Narrating instances from her life as a student and a police officer, Isha Pant, Superintendent of Police, advised students not to feel inferior owing to their background but to feel proud of it.
“Like many of you, I too was from a middle-class family from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. My father used to take me on a scooter and drop me at school. I often felt embarrassed as many of my friends were coming in better two-wheelers. Once I saw a girl happily coming to school on her father’s bicycle and that incident changed me forever. Never be ashamed of your background or status. Don’t let others discourage and bring you down. You are what you are. You too are as important as others in this world. You are like a flower in a large garden with a variety of flowers with their unique features and fragrances. You simply do what you want to do. Don’t do what others want you to. You too have, as everybody else does, different talents and skills. Be confident and never be overconfident,” Ms. Pant told the students at the 20th edition of The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counselling 2022 Karnataka at Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi on Saturday.
Pointing to the fact that a number of young people from North Karnataka are clearing competitive recruitment examinations and joining government services, Ms. Pant advised the students to not think that they were from a small district like Kalaburagi in a backward region.
“A number of people from North Karnataka are increasingly joining important civil services like IAS and IPS. Never think that you are from a backward area and you can’t do it. Believing in yourself and developing self-confidence are very important. Your geographical area, social background, gender, and other things don’t matter much. I am from a place which was considered to be a backward region. My English was poor. But, I never let these things bring me down. One of my friends was a cleaner at a hotel. He cleared the UPSC exam to become an IAS officer in Maharashtra. Keep working hard with confidence and nobody can stop you,” she said.
