Chennabasavanna SL IPS

Directions Website

Chennabasavanna SL IPS IPS Officer | Director, KPA Mysuru
Public Service | Leadership | Institutional Development
Serving with responsibility and commitment.

Character and Dasoha: The Power of ‘Giving Back to Society’In 1924, Dr B. R. Ambedkar was asked to repay the scholarship...
22/09/2026

Character and Dasoha: The Power of ‘Giving Back to Society’

In 1924, Dr B. R. Ambedkar was asked to repay the scholarship granted to him by the Baroda State for his education. He did not deny his responsibility.

In a letter titled “I AM A MAN OF CHARACTER,” he wrote with conviction:
“I am always committed to returning the money spent by the State on my education.”
But Dr Babasaheb went a step further.

Since the scholarship had come from a fund meant for the upliftment of backward classes, he proposed that the money should not simply return to the general treasury. Instead, it could be used to establish a scholarship at Bombay University in the Maharaja of Baroda’s name, helping more talented students from backward communities to study and progress.

For him, repayment was not merely about settling an account. It was about keeping an opportunity alive for someone else.

Centuries earlier, Guru Basavanna and the Sharanas had expressed a similar idea through DASOHA:
“If it returns, it is good. If it does not return, it is doubly good.”
If the money returned, it could serve society again. If it did not, perhaps it had already helped someone rebuild a life. Either way, its purpose was fulfilled.

Two great thinkers. Two different centuries. One deeply Indian idea.
Money given for social welfare is not merely an expense or a loan. It is an investment in human dignity.

Perhaps this is a lesson modern leadership and CSR must remember. True character is not only about returning what we received. It is about ensuring that our KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES continue to flow towards those who need them most.

What we receive may change our life. What we give back can change many lives.

Can EMPATHY be taught as a skill, or is it shaped by the lives we have witnessed?Last week, I returned to my native plac...
17/09/2026

Can EMPATHY be taught as a skill, or is it shaped by the lives we have witnessed?

Last week, I returned to my native place for the launch of my book on my experiences with the UN Mission in South Sudan.

My childhood classmates from our government school had gathered for the occasion. Sitting among them, I was no longer a civil servant or an author. I was simply their old classmate, remembering our classrooms, playgrounds and all the good, bad and naughty moments we had shared.

Life had taken us in different directions. Some became software engineers, teachers, civil servants, photographers and social workers. Some continue to work for daily wages. Yet, in that room, we were equal again.

Our school days showed us many sides of life. One brought roasted chana and jaggery, while another carried Cadbury Dairy Milk and Bournvita. One struggled to buy a notebook and pencil, while another distributed them on his birthday.

We may not have understood inequality then, but we saw it closely. Without realizing it, we were learning to look beyond our own circumstances.

When I became a civil servant, these memories became a BRIDGE. They helped me understand that behind every application or file, there is a human story.

A friend of mine, a DFO from a rural background, recently reminded me of this. An elderly woman who had lost her adopted son in a man animal conflict had waited over a year for compensation. The file remained unresolved and was eventually passed to the head office. My friend used the authority available to him, cleared the file and ensured that she received her rightful compensation.

For the system, it was one pending file. For that woman, it was her grief, dignity and survival.

Rules exist to guide us. But DISCRETION exists so that humanity is not lost within those rules.

In governance and leadership, empathy cannot remain merely a feeling. It must become a deliberate and NON-NEGOTIABLE practice.

Because our response must satisfy not only the rulebook, but also our CONSCIENCE.

Sometimes, the STRONGEST LEADERSHIP is shown by the person who PICKS UP the BROOM FIRST.A few days ago, I had the honour...
09/09/2026

Sometimes, the STRONGEST LEADERSHIP is shown by the person who PICKS UP the BROOM FIRST.

A few days ago, I had the honour of meeting Dr. Nageshappa G, a retired professor from Hubballi, at the Karnataka Police Academy. During our conversation, he spoke about the late Dr. S. J. Nagalotimath, former Director of KIMS Hubballi, and gifted me his autobiography, Bicchida Jolige Mattu (Opened my Shoulder Pouch and....)

