Life In the Uniform by Amit Lodha

Author:Amit Lodha [Lodha, Amit]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789390914647
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2021-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

24

Sambhav

‘Sir, yahaan Bhagwan Buddha aur Mahavir kuch na kar sake—hum aur aap kaise karenge? Even Lord Buddha and Mahavir could not do anything here—what can you and I do?’ shouted a young man, clearly disgruntled with the state of affairs around him.

I had gone to interact with the college students of Nalanda just to listen to their problems and improve the functioning of the police. Instead, I saw disenchantment and apathy among the students. They were not only angry but seemed to have very little hope for the future too. The establishment had failed them and the police were no role models either. The only silver lining they seemed to find was that I was young and that they could interact with me easily.

I wanted to channelize their energy to augment the work of the police.

‘Tumhari yuva shakti se badi taaqat kuch nahin hain. There is no force greater than the power of the youth,’ I said.

‘Sir, ye toh har neta, vidhayak bhi bolte hain. Isse kya hoga? Every politician and MLA says the same thing. What difference will it make?’ retorted one of the students.

‘Hoga, zaroor kuch accha hoga. Something good will definitely happen. Sab sambhav hain. Everything is possible,’ I replied with conviction.

‘As SP of Nalanda, I’m announcing a police–public partnership today. I’ll call it Sambhav, meaning “possible”,’ I said.

‘I want volunteers from among you to come forward and help the police. You know the police is quite understaffed and we have a shortage of resources. It is very difficult for the police to perform even their basic duties properly. But it will be a big boost to us if you join hands with us,’ I told the packed auditorium.

There was a deafening silence for some moments. I thought that my idea had been outright rejected by the students. But suddenly the auditorium erupted.

‘Sir, I am ready!’ said one student.

‘SP Sir, SP Sir, I also want to support Nalanda Police,’ said another.

I felt wonderful to see almost all the youngsters embracing my idea. And it was heartening to see quite a few girls also participating with equal zeal.

‘Okay, now, it’s a great beginning. My office will issue special identity cards to you. From tomorrow, you will be known as the Sambhav volunteers. I will make a charter of duties for you in consultation with my team of police officers,’ I said enthusiastically.

I came back to my office quite excited and immediately called a meeting with my senior police officers.

‘I am starting a police–public partnership called Sambhav,’ I said, relating my interaction with the college students.

Most of the policemen somehow did not seem very enthusiastic about this idea. After a moment of hesitation, DSP Sadar said, ‘Sir, these college students are troublemongers. They often create trouble during festivals such as Holi and Saraswati Puja. How can they assist the police?’

‘DSP Saheb, that is exactly the point. Let us give some responsibility to these “errant” youngsters. I am sure it will channelize their energy positively,’ I said.

‘But, Sir, what work

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