We are sitting in the courtyard of Aruna Bahuguna's house and the director general of Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response and Fire Services in a blue Santa tee and trousers is at the doorstep cheering for Maximus and Layla. The doorway gives no indication of the excitement that the dogs will unleash. Maximus (named after Russel Crowe's character in the movie Gladiator ) and Layla (Eric Clapton's song) wagging their tail vigorously jump on Aruna as she pats their head and happily plays on with her four-legged friends. After 10 minutes of coaxing and calling to get the perfect shot, Aruna subsequently returns for a tete-a-tete.
“My grandmother built this house in 1930,” she says as she looks around the house with pride. The feeling continues when she talks about her fearless and strong-willed grandmother. “My grandmother was the first lecturer in Maharani College in Mysore. Once Rabindranath Tagore had gone to Mysore and was impressed by this young girl, who was widowed with a child but was at the forefront in spreading education. When Tagore came to Hyderabad, he told the Nizam about her. During that time, Hyderabad was very conservative and women strictly followed the ‘purdah' system. A woman was needed to teach the other women and that's how my grandmother came to Hyderabad.”
Aruna and her sister Karuna Pillai (working as chief post master general) had a disciplined childhood. “My father was posted in Maharashtra and we would often travel by car to see different places like Agra, Kanyakumari and Ooty. These sojourns brought us together and the outdoor activities helped me in challenging my personality.”
Aruna's police story began at the age of 22 after graduation (“I didn't get to do my PG and I am teased as the least educated in the family”) and the academy's training was no cakewalk. “We were just two girls in the group of 54 (the other girl even dropped out due to health reasons). The training regimen included riding, rope climbing and jumping from great heights. Weapons like .303 rifle were very heavy and using them would be tough. I was an outdoor person so could blend in these situations. Coming from an all-girls school and college, the only uneasy part was that I took time to adjust since the class had all boys.” The training was not just physical and psychological as the young recruits also indulged in fun. “Once one Sardar was drying his long hair at the window and the squad returning from a parade thought it to be a woman! And, who can forget that water fight. We used to get just two buckets of water and had to store the water for the whole day. One day somebody started a water fight and the director caught us and punished,” smiles Aruna. Now, when she sees more and more women putting on the police uniform, her heart swells with pride and passion.
“Today's officers are highly qualified too. There are engineers, doctors, Ph Ds and it feels really good that there is an attitude change about women officers. The only missing thing is the camaraderie which we officers shared. We would know each other's family members, their children and would meet often.”
Talking about her second marriage with S. Jayaraman, IPS, Aruna says, “He is an Iyer and a strict vegetarian and lives in Jubilee Hills and we are totally non-vegetarian,” she says laughingly and adds, “We respect each other's religion and that makes it a very harmonious relationship. I don't try to be a mother to his children and he doesn't try to be a father to my children. We respect each other and our children.”
Aruna loves telling stories of Incredible India, which she writes in her long travelogues.
“Do you know how Ellora was discovered?" she asks us and continues, "Once a Britisher went chasing a tiger in a thickly forested place and saw a cave and that was Ellora. Nehru would visit Bibi ka Maqbara, a replica of Taj Mahal in Aurangabad during moonlight and would just sit in silence. I love the story of Khairunnisa. I am fascinated by monks and monasteries and love reading about the historical past of India. I love real stories," she says with a child-like enthusiasm.
It is a week to go to Christmas and her house is being spruced up for the big day.
"The decorations will be done two days before Christmas so that they look fresh and good," she says. Christmas is all about giving, receiving gifts and indulging in delicious goodies. There's one thing that instantly comes to Aruna Bahuguna's mind is the Christmas cake and Kalkal , a suji and maida roll.
“The cake recipe is our recipe, written in my grandfather's hand writing. Till date, we follow the same method,” she says. Before leaving, we ask her if she believes in the magic of Santa Claus and about her wish-list for him.
“My three wishes for Santa are: Bring back Hyderabad to its peaceful glory where people of different religions lived harmoniously, women should have more freedom and eradicate the evils caste and dowry from the society.”
Does she not have any personal wishes? “Rising in government service is one of the biggest fulfilments. I do not have any wishes as life is happy and perfect. I am frightened that it shouldn't get disturbed,” she signs off.
