During my stint with the Kerala police, we once faced a massive protest in which the opposition parties vowed to blockade the State Assembly to prevent the budget presentation. This has never happened anywhere in India.
Naturally, we could not allow this and made a massive police deployment in Trivandrum city.
After finishing the security arrangements, late at night, I went home. Soon my boss (the IGP) called in a panic, demanding that a senior officer should be present in the control room at night. Already annoyed and not wanting to argue with him, I went and sat in the control room the whole night.
The next day, when the agitation started, I hadn’t had any rest for more than 24 hrs, nor had I found time to eat something.
By the time the agitation started, I was exhausted and started feeling a bit dizzy. Thankfully, the agitation went peacefully but had it gone violent, I was nowhere near the peak form I needed to be in.
When caught up in the daily grind, we often forget to rest and recharge. We forget that there is no glory in slogging 24×7.
We can bring glory to ourselves and our teams only if we are fit and happy. Mental and physical health should always come first. Anything else can only come next.