For the first time, the Greater Chennai Police has created a new music band consisting of bagpipers and drummers comprising only policewomen. Since its inception two months ago, the team stole the show in recent public events it performed at.
Additional Commissioner of Police, Headquarters J. Loganathan said, “There was a bagpipe band consisting of men with an Armed Reserve unit in the city police until 2015. Later, it was disbanded for various reasons as the men got transferred and shifted to other places. However, we do have a police band consisting of men playing clarinet and other instruments. For the first time, we have created a new band comprising only women who play bagpipes and drums. They will be deployed in ceremonial parades or any other events conducted by the police.”
The new band has been formed with 34 policewomen carved from the Tamil Nadu Special Personnel in the Armed Reserve Police. They are being trained by K. Kaliyappan, a band master who retired from the Indian Army at Rajarathinam Stadium every day.
R. Anandhi, a woman inspector, was specially assigned to head the team. She said: "We chose personnel who had an avid interest in performing cultural programmes and playing the pipe and drums. Later, they were trained with the help of a band master from the Army."
The personnel were provided with bagpipes and specially made uniforms which were procured at a cost of ₹12.89 lakh. They performed the first show at the police medal parade held on May 27 and at the presentation of the President's colours on July 31.
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand are three States which have a women bagpipe band other than Tamil Nadu.
