Footballer turns cop to fight Covid-19

New Delhi, May 26: Her teammates are confined to their homes due to Coronavirus-forced lockdown but senior national women side’s midfielder Indumathi Kathiresan is busy in poilce uniforms on the streets of Chennai, asking people to follow government guidelines to fight the pandemic.

Wearing the traditional ‘khaki’ uniform of the Tamil Nadu Police, along with a surgical mask over her face and a pair of gloves pulled over her hands for protection, Indumathi is barely recognisable to those stopped by her for checking at Anna Nagar in Chennai.

“It has been a difficult situation for the entire country. But taking the necessary precautions is paramount to the safety of one and all,” said Indumathi, according to the official website of All India Football Federation.

“We try to ensure that everybody is observing the guidelines and that nobody who does not need to be outside,” said the 25year-old.

Being a footballer at the highest level, Indu, as she is fondly called by her teammates in the dressing room, is no stranger to a disciplined and regimental life. However, the lockdown has meant that she has had to follow a rigorous routine, where she has to report for duty at 7 in the morning and has to keep patrolling the streets till almost midnight every day.

“It has been a demanding time for me personally. I have barely had the time to do anything else. In difficult times like these, you generally want to spend some time with your family, but I have not had much opportunities to do that,” she said.

“It is a call for the nation. I have to play for the nation every day during Covid-19 pandemic, and I had to respond fast,” she added.

The creative midfielder, whose duties keep changing on a day-to-day basis, feels that the lockdown has been especially difficult for her fellow police officers.

“Our duty schedules keep changing. Sometimes we are on night duty as well, sometimes vehicle-check, and so on,” the Tamil Nadu Police SubInspector said.

“Some of us like myself, have to travel long distances to our stations as well. It has been a difficult time. But I don’t have any complaints,” she added.