EMBRACE THE CHALLENGES: R. SREELEKA;by Bella Mariya Babu

           

              R. Sreeleka is the first woman IPS officer and also the first woman DGP from Kerala.She talks about the discrimination she had faced when she came into the police department.Even the DGP at that time had announced her visit as a pollution. It was these types of attitudes that she has to met. The officers had given her so many concessions, so she don’t have to do night duty, traffic duty, etc. But she refused it all and did double of everything to prove that a lady can also do all these and might be in a better way than male can do.

               When she gets married to a doctor and she was suddenly transferred to an insignificant post where her husband works. She was posted in crime records bureau where ASPs of her rank were not appointed and she became the first IPS officer to appointed in that department. She went and asked the DGP what mistake she had done to get this transfer. He said that because she get married so it would be convenient for her to be a family and have a child if she want. This upsets her so much and she asked whether he is the one who decides when she wants a child. Since the ground stone in police department is discipline she was written as an arrogant officer in her annual report. 

                Then she worked in crime records bureau and did something that no other officers had done. She found that maximum cases are reported under narcotics, so she conducted state wide awareness programs. Thereby forty percent of the cases were reduced in next year and she get the first good service entry from the government. She proved that if we have a firm determination we can find ways to do whatever we want to do.

               Another problem she faced when she was posted as the superintendent of police was one particular officer refused to come in front of her. She came to know that he keeps telling that he will solute any idiot but not a woman. At that time she let it go. But after five years later he had to work under her. When he came to see her she made him salute for about ten times. She believes that the result of everything we did will came back to us. She tells that the first person traveling in a path have to gone through thorns and will make the path smooth for the following ones. 

               She gives the message that life is full of challenges, joy, success, failure, etc. but our attitude towards life decides what we become in the future. All are gems but it requires polishing so that its true beauty can be seen. So embrace the challenges because it will make you a better person.

Bella Mariya Babu

20umat3707

Bsc. Mathematics