Saturday 18 November 2017

Change begins with me

It was a Friday morning, I woke up a bit later than usual, a few friends had come over for dinner the previous evening. I was tempted to call the Teachers and excuse myself from the field trip. But luckily the better part of me took over and encouraged me to be in the moment.


So there I was with a few teachers and a bunch of cute kids for a trip to the Police Commissioners Office. The kids were between 8 to 9 years old, excited & enthusiastic, asking questions and having loads of fun.


We reached the Deputy Commissioners' Office where we were all made comfortable and was personally addressed by DCP Mr. Satyanarayana. The staff was equally excited to receive the kids and had prepared the kids on what's in store for them. Three buses full of boisterous kids were escorted by the Police to the Charminar, a beautiful heritage site and the icon of Hyderabad. It's located in the heart of the old city surrounded by shops and vendors. Mr Satyanarayana along with his staff made sure that the kids get an excellent view of this beautiful and historical monument.


Soon after we headed to the Dabeerpura Police Station where we were warmly greeted by the Inspector Ms. Lakshmi Mathuri.


Till that day, the image I held of the police stations came from run-of-the-mill masala movies made by Bollywood. The image was of a dimly lit unkempt with ill-mannered Police Officers. That perception changed completely when I, along with those impressionable kids, learned that Police officers are not only trained physically and mentally but also in soft skills. Every person who walks in to a police station is not a criminal, so they have a reception and each one is made comfortable by offering Tea/Coffee.
 
She Police, Hawk Eye, Cyber Crime  and Detective Services are just some of the various progressive and forward thinking steps that our cops are taking. The Police is not to scare and intimidate the common man but they work hard day and night for the safety and security of the society.


I am sure such steps are being taken at other places but I was really touched by the way Inspector Lakshmi Mathuri explained kids to trust the police and sleep peacefully as they will not let anything untoward happen in our lovely city. The warmth and friendly smiles which we received from the staff made me realize that its time for me to drop my old thinking.


My respect for the service the Police provides increased immensely. The words of Mahatma Gandhi - Be the change you wish to see in the world engulfed me and made me recognize and change my limiting beliefs that no longer serve me well.


I was fortunate to have this opportunity, but we all need to introspect about these services. Do we take them for granted or Are we grateful for them? Do we appreciate the fact that the society is safer due to the friendly neighbourhood cops  or we feel its our birth right ? Do we acknowledge the Traffic Police standing in the harsh Sun and pollution or we think they are not good at managing?


Change begins with me, I do understand this now and when I wake up I say a silent prayer for all the Officers who worked all night to make our city peaceful and safe. This is my vision of a peaceful world where each one is loved and respected and it starts with a this single step of spreading what I think.

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be - Lao Tzu