This Nagaland IPS officer’s farewell speech will make you cry

Kohima: A video of of Vrinda Shukla, an IPS officer who served as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Nagaland’s Phek district, delivering an emotional farewell speech is going viral on social media.

In the 14.52-minute video, the 2014-batch IPS officer can be seen talking about her experiences in Nagaland. In a mix of English and Nagamese dialect — which can be said to be near perfect, considering she does not belong to the state — the speech is leaving everyone emotional.

Shukla begins by expressing her disappointment at the hierarchical structure of an organisation. “In the kind of world that we are living in, hierarchy should be done away with. Organisations toh flat hobo lage [Organisations should be flat]… Our work ecosystem should be such that a constable should have the freedom to come and tell the SP what would be the right thing to do. That’s the sort of place that I hope that we will slowly evolve into in the future,” she says.

According to indianbureaucracy.com, the 29-year-old was given an inter-cadre transfer from Nagaland to Uttar Pradesh in August this year “on grounds of her marriage with Shri Ankur Aggarwal IPS (UP:2016), powers conferred under Sub-Rule (2) of Rule 5 of Indian Police Service (Cadre) Rules-1954, and with the concurrence of the Government of Nagaland and Uttar Pradesh, the Central Government”.

Donning a traditional Naga attire, Shukla says she is “emotionally charged” as she is not only “leaving dear Phek” but is also “saying goodbye to Nagaland”. She explained that although she wanted to complete her stay in the district and in the state, family responsibilities have compelled her to leave.

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Sharing about her life, she said that she completed her Class X in Chandigarh after which she was enrolled into an international school for Classes XI and XII, which had students from over 91 countries. She then studied in the United States and England. “Right after graduation, I came back to India, wrote the exam and came to Nagaland,” she says in her speech.

Shukla goes on to say that she was fortunate to experience a fair amount of the world, “but Nagaland is the finest place I have ever been in and you all are the finest people I have ever seen and that I will ever see”.

“Your society is very graceful and very dignified. And I learned a lot from you all, that I am actually looking more dumb that I am never going to see a finer place than this,” she says, referring to the Naga community.

Terming it as “difficult” for her to leave, she says it is like “saying goodbye to a treasure”. With the strong connection she made with the state, she says: “I now believe that I was born in Nagaland in the past life…..this connection doesn’t belong just to this lifetime.”

Shukla also says that she has been documenting her experiences in Nagaland and wishes to publish a book soon. Her article ‘Oh So Backward: Metropolitan notions of progress challenged by the lifestyle of a Naga tribe’ based on the Konyak Naga’s eco-friendly tribal festival was published in The Indian Express in February this year.

She then expresses her desire to serve as a nodal officer for Naga students in UP and other parts of north India where students can reach out to her.

In her speech, Shukla is also heard urging women to work hard, especially in a stereotypical profession (in uniform). With folded hands, she expresses her gratitude to the people for accepting her authority since the first day of her work.

Through her experiences with the Nagaland Police (NP), she says that the forces here “lacks a little of confidence”. As an objective observer, she says that the Nagaland Police is one among the best in sensitivity, manners and are dignified, which to her is maybe because of the influence of religion.

Saying that the NP is one of the finest police forces, she urged them to “believe in yourself and keep an open mind”.

Speaking in all honesty, she however says that the biggest problem among the police force in the state is substance abuse. She appeals them to stay away from substance abuse and urges them not to become slaves of substance abuse.

In conclusion, she seeks apologies for the times she might have been harsh, rude or impatient on the people.