Farmer’s daughter is first Maharashtra policewoman to become ‘best cadet’
In the 110-year old history of Maharashtra Police Academy, Meena Tupe, the 27-year- old daughter of a poor farmer from droughtprone Beed, became the first policewoman to receive the “sword of honour”. After passing an examination conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, she successfully completed a 13-month rigorous training programme, competing with 503 men and 245 women to earn the coveted sword. She was also given the Ahilyabai Holkar award for being the best woman cadet and Yashwantrao Chavan Gold Cup for being the best all-round cadet of the batch. She received the award from the hands of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at an official ceremony in Nashik this week. The training academy does not differentiate between the male cadets and female cadets. Both have to undergo equally rigorous training under testing conditions and pass the same indoor tests.
But for a feat which continues to put a smile on her face and pride in her gait, Meena first had to fight gender bias on the home front. This was in addition to the devastating struggle with poverty and lack of opportunities in the backward region of Marathwada.
What sailed her through the difficult times was her immense self-determination. The success was possible due to support from her father and the indomitable spirit of her parents, she told The Sunday Guardian in a telephonic interview from her native village Dagdi Shahjanahpur in Marathwada’s Beed district. For Meena Tupe, receiving the sword of honour was like a dream come true. “The last time any man from Beed won the award was 40 years ago. I wanted my name written in the history of the academy,” she said.
When asked how she overcame financial limitations, she said, “I find myself lucky that I am the daughter of a farmer. The children of distressed farmers must realise that we are not physically challenged, or mentally unsound. I hardly got anything that my peers had. I used to long for nice clothes, toys, other items. But I realised that I could earn all that through hard work. I never gave up on perseverance. It was not just for the job, but for self-respect and empowerment. Today, I feel I have proven that women are no less than men. The children of distressed farmers should realise that they can change their fate through hard work.”
Meena, who always excelled in her studies, said that she studied harder for fear that she would have to get married if she failed to perform well.
Her relatives and villagers ridiculed her for pursuing her studies. “All my three sisters were married by the time I passed Class 10. My mother did not want me to study further as she wanted me to either get married or