Win All Your Battles

By Vishwas Nangre Patil

What does it take to become an IPS officer? Hours of rigorous physical training, mental toughening and systemic conditioning at the national police academy, along with a never-give-up attitude, unwavering courage, grit and determination.

Win All Your Battles, first published in Marathi as Kar Har Maidan Fateh, is the fascinating story of how Vishwas Nangre Patil rose from his humble village origins to become a steadfast, upright police officer and youth icon.

In this book, Patil, recipient of the President's Police Medal for Gallantry for his role in countering the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, talks about his experiences at the police academy and the lessons he has learnt in a career spanning over two decades-from tackling mob violence to managing law and order during large public gatherings, solving serious crimes and implementing the latest technology for better law enforcement.

This book is a must-read-not just for those who want to fulfil their khaki dreams, but for anyone in need of some inspiration.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins India
• Release date: Jun 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9789394407862

Vishwas Nangre Patil

Vishwas Nangre Patil is a 1997 batch Indian Police Service officer. He is the joint commissioner of police (Law & Order), Mumbai City, and former commissioner of police, Nashik City. In 2015 he was awarded the President's Police Medal (gallantry) for his role in the counterterrorist operations during the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Book preview

1

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration

Before IPS training starts, one has to undergo a four-month foundation course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) which is located in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. The only thing I knew about Mussoorie was that it was a beautiful hill station. My training began on 7 September 1998. As the training period was during peak winters, I bought enough warm clothing in Delhi and boarded a bus for Mussoorie. I had read English August, and I remembered the protagonist being confused about whether or not to take a cycle rickshaw driven by the labour of another human being.⁴ It was a moral dilemma, but I realized it was the best way to reach the academy from the bus stand. I hopped onto one, along with two big suitcases, and began the 3.5-kilometre (km) journey to the academy.

My mind was in turmoil. I was going to meet all the trainees who had been selected for the IAS, IPS, IFS and IRS and other Group A services and would undergo the four-month foundation course. The academy was meant to train IAS officers, and the toppers who were selected for the IAS would stay on for the year-long course, once the common foundation training course was over. I entered the charming LBSNAA campus after registering my name at the gate. An orderly followed me with my suitcases.

It was (and is) a stunning and modern campus with brick-red buildings against the backdrop of the mighty snow-clad Himalayan peaks. It felt dreamlike—the kind of place I had seen only in movies. So far, I had stayed in a village house or in a dirty, suffocating room in Mumbai. The academy and its environs were heaven to me! I was assigned a room in Ganga Hostel. Every room was meant for two people. My roommate answered the doorbell. He was tall, had a dominating personality and looked like an antihero from a Hindi movie.

‘Hello, I am Surinder Pal, IRS, Income Tax!’ he said introducing himself. The IRS had two branches—Income Tax, and Customs & Excise. I, too, introduced myself but somehow felt that I would not be able to get along well with this man. I unpacked my suitcase. It was stuffy because there was no air conditioner or fan in the room. A lone heater stood in one corner to drive away the cold. I lay on my bed wondering what the next day would bring. A cousin of mine living in the slum area of Jogeshwari had gifted me a blazer. I took it out and hung it in the cupboard. I was tired. After a quick meal of parathas and curd at a nearby dhaba, I went to bed early.

Be open, be positive

Training began at 7 a.m. the next day. Despite my warm clothes I had shivered the whole night as Surinder did not allow me to set the heater to maximum heat. I woke up at 5.30 a.m. after a disturbed night. Then Surinder and I had an argument about who would use the bathroom first. Eventually, we managed to get ready in a hurry and reached the auditorium. Our course director was Shri K.N. Kumar, IAS, a slim gentleman.

The motto of our foundation course was ‘Be open. Be positive.’ The logo of our 64th Course was designed in the shape of a half-opened skull to resemble the alphabet ‘B’ and a few other images to show positivity. Along with the study material, there was a 120-page compilation of daily thoughts: one thought for each of the 120 days of training. Director Kumar addressed the gathering with a simple and concise speech in a voice filled with energy and excitement:

Hello friends, your sixteen-week foundation course begins today. It is the academy’s desire to transform you during this period. Great changes in life do not happen over time, but through the crucial decisions you consciously take at certain moments. These are decisions not taken in haste. These are decisions that deeply affect you and shake you up. And when do these changes take place? The moment you decide, my friends! This is the time and place for you to take that oath—at your alma mater, the academy!

All we need is a firm commitment from you and you alone. Once you decide to commit yourself, you will not believe the kind of energy and strength that will course through your veins. Your personality, professional life, mind and body, relationships, and your way of seeing things, everything will change. Your josh will increase.

How is the josh?

‘Very high, Sir!’ we all shouted in unison.

Nothing changes or happens till you decide for yourself. We will make attempts in these 120 days to change your thoughts, behaviour, habits and your way of thinking. Are you ready for it?

‘Yes, Sir’ we cheered.

This is the reason the motto for your course is ‘Be open. Be positive’. The biggest decision you have to take is to be willing to undergo this transformation. You might say that you have already taken several such decisions while studying for the civil services examination, but they didn’t bring about any fundamental changes in you. Why does a mountaineer, who has failed to climb Everest thrice, try once more? Because the determined climber knows that he will succeed one day. He challenges the mountain saying, ‘You defeated me once, the second time you subjugated me and the third time you made me lick dirt. But one day, you will be beneath my feet. I will overcome you. You cannot grow in size, but I can scale higher. No more baby steps for me! I will pole vault over you and be victorious.’

