IPS Vijayashanthi – Can anyone forget this epic character and its bold representation of woman in Tamil cinema? Such is the impact Era Vasundhara, a retired additional Deputy Commissioner of Police from Madanandapuram, has created among Tamilnadu police department.
As part of Women’s Day (8 March), News Today had an enthusiastic yet informative conversation with the 62-year-old Vasundhara, who shares about her work experiences, interesting cases and many more.
Vasundhara’s childhood dream was to serve soldiers by working as a military nurse. But, instead, she changed course and got into the police department in 1981.
“In those days, there were only women head constables. I am among the first batch of women sub-inspectors in the State and also the first in my whole family,” she says proudly.
Vasundhara recalls how she spent only Rs 40 to get the job. “I bought the application for Rs 25, spent Rs 15 for travel and that is it,” she laughs.
WHAT A START!
I started my duty right from my training period. During my practical training at Tambaram, I nabbed a number of persons involved in illegal activities in the locality. Then, I worked under the anti-hijacking section at Chennai Airport. I performed very well by handling many smuggling cases. I received several rewards from the customs department as an appreciation for my work.
FIRST OF ‘ALL’
Later, I was posted at St Thomas Mount and got promoted as Inspector, followed by which I was posted at Tirupattur. Here, within six months, I was appointed as the first L&O Inspector of the State. After this, I was shifted to Q-Branch – one of the CID wings of Tamilnadu police, and got to handle a lot of crime cases. I served there for five years. Throughout my career, I was posted at many places across Tamilnadu, such as Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Pattukottai, etc. On the very first day of joining at Thanjavur, I solved a mysterious child missing case in just 24 hours and received rewards and accolades for it from higher officials and District Collector.
SHE EARNED HER LOVE
Also, in Kumbakonam, I took up a challenge and did not register any FIR for nearly two years. I always made sure to solve the cases by counselling and still have the contacts of the people over there. I even remember sitting for over 4 to 5 hours for a single case and trying to resolve it with the people involved. Also, I strictly raised my voice against corruption at the stations I worked at. Then I got promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Police and so on. The locals even fondly called me ‘Kaavalthuraiyin Amma’.