Shining bright as cops

It’s a woman again!

Having been a part of the J&K cadre and the CBI, Doley Barman is known for her strict principles

Women in India are shining in every field, and testament to this is the fact that a woman has been appointed for the second time in a row, as the director of the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy. Doley Barman, a native of Assam, who later settled in Guwahati, has had an illustrious career thus far, having served in the Jammu & Kashmir cadre and then in the CBI, and currently serving as the director of the North East Police Academy.

Interestingly, it was not sociology or political science that Doley specialised in, before appearing for the civil services examination. “I was always interested in reading and writing and my parents were proud of my talent. I chose to do my bachelors and masters in English even though I wanted to appear for the civils, because my father always told me to pick a subject that I enjoy studying. It’s the same thing I tell my children too,” she says, remembering her children — a son and a daughter — both of who are pursuing their studies in Delhi.

She continues, “I am very fortunate to be married to Colonel P. Barman, an army officer who is now posted in Shillong. He has held my hand throughout my journey, despite being so far away.” When asked how she manages to spend time with her family, she says, “For all four of us to get together and spend  time, it is next to impossible. But when the kids have holidays and my husband is not on duty, we try and scrape out a few days for each other,” she says with a laughs.

Doley says that she has a long history with Hyderabad. “I came to Hyderabad for the first time in 1986 when I joined the NPA as a student. Now, 31 years later, I’m back as the director and it feels great. Since I have been a board member of the NPA for a few years now, I have been visiting the city often and am good friends with people like Goutam Sewang and Mahendra Reddy,” she says.

On her achievements so far and about what keeps her going, the 57-year-old remembers her father one more time. “My father used to always say that hard work will never fail to pay off. When I was a student at NPA, I remember my director saying that we must stay positive and set a goal everywhere we go. That is what I follow even now. The first time that I entered SVPNPA as the director, I told myself that there are certain standards established by previous directors like Vijay Kumar and Aruna Bahuguna and I must augment them. And, I want youngsters who pass out from here to make a difference to the society.”

About Aruna, Doley has great things to say. “She is one person I have always looked up to. Many feel that to fit this profession, women must be more like men. Aruna ma’am proved that we don’t need to walk or talk like men, but be ourselves. She is so good at her job, and yet, so suave and gentle,” she says.

Bold and unflinching:

Alongside a challenging job, Aruna Bahuguna has had a difficult personal life, but nothing deterred her confidence.

Sitting leisurely on the carpeted floor of her beautiful house in Hyderabad, Aruna Bahuguna can be seen playing with Layla and Maximus, her two Irish Setters. It seems that after 38 years of challenging service in the police force, she finally has the time to breathe. The first woman director of the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy says, “When I joined the service, my first DGP was so surprised, he said jovially, ‘oh, so you’re a lady. What do we do with you?’ I laughed and said ‘train me just like how you would train a man’,” she says, describing how different things used to be. “I used to carry a lathi and we would go around in jeeps without gunmen. If there was a murder that we were investigating, we’d have to camp under a tree at the crime site because there were no guest houses.”

For what she is today, she thanks her grandmother who brought her up while her parents were posted in the districts. “My grandmother was married and widowed twice at a very young age. Back then, there was a lot of stigma around widows — people wouldn’t like to see her face early in the morning. So, she lived remotely, but worked and supported her son. Rabindranath Tagore visited her and brought her story to the notice of the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was trying to promote women’s education at the time. She went on to become the principal of a women’s college in Mysore.”

Aruna, too, has faced many challenges in her personal life. “We met with an accident in 1989 when my husband passed away on the spot and I was clinically dead until they revived me. It was pretty hard to cope with the trauma and handle the job, but people were very supportive. I also had to bring up my sons by myself, but wives of my colleagues would offer to look after them while I was away,” she says and adds, “My sons were quite naughty and got themselves into trouble sometimes. Because of my position, there was a lot of attention from the media and a senior official even said, ‘this is what happens if women start working’. With the uniform came a lot of responsibilities, and I felt pressurised that I had to be right always. I was a wild child in college and my friends were surprised that I got into the services. Although I wasn’t there with my children always, they’ve seen me keep teenagers who have run away from home in my house and council them — they are rich in experiences like these. My younger son got married recently and I am so proud of the way he treats his wife.”

At 50, Aruna got married again to IPS S. Jayaraman, who passed away in 2014. “People talked but I did what I had to do. My grandmother brought us up to never bother about fitting in,” she says.  Now that she is retired, Aruna plans to indulge in travelling and arts. “I’m visiting many art shows and on Tuesday, I am off to Sivakasi, Yercaud, Salem. I love travelling but never had the time before,” she says. Aruna is friends with Doley Barman, and says that the latter is perfect for the role. “She has tremendous experience and is known for being a strict cop,” she says.