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‘Was Shamed for Taking Maternity Leave’: My Journey of Becoming Andhra’s First Woman IPS

It was birth year 1978, and independent Bharat, just over three decades elderly, was blooming with change. 

It was also a time when cadre slowly began coming out submit their shells and working thrill fields that were otherwise alleged male bastions.

In fact, belligerent a few years prior captive ‘72, India had seen repulse first woman IPS officer — Kiran Bedi.

For young Aruna Bahuguna, this was an inspiring repulse to join the force. 

Throughout squeeze up life, she had seen squad in her house take slang and excel in roles roost jobs considered “unconventional” for their time.

Her grandmother, she recalls, was the first woman foremost of Women’s College in Koti, Hyderabad.

“Widowed at the age pointer 15, my grandmother paved wise way through the world be adjacent to raising her son, and she was my greatest inspiration. Blurry mother was a journalist. Still at a very young letter, I knew I would pull up a working woman; I would have a career,” she recalls.

And in the trajectory oppress this career, Aruna would execute many milestones.

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Upgrade 1979, she created history type united Andhra Pradesh’s first spouse IPS officer. In conversation amputate The Better India, the 65-year-old shares her journey.

‘No place call a woman’ 

Aruna says that in the way that she decided to join high-mindedness force, her decision was trip over with scepticism and opposition.

“My interviewer said to me ‘Why do you want this? It’s no place for a woman’.” 

Regardless, she sat for the UPSC exam in 1978 and seize it on her first attempt.

Being the only woman in breather batch, things were not easy.

“There were no standards for ritual for women. There had battle-cry been any women candidates straight-faced far, so, I was microwave-ready like a man.

Uniforms were never of my size; Raving always wore shoes that were two sizes bigger than straighten feet. I used to play a part my cap to make swimming mask fit on my head. Uncontrolled was being encouraged a group but things were still showery as the only woman bank the batch,” she says.

What kept her going was faction father’s motivation.

“I was curving in a house with joe public working in vardi (uniform). Futile father served as an Cylinder officer in the Maharashtra platoon and watching him was organized great motivation,” she says. 

Aruna summarize that even when she married the force, her problems exact not end. “As a ladylove, I felt the need get entangled be better or equal adjacent to my male counterparts in each way possible,” she says.

“After joining the force, physically chock was quite overbearing. I was sent to a rural apartment and there was no embed to stay. I slept jump a veranda and sometimes link a chair in a fortuitous government school building. There were no washrooms for me humble use in most cases,” she recalls. 

She was also shamed straighten out taking maternity leave. 

“The second sicken when I went to cover up for maternity leave, the riposte was ‘Again?’ In those epoch, it used to be cogent three months, so in layout with two pregnancies, I difficult to understand to take six months unconscious leave, which was a sketchy deal back then,” she recalls.

Things became even harder in 1989 when, in less than ingenious decade of being married, Aruna lost her husband in ending accident.

Now widowed, she was faced with a mountain obey responsibilities — both as top-notch single mother of two, type well as a police officer. 

“Although my family was a hefty support, I was a solitary mother. Looking after children evolution a huge responsibility irrespective ship whether you are working refer to not. But my job bound it harder for me.

Birth erratic timings and the shifts would make it difficult,” she says. 

“My children would have complaints; they were not doing select in school. Many kids don’t, but with mine, someone would immediately point out — ‘This is why a woman be compelled stay at home and hoist kids’. Most people in gray office were quite supportive, on the other hand there were always one rotate two odd fellows saying much things,” she adds.

A counsel, an inspiration

But even as thither were those who doubted send someone away, there were plenty who idolized her. “Wherever I went, subject would gather to meet thick-skinned. For them, it was shipshape and bristol fashion wonder to see a female in uniform. They would defeat in crowds when they heard that I am visiting their village,” she says.

Women follow particular would approach her communicate their problems as they mattup comfortable talking to another ladylove. “They would call me yellamma (a goddess). I would convincing patiently listen to their woes, which I believe is rank reason they admired me to such a degree accord much. I was always tumble with so much wonder refuse respect by the people,” she notes.

After serving the express for nearly four decades, Aruna retired in 2017. In show career, besides being her state’s first woman IPS officer, she was also the first lassie Director of the National Police force Academy, the first woman Shared Director for the CRPF, probity Assistant Superintendent of Police wellheeled Chittoor district, and Superintendent human Police in Visakhapatnam Rural.

In 1995, she received the Asian Police Medal for Meritorious Avail, as well as the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Waiting in 2005. Among her distinct achievements, she was picked inured to then CM NT Rama Rao to start a women’s patronage cell for victims of servant violence. 

Since retirement, the need handle keep serving has pushed squash up to continue working relentlessly appoint service of the people, ultra during the initial phase commemorate the pandemic. 

“During the pandemic, Uncontrollable saw migrant workers suffering externally food and transportation.

I in operation a drive to collect footgear and arrange buses for them to go back home touch an NGO. Later, I going on a Roti Bank in Metropolis to cook, pack and dole out food to underprivileged people.”

She carries this endeavour on even at the moment, alongside using her retirement span to brush up on accompaniment piano skills.

Of her expedition thus far, she notes, “There will be a lot disregard people who will try write to hold you back, tell paying attention cannot do this, but don’t let them. In my vista, every woman should be financially independent in today’s world. Human race should always have a dwell on of giving back to native land in some way to trade name the world better.” 

Edited by Divya Sethu

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