You all have to walk forward with an innovative mind, a sensitive heart and a fire in your belly. What you choose to do in your life may be your decision, but the results are not in your hands alone. If you have an intention to do good for society and a willingness to change, you can use your position and your authority for good causes. However, remember that you need to keep your mind alert, eyes open and remain optimistic!

K.N. Kumar’s face looked serene. He was a powerful speaker whose words touched the audience.

Our mind and body undergo change every day. We see the water in a river, but the river you see today is not the same tomorrow. Many waters would have flowed into it since then. One should not fear change because change is a sign of being alive. If the human’s cells stop replacing the dead ones, we will soon be lifeless. Nothing is permanent. Your emotions, feelings, personality, and outlook—everything is constantly changing. For most people, this happens in a directionless and uncontrolled manner. If we don’t hold the reins of change in our hands and don’t take charge, we end up in failure and disappointment. We blame it on our fate.

The preparation for the UPSC exam challenges a person to the extreme. My personality, too, had become fragile owing to the uncertainty of the results and having gone through the highs and lows of success and failure. I had become fatalistic and surrendered to God every time my hopes were shattered and I was in sorrow. Whenever difficult questions arose, obstacles crossed my path and troubles appeared on the horizon, I would resort to superstitions, only using the telephone booth near the Siddhi Vinayak temple to enquire about my results. I had searched for answers through fasting, pious observations, astrology and palmistry. But I had also looked for motivation in inspirational articles and self-help books. I had muscled my way to Mussoorie through such rugged, confusing and tortuous paths.

I had taken small but creative steps to improve myself throughout my journey. It was not easy to stay away from temptation despite constant reminders to shun all earthly, carnal and materialistic desires. Although the materialistic world pulled me towards it, and I sometimes fell prey to it, I managed to keep the internal struggle alive. I never let go of my sagacity and efforts. I constantly thought about ways of improving myself and tried to imbibe good habits. Yet, cynicism and envy refused to leave me. I was at times very nice, and extremely bad at other times! I was a gentleman one day and a rogue the other. I did constructive things one day and succumbed to self-destructive thoughts and behaviour the next. It was a clash of character, and I grappled between right and wrong. I realized that I changed a bit every day, and my ambitions took on new forms constantly.

While preparing for the UPSC exams, there is a constant clash of mind and intellect. While the intellect wants one to remain calm, think of the future and be practical, the mind is a free bird that wanders. It revolts and urges one to be daring and take risks. It complains all the time, making noises, wailing and screaming for attention. The mind does not accept injustice or prejudice, and starts itching for action. It affects the body; the heart starts pumping faster and stress leads to aches and pains. It is tough to keep such a mind under one’s control.

I had to learn to take charge of my monkey-like mind during my training period. I had to learn to meditate and look within myself. I had to touch my consciousness. I had to kill all the viruses poisoning my mind. I had to keep my mind cheerful and fresh, and meditation was the best way to do that. I had to become aware of the fact that most of my needs were unnecessary, and I had to impress upon my mind that most of the stresses were meaningless. I had to strive to become one with the Almighty and constantly instruct myself to focus on my inner self.

I needed to segregate my long-term, medium-term and immediate goals and work on them accordingly. As they say, ‘The whole universe conspires to make things happen if you focus on something and wish for it sincerely.’ The intent was to be positive, have good thoughts and get satisfaction by doing good things with the right efforts. I had heard that sportspersons participating in the Olympics are trained to visualize themselves winning the gold medal. A divine strength is generated with such visualization techniques, and one experiences success twice—once in the mind and then in reality! I had to imagine that I had already realized my dreams.

As we are aware, a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. I had to get rid of my lethargy and fill my body with energy. Exercise and yoga were a must. I had to stay away from carnal desires and not become a slave to them. Bad habits are a curse to consciousness. They destroy the power of focus. Happiness gradually slips away, giving place to creeping fears. It was therefore important to keep the body fit and the mind cultivated. Reading and writing are imperative. This makes the person fresh and opens the mind. I was conscious of this while I was preparing for the exam. In the academy, I had to ensure that I moved forward with excellence. My horizon had expanded, and I no longer belonged to myself. I belonged to society! I had to take on huge responsibilities and duties in future.

The first thing was not to be fatalistic. I had to create my future based on my actions, accept challenges and not shy away from problems. I had to take life head-on, look into the other person’s eye and not be cowed down. I would not decide about my future based on astrology or palmistry. Who were the constellations—Amavasya, Rahu, Ketu, and Shani—to come in my way? I was not going to allow saade saati, the seven-and-a-half-year period of Shani, to thwart my dreams. Why should I waste precious time waiting for the ‘auspicious moment’? Why should I worry and get drowned in anxiety? Where there is a will, there is a way. I had to keep my will strong and my capabilities high. I had to remind myself that to attract good fortune, I needed a smile on my lips, a cool head and my feet firmly on the ground. I resolved to ensure that my future journey would be full of humility and that I would constantly remain true to myself. I promised to take responsibility for myself and my team members.

I recall a lovely anecdote narrated by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Sir.⁵ He was the director for the SLV 3 satellite mission in 1979. His job was to ensure that the satellite reached its orbit as per plan. Thousands of technicians and scientists had worked on the project for ten years. The time had come for lift-off. The timer at Sriharikota began its countdown ‘…T minus 5 minutes, T minutes 4...’. At T minus 40 seconds, a warning bell rang. The decision to abort the mission rested on Kalam Sir. There were six scientists with him on the mission who studied the data and the signals and concluded that the problem was indeed critical. There was a leakage in the control system. Kalam Sir estimated that despite the leakage, there would be enough fuel to propel the satellite into orbit. He decided to go ahead against the opinion of the six scientists. The rocket passed the first stage successfully, but failed in the second stage and fell into the Bay of Bengal. It was a