Meet N Ambika: Married At 14, Mother At 18, School Dropout Who Cleared UPSC to Become IPS Officer

N Ambika’s journey to becoming an IPS officer was far from easy. She was forced to leave school at the age of 14 after getting married to a police officer, and by 18, she was already a mother of two.

Her dream of becoming an IPS officer was sparked during a visit to a Republic Day police parade with her husband. Watching the respect and admiration shown towards senior police officers deeply moved her. She shared her desire with her husband, expressing how she too wished to earn such honour and recognition. While he was pleased with her ambition, her husband gently explained the tough road ahead. He told her that becoming an IPS officer would mean not only clearing a highly competitive exam but also completing a year of dedicated service.

In addition to being a school dropout, Ambika was already a mother of two. Yet, none of these challenges shook her determination. She firmly believed that if becoming an IPS officer was the way to earn the respect and dignity she longed for, she would pursue it with full commitment.

Ambika faced several academic challenges on her path to becoming an IPS officer. Since she had dropped out of school, she first had to complete her Class 10, Class 12, and graduation through distance education. At the time, she was living in Dindigul, which had no centre for Civil Services preparation. To continue her studies and prepare seriously, she moved to Chennai.

Ambika's path to success was made possible with strong support from her husband. While she focused on preparing for the challenging IPS exam in Chennai, he stayed back to care for their children, managing everything in her absence. Their shared understanding and support for each other became a key factor in Ambika’s achievement.

She tried the civil service exam three times but was unsuccessful each time. Her husband then asked her to come back, but she asked for one last chance. Thankfully, on her fourth attempt, she cleared the prelims, mains, and interview, finally achieving her dream of becoming an IPS officer in 2008.

Her first posting was in Maharashtra, where she quickly earned the nickname ‘Lady Singham.’ In 2019, while serving as the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Maharashtra, she was honoured with the Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year award.