Madam Sir: The Story of Bihar’s First Lady IPS Officer book is an autobiography of Bihar’s first and India’s fifth Lady IPS Officer, Manjari Jaruhar. It is published by Ebury Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The book is remarkable for more than one reason. It not only gives a glimpse of Manjari’s illustrious career but also outlines the gender-based discrimination women face in their professional lives, especially in the forces, for societal logic dictates that masculinity symbolises strength and courage.

Manjari Jaruhar was a 1976 – batch officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS). She has served in Bihar and Jharkhand, at the SVP National Police Academy, and with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). She retired as special director general, CISF, in 2010. As the first woman IPS officer in Bihar and fifth in India, she built a reputation as a highly effective, professional yet caring officer. In recognition of her contributions, she has been awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. After retiring, Jaruhar headed the anti-piracy wing of the Indian music industry and currently serves as a consultant to TCS on homeland security. She is also an adviser to the FICCI Private Security Industry Committee. Jaruhar is a student of English literature. Besides reading, she enjoys travelling, cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. She lives in Delhi with her husband, Rakesh, a fellow IPS officer.

In this book, she has described her life journey and experiences from childhood to becoming an IPS officer and after retirement, she worked in the Indian music industry, TCS, FICCI. She narrates her story with ease that also changes the narrative of “poor woman, what will she do now”. Becoming an IPS officer in India is an arduous journey, with millions of aspirants vying for a limited number of coveted positions. In this challenging pursuit, retired IPS officer Manjari Jaruhar’s story stands out as a testament to unwavering determination and resilience. Her memoir, titled “Madam Sir,” chronicles her remarkable journey, from early struggles to becoming the first lady IPS officer in Bihar and the fifth in all of India.

Hailing from a prestigious family in Bihar, where several members have held illustrious positions as IAS and IPS officers, Manjari faced unique obstacles in her path to success. Despite her family’s esteemed background, they did not actively support her academic pursuits, harbouring the belief that she should embrace the role of a homemaker. Manjari recalls growing up knowing that career, ambition, independence, (and) self-reliance were not for girls, for they were supposed to study well, be groomed well and marry well. She was deeply assimilated into the heteropatriarchal setup she was raised in.

However, Manjari’s thirst for knowledge and her relentless spirit pushed her to pursue her educational goals. Manjari had secured admission into Lady Irwin College in New Delhi to study domestic science. But her ticket was cancelled at the last moment, as it felt like bidai, a farewell to her father, who wasn’t ready for it. She writes that she sat in silence amid a sea of open suitcases and new clothes in her room, while a storm of disappointment raged within her. But she did not say a word in protest, no angry scenes, no rebellion, no tantrums. But it didn’t help either that Manjari wasn’t a rebellious child.

At the tender age of 19, Manjari was married to an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. Her early years of marriage were marred by numerous challenges, compounded by a lack of support from her husband and in-laws. Eventually, the strain on their relationship led to separation. Despite societal expectations to remarry, Manjari had her sights set on a different path. Armed with an honours degree in English from Patna Women’s College and a postgraduate degree from Delhi University, she embarked on her civil service examination preparation journey in 1976. Her dedication paid off when she successfully cracked the examination, earning the distinction of becoming the first lady IPS officer from Bihar and the fifth in all of India. Her accomplishment was a resounding testament to her resilience and unwavering commitment to her dream.

In due course, Manjari’s journey took another significant turn when she tied the knot with Rakesh Jaruhar, an IPS officer. Together, they embarked on a new chapter in their lives, sharing the remarkable journey of serving the nation in the Indian Police Service. Manjari’s initial posting as a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in the Criminal Investigation Department was a desk job, far from the field posting she aspired to. However, her determination led her to seek help from a senior officer, who was her close friend’s father and was approaching retirement. He played a pivotal role in facilitating her transition to a field posting, which was her cherished goal.

After working for about a few years in the Criminal Investigation Department, she was made the Superintendent of Police of Bokaro District, which was her first district, where she was posted as Superintendent of Police. At the same time, there were severe Sikh riots in 1984 after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She was not there at that time, but after returning early, she took charge of the entire district very well. She also played an important role as Deputy Inspector General of CISF several times and also served in CRPF. On the orders of the Central Government, she also served in the National Police Academy, Hyderabad. On 31 October 2010 she retired from IPS. After retiring, Jaruhar headed the anti-piracy wing of the Indian music industry and currently serves as a consultant to TCS on homeland security. She is also an adviser to the FICCI Private Security Industry Committee.

 The title "Madam Sir" a unique coinage the constabulary invented to address Manjari . On her first reporting day, besides getting “curious glances” from the staff in the Inspector General (IG’s) office, this was the IG’s response,  “But I don’t know what to do with you. I cannot post you until I study Kiran Bedi’s life. I have asked for it from Delhi. While it must have crushed a newly-appointed officer’s spirits, Manjari probably understood that she had to prove her mettle repeatedly because of her gender.  From changing her cadre to her being assigned women-centric cases to the assumption that being a woman, she’d inevitably be biased towards a female complainant in a sexual harassment case, everything had to do with her being a woman. At this juncture, it’s one’s attitude that can make all the difference, and Manjari’s was never of the quitting kind. Her persistence, clarity of thought, and duty bound nature helped her sail through tumultuous times and sensitive cases.  In fact, she, along with her team, solved the first bus dacoity case in Bihar. She not only ensured law-and-order situations within the police community were tightened - for example, acting against personnel involved in Operation Gangajal (blinding of suspects, a horrific strategy adopted by Bihar police, to reduce crime), calling out incidents of scapegoating and caste-based discriminations but, along with her husband, fellow IPS officer, Rakesh, she also critically transformed the training programme for young IPS officers. As a result, especially women, must’ve felt way more secure, welcome, and included at the academy in the presence of a lady supervisor.

(The writer is one of the best known children’s authors of mystery-adventure stories. As translator, editor, researcher and storyteller, Nilima Sinha has been an active member of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC), the Indian Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).)