U’khand’s first women police band makes its debut in Doon

On Thursday, on the occasion of State Formation Day, 21 female cops took to the Police Line ground and played several tracks, including Sare Jahan Se Accha, much to the delight of the crowd. The state's first Women Police Music (pipe) Band, which was making its debut at the event, left Doonites in awe as they played five tracks including the famous Garhwali song Bedu Pako on pipe and drums.In a conversation with Doon Times, the members of the group shared with us their journey and the difficulties they faced while preparing for the big debut and more.
'THOUGH THEY HAD OTHER WORK, ALL THE BAND MEMBERS WERE WHOLLY COMMITTED TO THE BAND'
Lalit Singh, who trained the band (BCCL/Taresh Dutta)
Lalit Singh, who joined the police forces after retiring from the Indian Army and has trained both male and female pipe bands of the state, says, "I have trained the state's male police music (pipe) band before but training women cops was an all-together different experience. Each member of our group is hardworking.Some of the members even have children as young as six months old but they still would come regularly for the practice sessions. I am glad I got a chance to train them."
'THIS WAS OUR FIRST PUBLIC PERFORMANCE AND THE RESPONSE WE GOT WAS OVERWHELMING'
Bhagwati Mehta, a police naik, who leads the band, says, "Leading the music band was a proud moment for me. This was our first public performance and the response we got was overwhelming. If I had known that we will get such a response, I would have brought my family here to see me perform. Our efforts paid off when I saw IPS officers and the audience applauding for us."
'MANY PEOPLE TOLD US THAT WE WERE THE CENTRE OF ATTRACTION AT THE EVENT'
Arti Puri, police constable who plays pipe in the band, says, "I was surprised to see so many people waiting for us after our performance at the State Foundation Day event. Many people wanted to click pictures with us and some of them even told us that we were the centre of attraction at the event. Senior police officers also appreciated us.We felt motivated after seeing people lauding us. We are looking forward to give more such performances in future. performances in future."
'MANY TOLD US MUSIC KE CHAKKAR MEIN MAT PADO BUT OUR PERFORMANCE PROVED THEM WRONG'
The band played tracks like Sare Jahan Se Accha at the State Foundation Day (BCCL/Taresh Dutta)
Anita Bisht, a police naik, who plays the pipe, says, "Many people warned me, saying bachche hain tumhare, duty karo and family ko sambhalo. Yeh music
ke chakkar mein mat pado. But, my family always supported me. I would get up at 3.30 in the morning, make breakfast for my children and husband,go for the practice at 5.30 am. Then, after office hours, I would again go for the evening practice sessions. All the hard work has finally paid off.Event par jinhone
band join karne se mana kara tha woh humarein sath selfie khichwane aaye the."
Rinki Rai, a police constable who plays the drum, says, "I come from a rural background where music is not considered appropriate for women.I always wanted to learn one music instrument but my financial conditions never allowed me to take up music lessons. So, when I got to know about this band, I thought of it as a perfect opportunity to fulfil my dream."