‘I was foolish to believe…’: Retired IAS officer Divya Mittal writes about serving rural India; social media reacts

Divya Mittal returned from London believing she owed India a debt. Now, 13 years later, she left the IAS. She feels that debt has only grown. This reversal gives her resignation meaning beyond another senior officer leaving government service. The IAS officer has shared her version in a detailed social media post.

Divya Mittal announced her voluntary resignation on 30 August. The 2013-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer did not provide a specific reason. However, her farewell focused less on future plans than past encounters.

She studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore before securing a job in London. Yet professional achievement abroad left her with an uncomfortable sense of incompleteness.

“Growing up in an ordinary environment, I dreamt of living a good and successful life…However, even after achieving ‘everything’, something still felt incomplete. Being away from my country troubled me,” she wrote.

Mittal believed her education and confidence came from the soil of India. Returning home became her way of repaying that obligation.

The civil services then converted this abstract patriotism into everyday human contact. Mittal served as district magistrate (DM) in Sant Kabir Nagar, Mirzapur and Deoria.

She handled files involving land, disability support, farming and basic public services. Each document, she realised, represented someone waiting for dignity.

“I received many opportunities to serve and learnt immensely. Deoria taught me that supporting what is right is not optional. It is a duty. Mirzapur taught me that ‘impossible’ is not a fact. It is merely an opinion,” Mittal wrote.

“Sitting at Mother Vindhyavasini’s feet taught me another important lesson. Power does not come from a position. It comes from her blessings and the people’s trust,” she added.

One memory became the emotional centre of her farewell. Lahuria Dah, a remote village in Mirzapur, had struggled without access to drinking water. Its hill geography had made a lasting solution appear nearly impossible. Residents depended on tankers and distant sources for their needs.

During Mittal’s Mirzapur posting, officials pushed forward a piped water project. Clean water finally reached village homes after decades of hardship. Celebration followed, but Mittal remembered one quiet response most clearly.

“An elderly mother lived on the hill of Lahuria Dah. She saw water reaching her village for the first time. She said nothing. With trembling hands, she simply touched my head and blessed me,” Mittal remembered.

“I was foolish to believe that I had come to give something. The truth is that I received the most. My debt to the people only continued growing,” she further wrote.

“I have left the position today. However, that touch will remain with me throughout my life. The dream given to me by this country’s soil will also remain,” she concluded.

Social media reacts

Social media reacted emotionally to Divya Mittal’s post.

“Your emotional and inspiring post touches the heart deeply. Congratulations and sincere appreciation for your 13 years of dedicated public service,” wrote one user.

“This is a major loss for our society, as sincere IAS officers like you are rare across the country. You must have taken this decision after careful consideration. However, you still had much more to contribute to society as an officer,” posted another user.

One user asked, “Why did you resign? When an officer walks away from their responsibilities, there are usually two reasons. One is political ambition, and the other is frustration with a corrupt system.”

“For an honest, compassionate and people-focused officer like you, the position was only a responsibility. It never defined your identity. You proved that compassion, courage and duty can remain paramount even within the administrative system,” came from another.