Continuing from the previous issue this narrative on the first batch of women traffic control personnel of Manipur, today we profile another award winning personality — Oinam ningol Wahengbam ongbi Medhabati.

Born in 1963, Medhabati was the youngest child among six children – one son and five daughters – born to Oinam Sangai and Oinam ongbi Angoubi of Nambol Langban area. Her father Sangai was a small businessman who ran a grocery shop.

Growing up at the picturesque and culture rich Nambol area gave her a childhood filled with the beauty of nature and the richest cultural performances. She too actively took part in many of the festivals such as Kang and Lai Haraoba – giving traditional dance performances with her friends.

This background was to help her in her service career too as she gave dance performances on many official functions and occasions. “Be it maibi jagoi, Khamba-Thoibi or any other traditional dance form, I have performed it all,” she says proudly.

Medhabati studied till Class X at Nambol Leiren Girls High school but couldn’t finish her high school. In 1979 she got married to Wahengbam Daoji who was working as havildar in 2nd Manipur Rifles and is presently a government driver.

It was a marriage made in heaven – full of love and happiness. However when she didn’t conceive a child even after long years of marriage, Medhabati started reviewing her own life. She realized that the best security for herself is economic independence.

All parents place their hope of future security on their child, but as she had no children she realized that having a job would not only mean security but also give her a purpose in life.

Luckily for her at the time the education eligibility criterion for entering as a police constable was Class VIII pass or middle school.

She appeared for the interview and was selected. She then along with 78 other women underwent police training at Manipur Police Training Academy (MPTA) at Pangei for ten months.

When they passed out in 1986, 30 women were given traffic duty becoming the first women to be in charge of vehicular traffic control in the state. Medhabati herself served in the police department for some time before being assigned traffic control duty in 1988.

“The first day I felt so embarrassed standing in the middle of the road and waving my hands. It seemed as though all eyes were on me, and they were all laughing at me. But slowly I gained more confidence and started enjoying the work. I realized that this was my duty and the safety of this entire people on the road depended on me,” she recalls.

“When we participated in the Republic Day celebrations for the first time, we felt wonderful and beautiful in our white and blue uniform. Everyone admired us and we were so happy,” she adds.

Traffic control is hard work which requires fortitude, alertness and calm in the most chaotic situations. Yet the work is often compounded by the lack of awareness of traffic regulations and rules on the part of the common people, and also by the outlook of some of the men who show no respect for the women traffic personnel and instead eve tease them.

“They are very afraid of the army uniform but they show no regard for our uniform. Once I was so angered by such an incident (of eve teasing) that I physically came to fisticuffs with the person,” says Medhabati.

“We try all means to control the traffic and so we have to shout or be aggressive. As a result, the image is that women traffic personnel are very loud and aggressive. But this is because of the nature of our work and the attitude of the people who show no regard for traffic rules,” she adds.

“In movies and in other cities, we often see how the traffic personnel are aided by traffic police on motorcycles, how errant drivers are often chased and booked. Then there are also systems where the vehicle numbers of speeding cars, traffic rule violators, etc are noted down and they are fined.

Perhaps something like that which would make the people realize that they can’t just speed up and escape after violating traffic rules would help a lot in Manipur too,” she suggests.

Medhabati has won many awards for her service including the Rotary Club award, which she got twice in 1999 and 2004, and the Rajkumari Sanatombi Award in 1995. She loves music and dance.