He then shared a simple incident from KIMS that says a great deal about leadership.
During a lab session, a water tap had been left open. A lab attender noticed it and respectfully asked the faculty member present there to turn it off. The advice was ignored, and by the next morning, the lab was flooded.

Everyone expected anger, reprimand or disciplinary action.
Instead, Dr. Nagalotimath walked in, looked around calmly and said: “This room has not been cleaned properly in years. Now that we have water everywhere, let us use this opportunity to clean it.”

Then he picked up a broom and mop and began cleaning the floor himself. That one act changed the atmosphere. The faculty member joined him. The staff joined him. What could have become a moment of blame became a MOMENT OF COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY.

What struck me was the way he corrected the situation without crushing anyone’s dignity. He led from the front.

In policing too, and in every organisation, mistakes and difficult moments are inevitable. The easier response is anger. The harder response is to correct firmly while still protecting a person’s self respect.

Leadership is not weakened by compassion. COMPASSION often gives leadership greater MORAL STRENGTH.

The uniform, designation or chair may give us authority, but the way we behave in difficult moments decides whether people merely obey us or truly respect us.

Dr. S. J. Nagalotimath’s example reminds us why some leaders continue to influence people long after their lifetime. They leave behind not just decisions, but a way of treating people.

“Where knowledge is free…”Every time I read these words of Rabindranath Tagore, I am reminded that education was never m...
05/09/2026

“Where knowledge is free…”

Every time I read these words of Rabindranath Tagore, I am reminded that education was never meant to be only about books, marks or examinations.
It is about making a mind FREE.

On this Teachers’ Day, I found myself remembering the teachers and mentors who shaped my own journey. Some taught lessons from textbooks. Some taught through their actions. And some simply said a few words at the right moment, words that quietly stayed with us for years.

A good teacher gives us the CONFIDENCE to “hold our head high.”
They encourage us to question, think and reason instead of blindly following what Tagore called the “dreary desert sand of dead habit.”
And slowly, they prepare us for a world of “ever widening thought and action.”

As we grow older, we also realise that teachers do not always stand in classrooms.
Sometimes, a senior becomes a teacher, sometimes, a colleague patiently shows us a better way, and sometimes, even someone younger teaches us something that years of experience could not.

That, perhaps, is the beauty of learning. It never really ends.
Today, I remember with gratitude every teacher, mentor and guide who opened a window in my mind, corrected me when necessary, encouraged me when I doubted myself and helped me see a little further.

To all those who continue to create spaces “WHERE KNOWLEDGE IS FREE”…
Thank you.
Happy Teachers’ Day.

NO CITIZEN should have to FEEL LOST IN THE SYSTEM just to be heard.Recently, during a conversation with a reporter, I wa...
01/09/2026

NO CITIZEN should have to FEEL LOST IN THE SYSTEM just to be heard.

Recently, during a conversation with a reporter, I was reminded of FRANZ KAFKA’S book, “THE TRIAL”...

The novel presents a disturbing picture of an ordinary citizen caught in an opaque system, unsure whom to approach, where to go or whether anyone will truly listen.

That conversation took me back to my days as SP in Bidar. For many citizens, walking into a senior police officer’s office itself can be intimidating. They may come with a genuine grievance, but also with many questions in their mind.
Will I be allowed to meet the officer?
Will someone listen patiently?
Will anything happen after I leave?
I wanted to reduce that distance between the police and the people.

So, we opened the SP office every day from 4.00 PM to 6.30 PM for citizens to meet me directly. In the initial days, these interactions often continued beyond 9.00 PM, until everyone waiting had been heard.

We also began frequent and open interactions with the press to keep people informed.
I wanted the office itself to feel less intimidating too. The walls carried ARTWORK reflecting community policing. The visitors’ room had BOOKS by distinguished police officers, Jnanpith Award winning Kannada writers and local authors.

