T. Rajendran, IPS (Chennai City Police Commissioner)
“There are not too many professions today where you can play God. One of the select few is the Police Force because each man comes with hope that we can help him.” The twinkle in his eye and the cheery note in his voice, tells us Mr. Rajendran, IPS, loves his job and no one can articulate this passion better than the man himself: “The safety of the city is both my concern and duty”.
With about 14,000 people reporting to him, this IPS officer's day starts very early if it ends at all. As I trailed him for 14 hours one day, my aching muscles stood testimony to all those pressures that the man must endure. His day begins with a brisk 50-minute walk at the crack of dawn because, “only now is my time mine.” Once back home, the rest of the day passes in a flurry of phone calls, debriefings, functions to be presided over, meetings to be headed and interactions with petitioners almost throughout the day.
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Food seems to be non-existent on the list of priorities with quick, healthy bites between meetings. Epitomising accessibility, the officer is available to protection-seeking public as well as advice-seeking officers.
Time reveals a Jack of all trades. On a site visit, he is not merely the supervising officer but also gets into the nitty-gritty, checking the floor plan, choosing tiles, debating the fonts while radiating a sense of authority and leadership. Just as we leave his Egmore office and I think things are done for the day and the officer can loosen his tie (metaphorically, of course), the mobile rings again. The drive, for him, is a balance of observing his men in action, listening to issues, coordinating action plans and relaxing with music. Then it struck me — When the eight million minds that populate the city don't stop working, the day of Mr. T Rajendran, Chennai City Police Commissioner, can never truly end.