Blink and the Janamaithri Police.

Long before Nalini Ambadi researched on intuition and precipitated thoughts in Malcolm Gladwell to author Blink, children in Kerala were made obedient by saying 'I will call the Police'! With their pointed khaki shorts and crowned caps, a look was all that was needed to scare the hell out of criminals and commoners. 

Today the image of the police force in Kerala is undergoing transition. From haunted houses, the police stations are now called 'Janamaithri(friends of the people)' stations. From being scared and submissive, the average Malayalee(as folks from Kerala are called) has taken a liking for the force, with parents advising kids to ask for help from the Policeman on the beat and police stations increasing friendly interactions with the public, provided you make the right...., What?

We have always informed the Coastal Police about our kayaking expeditions. 2016 December was no exception, except that cyclone Vardha had other plans. We returned from the sea at Kollam and paddled inland to start the sea leg at Thottapally. Having seen the posters for a coastal security drill, we decided to be proactive and visit the Coastal Police station. We shared all our details; the officers were absolutely courteous; even offering a chair  & newspaper.....as we waited for the superior officers to come. Station Superiors were in meeting regarding the exercise and our wait had to be called off due to delay. We were told that an evening visit would be more fruitful. I don't remember visiting a police station all my life and this was a truly 'Janamaithri' experience; even the New Zealander in our group was impressed. We boasted to him, how the Police in Kerala was better educated, paid, disciplined and looked-up, as compared to the rest of India. 

As we passed the station around 730PM, one of us decided to follow up. The policeman on duty at the reception asked us to go upstairs. Walking into a room with computer stations and picking up the thread with the two policemen we interacted in the morning...... got cut short! A superior officer walked into the room and asked what the matter was, with a tone of disgust. He bluntly told, we don't have time to hear anything now, go off. He took us by our hand, out of the room and shooed us away.  We wondered what had happened? What had changed? Where was 'Janamaithri'?

We had walked in the morning with full kayaking gear, after practicing kayaking at sea. In the evening we went in wearing camouflaged T-shirt and Kaavi Kaili (not lungy, which is the attire of preference for the Malayalee!). What Nalini Ambadi had discovered; how people make opinion about others in split second, impacting the interaction, was in full display! What does 'Janamaithri' mean if you attire decides your experience? For vast majority of poor people who seek help from Police Stations, does their attire impact what they experience?

While most Police officers in Kerala are role models(Ask kids what they want to be?  Police Officer - Many will reply), experience as detailed here, dilutes the 'Janamaithri' brand. 

Epilogue : The team wrote to the Police and Government officials about this incident and other experience(both positive and negative) during the exercise, hoping for consistent 'Janamaithri' in future!