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New Delhi, July 4, 2026: In a society where securing a spot in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is widely considered the ultimate professional achievement, voluntarily stepping down from it is almost unheard of. To do so after topping the entire Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination seems completely unthinkable. Yet, that is exactly the choice Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal made nearly two decades ago.
Speaking candidly with journalist Barkha Dutt at the “We The Women” event in London, Dhaliwal—now the Global Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT—shared the full, deeply personal story behind his decision to resign from the IAS to support the academic and professional dreams of his wife, the globally renowned economist Gita Gopinath. Far from a narrative of regret or reluctant sacrifice, Dhaliwal frames it as a calculated bet on his wife’s brilliance—a bet that ultimately reshaped both of their lives.
A Twist of Fate: Failing IIT and Finding Love
Dhaliwal’s journey to public service began with an unexpected detour. Growing up, his family pushed him toward engineering, a familiar ambition for many young students in India. However, failing to clear the hyper-competitive Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) entrance exams forced him to pivot toward economics. Looking back, Dhaliwal calls that initial setback the best thing that ever happened to him.
He enrolled at the Delhi School of Economics (DSE), where fate introduced him to a brilliant classmate named Gita Gopinath. While Gopinath was single-mindedly focused on academia and moving to the United States to pursue a PhD in economics, Dhaliwal harbored a different lifelong ambition: entering the Indian civil services.
In 1996, Dhaliwal realized his dream by securing All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination. He was assigned to the prestigious Tamil Nadu cadre, entering the field as a young officer eager to implement development programs.
The Reality of a 1990s Long-Distance Relationship
For five years, Dhaliwal immersed himself in the demanding world of administration. He recalls arriving in Tamil Nadu as a young Sikh officer from Punjab who did not yet speak the local language, only to be immediately thrown into the deep end by his District Collector to handle active communal tensions. From resolving local riots to freeing bonded laborers, Dhaliwal excelled in the field. He notes that many of the true highlights of his life still stem from his short time as a bureaucrat.
However, maintaining a marriage across continents in the late 1990s proved to be an exhausting logistical and financial ordeal.
Recognizing the strain, Gopinath suggested a temporary bridge. With one year left in her PhD program at Princeton University, she encouraged Dhaliwal to utilize the study leave provision offered by the IAS. Dhaliwal applied, secured admission to Princeton’s Master’s in Public Affairs program, and joined her in the United States.
Choosing the ‘Second Dream’
The turning point arrived as Dhaliwal’s two-year master’s program was winding down. Gopinath had completed her doctorate and was offered a prestigious position at the University of Chicago. Facing the reality of returning to India, Gopinath began interviewing for corporate consulting roles with firms like McKinsey in Mumbai, preparing to alter her own career trajectory to accommodate his reassignment in the IAS.
Dhaliwal stepped in to halt that compromise. He recognized that Gopinath possessed a rare, generational intellect capable of reaching the absolute pinnacle of global economics. Forcing her back to India, he reasoned, would stifle that potential.
With that mindset, Dhaliwal resigned from the IAS. The couple remained in the United States, allowing Gopinath to climb the academic ranks at the University of Chicago and later Harvard University, before eventually serving as the Chief Economist and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
No Regrets, Just Small Troubles
When asked if he still misses the prestige and profound societal impact of the civil services, Dhaliwal is unapologetically honest: he does. The direct, ground-level ability to transform lives is a unique feature of the IAS that few global corporate positions can replicate.
After leaving the government, Dhaliwal worked briefly in private consulting before finding a way to blend his administrative passions with global research. He joined MIT’s J-PAL during its foundational years. Today, as its Global Executive Director, he oversees an international research center dedicated to reducing global poverty through scientific, evidence-based policymaking—essentially continuing his IAS mission on a global scale.
Reflecting on their domestic life and partnership with a touch of humor, Dhaliwal joked that while Gopinath might get a “C-minus or a D-minus” on basic household tasks like loading the dishwasher, their alignment on the big things is flawless. He invoked a piece of parting advice given to him by a senior IAS officer when he left the service: “Iqbal, may your troubles be small ones.”
By prioritizing his partner’s monumental potential over institutional prestige, Dhaliwal’s story offers an updated, modern blueprint for shared success, proving that stepping back from one dream can sometimes pave the way for an even greater global impact.