Spice of Life: Humbled after encounter with encounter specialist
Meeting the celebrated cop was nowhere near our imagination. In the wildest of our dreams, we were not expecting such a down-to-earth human being. Soft-spoken (the traditional Avadhi adab), grounded and extremely respectful. It was like meeting a long lost friend.
My husband was evaluating a thesis from Lucknow, and I saw it as a divine proposition. I cajoled him to take me along and we would pay obeisance at Ayodhya. We roped in our children for the road trip. A cursory glance at the thesis, the name of the candidate and my sons were excitement personified: “He is an encounter specialist. The web series is based on his life!”

So, each with his own motive, we hit the expressway for the arduous journey, in tandem to the Irish idiom seeking ‘a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’.
Meeting the celebrated cop was nowhere near our imagination. In the wildest of our dreams, we were not expecting such a down-to-earth human being. Soft-spoken (the traditional Avadhi adab), grounded and extremely respectful. It was like meeting a long lost friend. We exchanged pleasantries, caught up on family, education, etc. Not for a fraction of a second, not even an iota of the celebrity status or the hint of his position. No frills, no airs, no retinue, simply a humane persona.
Lucknow has monuments testimonial of the bygone era, but he invited us to the contemporary marvel. Words cannot do justice to the look in his eyes, the pride in his voice as he took us around the multi-storeyed headquarters. While his words spoke of the amenities in the state-of-the-art building, the twinkle in his eyes, his tone and tenor were of a nurturer, of a person who had seen the place built inch by inch, like a labour of love. Never ever did he utter ‘I’, it was always ‘we’. All his introductions were ‘my colleague’ or ‘our friend’.
The warmest take home was 1090, the helpline. His commitment and involvement spoke volumes as his car bears the same number. A humongous control room is managed by trained, compassionate personnel. They call it Women Power Line. The aim is basic yet strategic: Empower women, encourage them to speak up. The details of the complaint are forwarded for necessary action, but the identity of the woman is not disclosed. The process is simple: The prosecutor is mildly advised of the consequences, effect on his future and more often than not it works. The follow up with the woman is discreet and at her convenience. The faith in police is restoring surely.
The ‘encounter specialist’ epithet earned is not in the Bollywood sense the gun-wielding mode. More often youngsters embark on the path of crime accidentally, one incident leads to another and there is no turning back. His humanitarian gesture speaks of his commitment as he counsels that if you surrender, at least you will stay alive. Repentance leads to reformation. A mother locked her own criminal son and called him. He personally fetched the boy and forged a bond.
Navniet Sekera sir may your tribe increase. Breaking stereotypes, you have emerged a guardian angel, the custodian of peace in these troubled times.
The writer is an associate professor at Hindu Girls College, Jagadhri, and can be reached at kalrasuruchi@yahoo.com
