“Being Emotional is not a sign of weakness.” Dr Rajshri Singh, IPS

SUBURB in conversation with Dr Rajshri Singh, IG Crime, IG Traffic & Highways who is a poetess at heart.

“Culturally being emotional is considered as a sign of weakness. On the contrary, I feel, someone who understands and experiences life to the fullest can only be emotional. To feel and express emotions requires a lot of courage and grit, she says with a warm smile.” Her poetic prowess is seen in her recently launched print book, Adhkhili Dhoop, available on Amazon.

In Adhkhilli Dhoop, her published book, Dr Rajshri Singh, as a poetess, has described life very sensitively, in simple language that touches the readers’ hearts. The poems are an inspiration to accept the challenges of life and evolve, finding completeness within oneself. Delving into womanhood’s varied roles, she depicts a woman in various situations, carving her strengths and vulnerability.

Poetess at heart

“I am very feminine!’’ IG Rajshri feels that due to her work requirements, her active feminine side had become dormant over the years. “Last few years, I am exploring the poetess back in me.’’ During her college days, poetry was her favourite hobby. Now one can see her reciting her poetry on various platforms.

Woman as a fifth wall

In one of her famous poetical narration, she portrays a woman as the fifth wall of the house. “She is indeed stronger than the wall. She absorbs the emotional upheavals of all her family members, withstands day-to-day situational challenges and holds the foundation of a family strong.’’

Her love for writing poetry is not newfound. It is her way to de-stress. When she is travelling or moving locally, she has ready paper and a pen to put her thoughts together. “Writing gives me a sense of calmness and helps me focus on my work better.’’ Dr Rajshri Singh moves forward with utmost feminine nerve, wisdom and righteousness. As a senior IPS official in one of the most significant departments of the governance, she has had her share of challenges which she faces with great poise and assertiveness.

Early life lessons

Hailing from a small town in Haryana, Bhiwani, she learned her lessons early in life from her father who said, “To get heard and turn things around for yourself, you must be well educated and in the position of power.’’ A medical doctor with a degree in BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery), Dr Rajshri after her six years of course in medicine appeared for HPS (Haryana Police Service) examination. After getting selected, she joined the police department directly as a DSP.

“I feel that the way the medical doctors treat the sick people with medicines, and we treat psychological sick individuals, the criminals. We are responsible for keeping society healthy; away from criminal viruses.’’

‘’My love & Respect for the Uniform.’’

The first grain of inspiration to join the police department entered her after seeing the Bollywood film Haqeeqat. “The serial Udaan, back in the day, greatly influenced my choice. The role of the protagonist, Kalyani Singh, as a dedicated police officer inspired me greatly. To wear Khakhi became my goal, a holy grail.’’

‘’It is tough for girls to join the police department since it is a very demanding, high-pressure job wherein one has to stay available to the call of work 24×7.’’

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

On asking about her journey up the ladder, she smiles and continues, “Sincerity, a lot of consistent hard work and an attitude never to give up has got me through.’’ Pre-dominantly a patriarchal set-up in the police department, it has not been easy for her. “To prove her worth and credibility, a woman has to prove her worth three or four times more in comparison to her male counterparts at work. Yet, appreciation does not come easy from the people around. If I do not receive applause for the work I do, it does not bother me anymore. I have worked sincerely and will work with my utmost dedication to my country.”

There have been trying times at work when she was dealing with sensitive cases or working till the early hours and her children were young. She goes on to say that a successful woman, over the years, deftly learns the balancing act for her work and family both are equally important.

“One must manage all the fronts, home & work judiciously, and that’s what tests the enormous capacity of a woman.’’

The battle of gender equality!

“Our social fabric is still very bias. A woman is expected to be ‘Sarvgunsampan.’ She should be efficient in household chores, good looking, cultured, and financially independent. None of it is presumed from a man. I believe a woman harnesses a lot of inner strength in her. She possibly does not recognize it because of the patriarchy’s mental conditioning and battered behaviour over generations. She is spiritual, intuitive and robust.

Gender equality, as I see graced by nature, was men fending for the house and women looking after the household affairs. With changing dynamics, there is a significant shift in the works of both genders. But somehow, the mind-set has not shifted. On the one hand, women should not shy away from looking after the mental, emotional & physical nourishment of the family members; at the same time, men must also support her in household chores. Unfortunately, gender equality is made into an issue of strength and vulnerability. Both genders make a complete whole and are born with some engrained attributes given by nature. When the foundation or the balancing act gets shaky, it certainly has an impact on the coming generation as well.’’

Dwindling of moral values

Dr Rajshri comes forward without mincing words in support of the joint family system. ‘’Parents, grandparents raised earlier children, were not left alone in the house with the maids like in the current scenario. Previously, moral values were seeded in children through heroic tales and moral stories narrated by grandparents. Today it is a nuclear family set up where grand-parents are not welcome. With both parents working, children grow up without much emotional nourishment and are very susceptible to outside influences, including media platforms, entertainment channels, maids, and peers.

Somewhere down, all this has influenced our social fabric, and hence many youngsters are taking to violence. With accessible affluence, the youngsters get a feeling of entitlement, and one sees the accelerated growth in the rate of crime.’’ Underage driving is a significant concern, she says.

Being at the helm of policing governance she shares her concerns, “many youngsters are like misguided missiles; they are aimless and thus explode at the wrong places on the wrong targets. They take on fights, giving rise to incidences of road rage. These people who show erratic irrational behaviour are typical cases of psychological disorder, riding on false egos. They are those who don’t get heard at home and also at work. Hence, at the drop of a hat, they create situations to get heard, recognized. Secondly, people are aware of their rights only and not considerate about the rights of others. Life for most is a contest instead of cooperation.’’

Awards & Accolades

She is the recipient of President Police Medal in 2012 for her meritorious services. Graced with Gurugram Achievers Award, Haryana Garima award, she was recognised and felicitated by Janta TV and was seen on Zee TV in the popular show Kavi Yudh. One can hear her talk on various leadership conclaves and women empowerment forums. She believes in keeping up with the changing technology and currently has 134,244 followers on her Facebook page. Recently Dr Singh has been felicitated for outstanding contributions in social and community servicing by the Pride of India Award of World Book of Records.