The umbilical cord can be severed, but not the special cord that ties someone to his birth place and the places where he grew up in. This special connection will always be there no matter how far he wanders off.
Yet, being in a new place helps one to grow and explore one’s potentials. Although the change can be difficult and challenging, it can also create more opportunities for learning and growth, as it happened in the case of Mr. A S Rajan, Director of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA).
A 1987-batch IPS officer from Tamil Nadu who was allotted Bihar cadre, he spent more than a decade in this eastern state for work. During an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, he talked about his early days of service in Bihar.
LANGUAGE WAS NOT A BARRIER
Mr. Rajan first came to Hazaribagh and then spent some significant time in Ranchi (undivided Bihar) as part of his district training. Recalling those days, he said that he feels blessed to have got an opportunity to learn from very decorated and senior officers of the state. “The major challenge that I faced was that of language. Most people spoke Hindi and I wasn’t comfortable with it. I had learned some basics in the police academy, but my Hindi got upgraded only when I was in the field. The language never became a barrier for me as I could somehow relate to the place almost instantly. The geography, language and food might be different, but our hearts, after all, are similar,” he said.
As part of his first posting, Mr. Rajan was given the charge of Sasaram, in Rohtas district, as ASP. It was a challenging posting as the place was infamous for murders at that time. Around 220 murders had happened in one year. Besides this, it also grappled with communal violence, gun culture, and other crimes.
Although Mr. Rajan was just starting his career, he still managed his job with aplomb. His efforts were recognized by the government of the day and he was posted as SP of Rohtas at a time when five SPs had changed in two years. The highest term for an SP was between 3-4 months in that district, but Mr. Rajan served for around two years and handled two elections. Talking about it, he said, “It was really a proud moment for me as I was made SP of the same district where I served as ASP. I learned Bhojpuri there and also got to know more about Bihar policing and how to effectively handle communal tensions.”
STRONG FOUNDATION LAID
He remained in Bihar till 1999 and then went for his central deputation. During his time in the state, he served in Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Lohardaga. One of the rarest moments in his service life came when a panel of the Bihar Assembly proposed his name for posting as the SP of Purnea. Actually, in 1997, after the murder of MLA Ajit Sarkar, the district had to grapple with violence and went into complete lockdown for seven days. During those tense days, Mr. Rajan was sent as SP to restore law and order and bring back normalcy in Purnea. He said, “All those experiences in the state built a strong foundation for my career. I still thank the state authority for trusting me during hard times and providing me with challenges. As it is said, you can’t learn swimming without going into the water. Similarly, no academy can train you for the challenges in the field. I feel blessed that I got those challenges and learned on the job.”
