Police force has the authority to investigate crimes, enforce laws, and maintain peace and order in the state. In this episode of my #WomenOnAMission series, I’m delighted to connect with Shikha Goel, director, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Hyderabad City Police. As I met her, she congratulated me for my Beauty With A Purpose project 10-9-8 victory at Miss World 2021.

Without her guidance and leadership, I wouldn’t have been able to make my BWAP project 1098 successful. Shikha has been my inspiration, and I have always looked up to her. Having so much respect for the police force and for the kind of work she does to prevent crimes is just remarkable.

During my chat with her, I asked her what pushed her to join the police force, to which she said, "I'm the first generation police officer in my family. I come from a traditional middle-class family. I was brought up in Delhi in a very protected environment. I approached the UPSC exam and gave the Indian forest service and civil service exam. And the first result of the forest service exam came, and I got selected. And while I was training for it, the civil service result came, and I was selected for that too. So joining the IPS was a conscious decision. It was absolutely different from what I was earlier. So it brought such a transformation in me that time. As they say, opposite attracts — the introverted me, being thrown into a public glare. It's been a great learning journey of these 25 years. It is something that taught me that sometimes it's needed to push your powers. The police service was something that pushed me every day out of my comfort zone."

I relate to her on so many levels, as I was a shy child growing up myself. This is only a result of us pushing our boundaries and challenging ourselves to grow. It has been such a long, eventful journey for her. So I also questioned her about that one challenge which she has addressed so far.

Shikha explained, "The biggest challenge is actually to overcome your own fears, your own hesitations, the breaking shackles which bound you yourself. So it started from the day when I got my results, and I got selected. I remember I was very confused, and we were discussing it with everyone. I'm very different. I was talking to my dad, and he said just one thing, 'Join. I'm sure you're going to shine in this job.’ That’s when I knew that yes, somebody had seen me grow, and he has so much faith in me. I think I can do it. And then it all started, the struggle right from the training, to the physical part. So many things which affect you as a human being. So every day, I have to prove myself."

She has been inspiring the younger generation of women, and I was keen on learning how she balances her work life with her personal life. She stated, "My family is equally important to my work. I realised that you need to prioritise every day. The priority can change up and down. This reminds me of a quote by Cherry Bair, ‘I'm not a superwoman. I'm juggling a lot of balls, and some of them are bound to fall.’ And I would like to add to that what’s important — how you pick up these balls and bring them together in a bigger scenario. So that everything balances out in the long run."

It has been a great honour to connect with her, and we shared our thoughts about the journey of life and about our mission for a better tomorrow.

I look forward to working again with her on many more projects, soon!