Farmer trains 3 girls, places them in dream police job

RANIPET: When he tried to join the State police force way back in 1981, D Venketesan could not clear the physical tests. But four decades on, the agricultural labourer from Kizhavadam village near Arakkonam in Ranipet is the proud father of three women who joined the force earlier this year, thanks to the training he gave them based on the experience he gained from his unsuccessful attempt and what he learned by observing other participants.

After successful completion of training, Preethi (27), Naishnavi (25) and Niranjani (22) whom Venketesan raised on his own after his wife’s death, have been posted with the Armed Reserve in Tiruvallur.

The children were very young when their mother Shakila died. And despite owning three acres of land, Venketesan (59) could not raise crops because of financial constraints and instead worked as a farm worker. But that did not stop him from ensuring that his daughters received education – the eldest, Preethi, was married off after she finished Class 12, but the other two completed graduation. Right from a young age, he instilled in them the belief that they could attain whatever they desire if they work hard.

“I tried to enter the force in 1981 but failed. However, I watched the exercises the participants went through. So, when my daughters expressed the desire to join the police, I converted my land into a training ground and trained them myself in shotput, long jump, high jump and running,” Venketesan told DT Next.

His efforts paid off when all three were selected in the police recruitment trials conducted in Ranipet recently. “My daughters fulfilled my dream,” beamed the proud father.

The family’s police dream may not be over. Venketesan’s son Karthikeyan, who has just completed his graduation from a college in Chennai, has also expressed his desire to follow his sisters in joining the force.