At her workstation, a traffic island on the Delhi-Jaipur highway,the world stops at her command."You learn to be strong as you go along." And lend that strength to others-like this shaken scooterist.
"It's past mid-day. Suddenly a young woman on a scooter decides to jump the light, hits a Maruti and then another young woman on a scooter. Instantly, Rajesh is clearing the crowd—polite but firm—first, then physically picks up the woman and makes her comfortable. "You are alright," she reassures her—she's more shaken than bruised. "Get her a glass of water," she shouts to the tea-stall boy. Then she helps the woman make a call to her father, and holds her while she lives down her trauma. All the while, Rajesh is completely calm. "You learn to be strong as you go along."
It's been just two years since she left home, but you can sense she has come a long way. She is a very different person already. When she looks in the mirror that she and room-mate Sarita share in the police quarters last thing before she's leaving for work, she can't help marvel at who she is today. Power dressing for a policewoman is part of the job. But for Rajesh, it stands for her new identity. "I am so proud of this blue and white uniform; nobody fools around with me when I'm in it."
Those who do have hell to pay: "Just the other day I was shopping in civilian clothes and someone pulled at my dupatta. I just turned around and taught him a lesson with a karate chop that I remembered from my training days." She speaks matter-of-factly.
No evenings out, or chilling out in front of the television, cooking and eating alone in the mess(above), it's a gruelling life. But Rajesh has learnt to thrive on it, and likes it best when she's with room-mate Sarita (below)or laughing with friends."So much so I've stopped missing my parents.' she says.
Though always impressed with the police, Rajesh got converted the day she saw Kiran Bedi on TV. "I told my father that I wanted to be in the police." It needed a leap of faith for Surat Singh to even hear her out, as no girl had till then ever left the small Haryana hamlet of Kagsar, a four-hour drive from Delhi, except to get married.
But Surat Singh did not disappoint Rajesh. And when we arrive at Kagsar the next day, we know she has taken the road less travelled. The village is a half-hour drive off the highway into a dust-track through farming land dotted with old twirly-moustached oversized-turbaned men and veiled women. The able-bodied men are all away at work; and the children are the only ones excited to see Rajesh in her uniform. They chase our taxi down to her family's modest cottage.
Was this woman cop like her younger sister when she lived at home? With slouching shoulders and eyes that hardly ever look up? But when Rajesh tells us about the most exciting time of her life—nine months of police training at Karnal—all the girls listen in rapt attention. "I was reborn there, learnt discipline, how to treat a victim, how to deal with a criminal and, of course, how to fire a .303!" Rajesh wears the pants in her family now, but there's no discomfort about it, that she is responsible for the few signs of prosperity in her home—the electric grinder and mixer, a ceramic tea set and the family's Sunday best.
She is now a role model. Her cousin has followed her into the forces, and one look at the audience reveals that others are raring to go. Surat Singh tells us about Rajesh's marriage proposals. "These days a lot of boys are looking for working girls. I want to find her someone who will respect her," he says. Rajesh hugs him instantly. "I really dread losing my freedom," she confides later.
There are no off-days in this job," rajesh tells you. "You get a break only when you're ill." But for every hour of duty, there's one hour off. Rajesh uses the time to take a nap in the beat-box.
"I did not know that the police were so discredited until I came to live in the city, but I think a woman is never dishonest until she is pushed to the brink, don't you agree?" she asks as we drive into the Gurgaon barracks in the evening. "Even women accused of murder are no different," she adds. "My father says success will come with hard work, so I am not worried about that, I only pray that I remain honest and committed when I retire," she says, as dusk falls around us.
