To convey an important message of maintaining fitness to his audience — young police cadets to be inducted into the force — the chief guest at the passing out parade of the City Armed Reserved Constables, preferred to run to the venue ditching his convoy.
The passing out parade of the 335 batch of City Armed Reserved Constables was being held at Petlaburj, about 17.5 kilometers from Principal Secretary (Home) Rajiv Trivedi’s residence in Jubilee Hills. He started his run along with his son at around 6 a.m. and planned to reach the venue before 8 a.m. when the parade was scheduled to begin. He reached 15 minutes before the parade started.
Setting example
“What use would a talk be if it does not register? The passing out parade is a turning point in careers of the police personnel. I hope they would remember that the chief guest at their parade, a 57-year-old, ran to the event,” Mr. Trivedi told The Hindu.
The 1986-batch IPS officer’s exploits on the running track and in the swimming pool are well-known. For Mr. Trivedi, policing and fitness are inseparable, something he realised early during his days as a trainee officer at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. His record in the swimming pool of the NPA, set about 32 years ago, stands till date. He also holds the record for the fastest swim, 12 hours and 31 minutes, across the Palk Strait from Sri Lanka to India.
But the senior officer says his time leading undivided Andhra Pradesh’s anti-naxal unit, Greyhounds, proved to him why fitness is a pursuit of a lifetime.
Importance of fitness
“Greyhounds were ambushed in 2008 in the crocodile-infested waters of Balimela reservoir in Odisha. For 14 days we searched to retrieve the bodies. I entered the waters along with the others to help in the search,” he recalled, attributing his determination to assist to the gallantry of the men who were killed in the attack.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trivedi, in his running attire, told the cadets there are high expectations from the police. “Fitness cannot be obtained overnight and in isolation. It needs an enabling environment. I urge you to pursue it with your families and society, in a holistic manner by striving to keep the environment clean and by understanding the importance of good health and fitness.”
