Book: Madam Commissioner
Author: Meeran Chadha Borwankar
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Publisher: Pan Macmillan India
Pages: 296
Madam Commissioner is a memoir by Meera Chadha Borwankar where she revisits her experience and journey of being a woman officer of the Indian Police Service. She started narrating her journey from the time she graduated from the National Police Academy as the sole woman of the 1981 batch!
This book narrates how she carved the path for herself on the road not taken, becoming Maharashtra’s first female district police chief as well as its first Woman Police Commissioner. But it had not been easy as one can easily understand, as making a name for oneself in the male-dominated service, especially at that time. But as she narrates her story, she tells how when one has the power of truth, and intention to serve for the interest of people rather than oneself, one can achieve anything and everything.
The chapter on the Jalgaon sex scandal was one of the most emotionally moving chapters, where one can see the human emotions at the core, where the dynamics of humanity and administration meet, and no matter what the challenges come, one can find a way for the truth. The chapter on the executions of Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon is a memorable one and I’m going to remember it for a long time and will revisit it. The differences in the process of both the execution and the precision needed to implement, and taking care of the law and order were interesting to know and tell us the things that go behind the scenes of what we can attribute to as one of the most popular incidents of the largest democracy.
The author also talks about the imprisonment of Sanjay Dutt and the accusations posed by the media and the reality, cases revolving around Haseena Parkar and Chhota Rajan, jewellery heists worth crores, highway dacoits, port thefts, communal riots, violence and the corruption in the services, with many other things.
In this book, the author also talks about how the integrity of the administrative services declined over time, especially in the 90s and the reforms needed in the services, and how things can work in the best manner when there is a collaboration of the public and people in uniform, citing various examples throughout the book, making it a book that not only talks about one’s life but can be of interest of anyone interested to know more about the Khaki and the things that go behind which is neglected if seen from the surface.
As a person who rarely reads non-fiction, this book was a breath of fresh air, giving deep insights into the Administrative Services and the challenges and steps ahead in it through first-hand experience. I’ll give it 4.65/5 stars.
I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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