Union Civil Services Examination is one of the toughest exams in the world. It has three levels, Prelims, Mains and Interview. Achieving a government job in prestigious positions, like IAS, IPS, IFS officer, is a dream for many young people.
Numerous candidates appear for the exam annually, but not everyone is able to crack UPSC examinations. It requires days of hard work and many sleepless nights. Today let’s meet power-duo IFS Apala Mishra and her IFS husband Abhishek Bakolia, who both studied hard to crack UPSC with impressive rank, and tied knot in April 2025. Apala Mishra is from the 2021 IFS batch and Abhishek Bakolia is from the 2022 IFS batch.
Back in Novemebr 2024, Apala posted a series of photos with Abhishek on Instagram with the caption: ‘diplomatic treaty >> wedding vows (with a ring emoji),” which went viral. IPS Navjot Simi, IAS Ria Dabi, and her husband IPS Manish Kumar also liked their photo. Later Apala posted photos from her wedding festivities in April-May 2025.
Who is IFS Apala Mishra?
Apala Mishra was born in 1997 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Her father Colonel Amitabh Mishra is in Army, and her brother Abhishek Mishra serves in the Indian Army as a Major, while her mother Dr. Alpana Mishra is a professor of Hindi at Delhi University. Apala completed her 10th class in Dehradun and class 12th from Rohini, Delhi. later, she earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from the Army College.
However, her interest in civil services led her to appear for UPSC exam. However, she failed the preliminary exam in both 2018 and 2019. She did not lose hope, and in her third attempt in 2020, secured AIR 9. She scored the highest marks in the interview stage that year, with 215 out of 275. She was eligible for the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS), but Apala chose the Indian Foreign Service.
Who is Abhishek Bakolia?
Abhishek Bakolia hails from Kotkapura in Punjab’s Faridkot district. He pursued Computer Science from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and later worked as an intern with J.P. Morgan. However, he also started gaining interest in civil services. Abhishek began preparing during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, without any coaching. He prioritized self study and worked hard. He appeared for the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2021 and cleared it in his first attempt, securing AIR 218.