Cop’ing with challenges as moms, as professionals

HYDERABAD: A natural multi-tasker, M Chandramma, Assistant Sub-Inspector of Bibinagar police station, deftly manages her duties at the Bibinagar toll plaza on the Hyderabad-Warangal highway as she also takes stock of the situation at home. Although her job responsibilities have kept her away from her family in Nalgonda, this enterprising cop does not want to trade her job for anything in the world. “My daughters are my strength. They are proud of me and egg me to go out there and give my best even if I am not around them in their times of need. Further, the encouragement from my superiors also inspires me to perform with more commitment,” says this 42-year-old 2004 batch recruiter. The last she met her family was in mid-March before the lockdown came into force. 

Chandramma is like a mother figure to the staff of her police station. She develops an instant rapport with the way addresses people — youngsters as bidda and the elderly as ayya or amma. “We offer migrant workers food, water and talk to them for a while. We may not solve their problem, but as a mother, I know some words of comfort will definitely give them strength,” she adds. Deputed to Nalgonda district in 2004, she was allotted to the Rachakonda Commissionerate during the bifurcation. Since then, she has been living solo in a rented space near the police station. She loves cooking and always packs the delicacy of the day for her colleagues.

“I get to visit my home once a fortnight when my husband Ramulu and my daughters come to Bibinagar to spend a day. A few days ago, my kids had come to visit me at the toll plaza, they saw me from far, spoke to me for sometime and went back. The biggest relief is that they can manage home and take care of themselves,” she adds.  M Renuka Reddy, sub-inspector Chevella, a 2009 batch officer hailing from esrtwhile Medak district, juggles her work with her time with her two young daughters Sahasra and Nitya Santoshini. Her husband Srinivas Reddy is also in the police department is posted in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh and she takes care of her daughters with support from her mom.

Renuka is happy that Chevella has not registered any Covid-19 cases. However, she and her team are always on alert, spreading awareness and sensitising the public on the precautions to be taken and coordinating food and grocery distribution to needy people. “Initially, my daughters would be upset about my absence at home. Whenever they ask me to stay home, I tell them that if I am at home, only they will be happy, but when I am at work, the entire town is happy. They not only understand what I say, but are also proud of me. How we communicate our responsibility and values to our children and family determines how they support us while we perform our duties,” she says. On a busy weekday as she discharges her duties, her daughters are busy learning calligraphy online during the lockdown. “It helps them improve patience, concentration and even physical abilities.”