Over time, people began entering the SP office with less hesitation. They knew they could come, speak directly and expect to be heard with dignity.

An office may represent authority, but it should never become a barrier between the administration and the citizen.

The uniform gives us responsibility and authority. But trust grows when people know that BEHIND THE UNIFORM, SOMEONE is WILLING TO LISTEN, EXPLAIN & ACT...

Keep the doors open, keep communication transparent, and make every citizen feel heard.

Some moments take us forward. Some quietly take us back to where everything began."बार-बार आती है मुझको मधुर याद बचपन ते...
25/08/2026

Some moments take us forward. Some quietly take us back to where everything began.

"बार-बार आती है मुझको मधुर याद बचपन तेरी।
गया, ले गया तू जीवन की सब से मस्त खुशी मेरी॥"

These lines felt especially close to my heart this weekend.
My book release in my hometown was special for many reasons. What made it even more personal was seeing my childhood school friends come together and organize the entire event.

Walking into the hall and seeing so many familiar faces together, I was suddenly transported many years back. For a while, there were no titles, positions or professional identities, we were simply school friends again.

The laughter was familiar, the conversations needed no introduction, and memories of classrooms, teachers, playgrounds and those carefree days returned as though they had been waiting patiently somewhere within us.

Life has taken each of us on very different journeys. Responsibilities have grown and each friend has created his own professional and creative path. And now, the same friends with whom I once shared my school days had come together to celebrate my journey as an author.

That feeling is difficult to put into words. A book may carry one person’s name on its cover, but moments like these remind us that every journey is shaped by many people, places and memories along the way.

We often speak about how far we have travelled in life. This gathering reminded me how important it is to occasionally look back at where the journey began.

I returned from the evening with a heart full of gratitude, for my hometown, for my childhood, my teachers and for those rare FRIENDSHIPS that existed long before titles, positions and achievements became part of our lives.

Perhaps that is the gift of childhood friends. They do not merely remember what we have become.

THEY REMEMBER WHERE WE BEGAN.

Some journeys end when we return home, some stay with us until they become a book.Seeing my book, ಅಲ್ಕೆಬುಲಾನದ ಹೃದಯದಿಂದ /...
20/08/2026

Some journeys end when we return home, some stay with us until they become a book.

Seeing my book, ಅಲ್ಕೆಬುಲಾನದ ಹೃದಯದಿಂದ / Alkebulanada Hrudayadinda, finally reach its readers has been a deeply memorable moment of my life.

This was never simply a book about an international assignment in Africa. It carries people, conversations, fear, humour, history and moments that continue to live within me.

Recently, a reader’s reflection took me back to one uneasy moment:
“Don't look towards those soldiers.. Chenna!... You don't know about African soldiers. They look as though they have just arrived straight from the battlefield. Something feels off about this situation to me, let's leave quickly.”

In South Sudan, my peacekeeping duty and adventure often met an unfamiliar reality.
The reader then raised a question that perhaps lies at the heart of the book. A comfortable home, a meaningful position, a loving family, good friends. What more does one need? Why still go searching?

One thought captured something I had perhaps felt, but never put into words:
“Today, almost everything can be searched on Google. Except ourselves.”
The assignment also introduced me to history, literature, music, food and people. There were lighter moments too: Boda Boda, Hakuna Matata, culinary adventures, memories of Mahatma Gandhi, reflections on our Sharana saints and the joy of entering the cool waters of the Nile.

But some stories still disturb me, especially families fleeing their homes and women in South Sudan risking their safety to protect their husbands from rebels.

And yet, amid suffering, life continues through courage, humour, friendship and hope.
I travelled to Africa searching for another world. Somewhere along the way, the journey also made me look within.

Some journeys show us the world. The unforgettable ones help us discover ourselves.

#ಅಲ್ಕೆಬುಲಾನದಹೃದಯದಿಂದ

11/08/2026

Sometimes, the STONES THROWN at us become the FOUNDATION we stand on.

