For the second consecutive year, a woman IPS probationer would command the Dikshant Parade at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) on Friday, considered to be the most prestigious honour for any IPS probationer.
A native of Faridabad in Haryana and borne on Rajasthan cadre, Ranjeeta Sharma is the fifth woman in the history of the academy to command the parade. Last year, Kiran Shruthi D.V. of Tamil Nadu cadre led the Dikshant Parade of her batch. Ms. Sharma, who had made it to civil services after exhausting all her attempts (sixth attempt), was the most determined.
In all humble and modest ways, the 34-year-old IPS probationer looks at her achievement as a fruit of her labour and constant support from her doting parents and friends, who always believed in her. A post-graduate from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, she worked in the public relations sector for more than nine years, before quitting her job to join the prestigious civil services.
“It is a journey of self-exploration and discovering myself,” she said, sharing her experiences about the rigorous training at the country’s premier police school.
Ms. Sharma said that the training had helped her to find facets of her own personality, such as running for 40 km and other outdoor training. “We have already been pushed beyond our ‘capabilities’. There are no boundaries here,” she said, adding that during the training, academy director Atul Karwal had been an inspiration and motivated her.
She had excelled in her training and bagged several awards, including the IPS Association’s Sword of Honour for the Best Outdoor Probationer. She was the first lady officer (trainee) to win this accolade in the history of NPA.
“Though I lost hopes on myself, as it was my last attempt, my father and friends believed in me and motivated me,” she added.
Meanwhile, Shreya Gupta, who was allotted to Tamil Nadu cadre, cracked the civil services examination in her first attempt and chose to become a police officer. “I hail from a middle class family and wearing the uniform was my passion. Though I had an opportunity to get into IAS, my love for uniform drove me here,” she said. Ms. Gupta said that her father struggled a lot to provide education to her and he motivated her in every step.
Prior to this, she worked as an inspector in the Customs department.
Eight officers, four each from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, would be graduating from the SVPNPA on Friday.