub-divisional Officer in Dinhatta, Cooch Behar, West Bengal.
Dr Bashir talks about her journey so far and the challenges she has faced. “Ever since I started working, my perspective towards many things in life has changed,” she tells theindiantribal.com.
For example, during her stint as OSD she toured rural Bengal extensively. “I realised how important it is to reach out to the common people and serve them at their doorstep. They deserve these services. We can make them aware of their rights by holding such camps at regular intervals,” says this talented Kashmiri tribal.
Dr Bashir refers to West Bengal’s flagship ‘Duare Sarkar’ (Government at Your Doorstep) scheme to make her point. “Different departments’ officials converge at one place and provide all possible facilities and information about government programmes,” she says, appreciating the fact that people of the state are aware and demand their rights.
The IAS officer recalls the screening camps that organised treatment plans for diabetes, high blood pressure and other such lifestyle diseases. “My background helped me in delivering these services to the common people on ground,” she says.
The difference of culture also interests Dr Bashir. “Women in West Bengal are empowered and assert their authority,” she points out.
The doctor feels fieldwork changes the views officers form in the academy. “We learn so much from the common people. I believe they are part of us and we are a part of them. As officers, it is our duty to serve them to the best of our abilities,” the tribal IAS officer says.
At home too, Dr Bashir is trying to adapt to her current home. After returning from the office, she manages to cook her favourite food and makes nun chai — a salty, pink Kashmiri tea.
Bashir’s other interests include bird watching, space, knitting, coding and painting and new languages.
