Alumni of Police Training College in Nashik get-together

The 60 batchmates relived their training days at the post-retirement reunion

The Police Training College batch of 1975-1977 celebrated a post-retirement reunion on March 13 and 14, nearly 45 years after passing out. The college in Nashik is now known as the Maharashtra Police Academy. The name changed in 1990. The former men-in-uniform, looking dapper for their post-retirement reunion, proved that there is no tire in retire as they partied with gusto at their get-together at their alma mater.

The meet

Covid-19 has made everybody extra conscious of ‘times winged chariot hurrying near' and these police personnel thought it was time to meet and relive their college training days. Prakash Wani, ACP (retd.) Mumbai police, member of the organising committee said, "We passed out together, but during our working days, the batch was scattered. So though we are from the same class, we hardly met each other during those times. That is why we had so many stories to tell, they seemed never ending. The cherry on the cake was that it was on the premises of the institution from where we passed out. Most of us are pushing 70, with health problems, indifferent physiques, certainly not the cops who once upon a time may have dashed after criminals to nab them. The joy of the reunion though helped us make light of our years."

The exchange

Rajeshkumar (IPS), current director MPA, was welcoming, but it was the interaction between the superannuated officers and current cadets, that was an interesting exchange. Wani said, "Sharing our experiences in police service, imparting a graphical picture of police functions in society, the youngsters were absorbing these lessons in life like a sponge soaks up water. One is never too old to learn and we too added to our knowledge about current police functions and advances through that exchange."

Some of the most celebrated and decorated officers come from this batch. There was B N Raut Addl. DG, Raja Mangaokar Addl. DG, ACP Vilas Marathe and ACP Wali Shetty. Wani too is an accomplished runner and earned the label, ‘police running icon' in the Maharashtra Police International Marathon in Mumbai in February 2020. Raja Mangaonkar (IPS), Addl. DG; (Retd.) said of the two-day meet, "March 13 and 14, to put it in a nutshell were nostalgic and magical. Our ‘batch buddies' like we call ourselves made sure we are going to remember this for years to come. In fact, even as we were applauding the organising committee there were calls for another one! ‘We must reunite again,' was the sentiment."

Karaoke cops

Satish Shingte, ACP (Retd.) Mumbai, said the arrangements were "remarkable" while Satish Jadhav, Dy. Superintendent of Police (Retd.) Satara District, claimed that years have passed, work was over, there had been no communication. "Yet, it was just so easy to pick up from where we had left off."

The officers laughed, "The camaraderie was strong, with stories exchanged about our roles in busting terror plots, behind-the-scenes anecdotes about encounters… the list goes on." In police work the phrase, ‘sing like a canary' is music to the officer's ears, as it means the person is going to tell all or reveal what he knows about a crime to the authorities. In this get together, there was singing, but no canaries only karaoke! The cops belted out some golden oldies, ‘ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si; yeh meri johra zabeen' through a karaoke session and even shook a nifty leg on the dance floor.

The memories

Several sobering moments cut through all that bonhomie. There was a remembrance for 83 batchmates who had passed away. This batch was unique as this was an especially challenging time when Emergency was imposed in India. The batchmates came from common families. Some of them recalled how there were a couple who were so poor that they had to borrow funds to travel to the training college from their homes. "It was the non-Covid booster shot we needed to rejuvenate us and a reminder of our roots, the place where we cut our police teeth," said some of the most courageous men who had brought hardened criminals to their knees. We snap a salute to that.