#COVIDDurga: Juggling Between Duty And Family
Bijayeeni Malla has been serving in the Police department for more than 15 years. She is not only a successful officer but also a doting mother and a caring wife. And during this pandemic, she has proven herself in both professional and personal fields.
Posted in the traffic wing, Bijayeeni was at the forefront of the Covid fight managing crowds directly in the field. She was assigned the task to prevent the public gathering, restrict crowds at marketplaces and enforce safety guidelines. Besides, she was given the additional responsibility to sensitise the public about the deadly virus.
“In the traffic department, you have to interact with the public directly every day. When the pandemic broke out, all of a sudden we were instructed to educate people about the virus and enforce lockdown restrictions to make them stay indoors. This was the biggest challenge as people were not ready to accept the harsh measures. I personally met people and counselled them instead of taking strict action. This helped me to control the public,” the IIC informed.
Bijayeeni said though there is an increased possibility of catching the infection due to the nature of her work, the only thing that comes to her mind is her duty and responsibility towards society. “Everyone has more expectations from a woman, be it family members or society. I believe this expectation drives us to work hard and make things done,” she said with a smile.
How does she manage her personal life amid this hectic job of a frontline worker? Bijayeeni said, “For me, both my job and family are equally important. But being in the public sphere, it sometimes becomes hard to manage both the responsibilities. So far, I have managed to juggle between both due to proper time management and cooperation of my seniors and colleagues.”
The IIC said due to the nature of her work, she and her husband are staying away from the family. “Though I have a joint family, my husband, me and two kids are staying separately. Since my husband is a bank employee, he had to go to work throughout the lockdown period. I too was overburdened with work. It was pretty difficult for both of us to manage professional and personal work as we did not take the help of any maid due to the infection threat to my kids. Instead of taking leave, I ensured that I got up early in the morning every day to finish all household chores before leaving for work,” she added.
October 2020 Issue
