Sometimes, all it takes to realize where their heart lies is one random comment from an unknown person. This is what happened with IPS officer Ms. Shalini Agnihotri (2012 batch). Traveling once through the city on a local bus with her mother, she came across a man who refused to move his hand from the backrest of their seat, commenting that she should not behave like a DC. The word DC stuck to Ms. Shalini, and then and there she made up her mind that she would become one.
Interesting, isn’t it? In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Agnihotri opens up about her childhood, her achievements, and the challenges that she had to face.
Her Dream
Ms. Agnihotri was born in small village Thathal in the Una district of Himachal Pradesh. Her father was a bus conductor and her mother a home-maker. Shalini was always a very diligent student, and scored well in all her examinations throughout school and college. She completed er schooling from DAV school, Dharamshala and later enrolled herself in the prestigious Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur, from where she completed her graduation in Agriculture.
She considered getting into civil services as a dream but later on, she became serious about achieving this dream. “Becoming a civil servant was only a dream when I was young. But during graduation years, I got a chance to visit different parts of the country and that experience made me serious about being a civil servant.” She told Indian Masterminds.
Parents are Her Pillars of Strength
Ms. Agnihotri considers her growing years to be as normal as any other child’s. But one thing that she is highly grateful for, are her supportive parents. Ms. Agnihotri’s parents believed in her and supported not only her, but all her siblings too. Despite many odds, she received the best education and the freedom to choose whichever career, job, sports or hobbies she wished.
“None of us were forced to study or do something we did not want to”, recalled Ms Agnihotri. “Apart from formal education, informal education like getting bank cheques deposited on my own in 8th standard, buying household items, keeping track of money, staying securely in my parents’ absence and so on. Confidence was built over a period of time, and was never assumed to be inherent. My parents believed in learning to be better and that defined our lives too.”
Preparing for UPSC
Ms. Agnihotri is not like the usual UPSC aspirants who spent years of their life in preparing for the examination. In fact, she considers her preparation period as a highly informative and enlightening experience in itself.
“I had no idea about the study material and exam pattern. I looked into magazines, newspapers and over the internet to gather as much information as possible. I referred to interviews of successful candidates available over internet and in magazines to overcome strategy related confusions. I did not attend any coaching classes – physical or online” she said.
The best part that she considers about the entire preparation is the constant addition of knowledge into one’s mind about our own country and its administration. “It is all worth even if you are unable to crack the exam,” she remarks.
Journey and Accolades
Today, Ms. Shalini is posted as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. Her journey in the service has been nothing but gratifying and rewarding. She believes that her job is full of surprises, hopes, lessons and stories. “The exposure is deep and enriching” she says.
Ms. Agnihotri has tasted success since she was in school, due to her excelling performance in academics and otherwise.
“I have been blessed to be University Topper during my graduation and post-graduation and was able to continue at the same passion during IPS training at Hyderabad,” she said.
Her performance in the service has garnered her with various honors. In total, she has received nine awards to date. She was adjudged as the best all-rounder trainee in the 65th batch of the IPS. Not only that, she was honored with the Prime Minister’s Baton and the Home Ministry’s Revolver. Her accolades didn’t just stop there. She went on to receive an award for being the best all-rounder female officer trainee and the best female officer trainee in outdoor subjects. She also received a trophy for investigation, and one for the best essay writing ,on ‘communal harmony and national integration’.
“I feel I have done justice to the jobs assigned to me” says Ms. Agnihotri.
Challenged her own demons
Ms. Agnihotri believes that everybody has some or the other challenges to face in life but if one really desires something, that thing will ultimately land in their lap. You just need to work for it.