During a recent conversation with Sri Devanuru Shankar Ji, he shared an experience from his engineering days.

A classmate once made a hurtful remark, telling him that he could not play the mandolin simply because of his downtrodden background.

He did not let that remark pull him down. Instead, he used it as a reason to prove himself.
He began saving money by skipping one meal a day until he could afford his own mandolin. Then came the practice, patience and persistence. With sheer dedication, he mastered the instrument and went on to deliver a memorable performance at his College Annual Gathering.
Instead of carrying the hurt with him, he chose to turn it into motivation.

He further quoted the timeless words from EDGAR GUEST’s poem, EQUIPMENT:
Figure it out for yourself, my lad,
You've all that the greatest of men have had,
With this equipment they all began,
So start for the top and say "I can."
You can triumph and come to skill,
You can be great if only you will,
You're well equipped for what fight you choose,
You are the handicap you must face,
You are the one who must choose your place...
Courage must come from the soul within,
The man must furnish the will to win,
Get hold of yourself, and say: "I can."

Life will sometimes place prejudice, criticism and doubt in our path. We may not be able to control what others say about us, but we can always choose how we respond.

Resentment can consume our energy, determination can transform it. No one else should be allowed to define the limits of our ability. True growth begins when courage, perseverance and the will to improve come from within.

Sometimes, the strongest response to those who doubt us is not an argument, it is what we become.

Whatever challenge or bias you may be facing today, remind yourself:
“I CAN”

When the challenge changes, policing cannot remain unchanged.While reading historian Arnold J. Toynbee’s Challenge and R...
04/08/2026

When the challenge changes, policing cannot remain unchanged.

While reading historian Arnold J. Toynbee’s Challenge and Response theory, I found myself thinking about modern policing.

Toynbee believed that societies progress when a Creative Minority emerges. These are people who understand new challenges, question familiar methods and find better responses.
But when creativity fades, the same group can become a Dominant Minority, depending on authority, rigid systems and the comfort of saying, “This is how it has always been done.”
We see this tension in police administration too.

SOPs, procedures and discipline are essential. But when crime, technology and public expectations are changing rapidly, old methods alone may not be enough.

Modern policing requires better intelligence, early intervention, root cause problem solving, responsible use of technology and stronger partnerships with the community.

We cannot arrest our way out of every 21st century public safety challenge.
The uniform gives us authority. But lasting legitimacy comes from fairness, adaptability and public trust.

Every organization has officers who observe closely, think differently and find practical solutions. As leaders, our responsibility is to guide and encourage them.

Because sometimes, the biggest obstacle to reform is not the lack of ideas. It is our attachment to the familiar.

Are we preparing our officers for tomorrow’s challenges, or only training them to repeat yesterday’s answers?

No “Delulu is the Solulu” while policing Gen Z protests. Empathy is the real “Trululu.”If this slang makes you scratch y...
28/07/2026

No “Delulu is the Solulu” while policing Gen Z protests. Empathy is the real “Trululu.”

If this slang makes you scratch your head, you are not alone. I had my own crash course while speaking with my teenage daughters. But understanding youth culture is more than knowing their slang. It is essential for modern policing.

During my tenure as SP in Bidar in 2023–24, Mr Manju, a young cyclist, told me:
“Sir, we Gen Z aren’t on Facebook. If you want to reach us, be on Instagram.”
That simple feedback changed our digital outreach in community policing.

I recently discussed Policing Gen Z Protests with Firmness and Empathy with our PSI probationers at the KPA.

Today, protests can be organised within minutes through Instagram, Bitchat, Discord and Clubhouse. Many have no traditional leaders, and every police interaction can be livestreamed. One wrong response can quickly turn a local incident into a crisis.

Public order cannot depend on force alone. It requires communication, restraint and tactical calm.

At Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, police recently used coordinated whistle signals and calm communication instead of physical force, showing how restraint can maintain order without escalating tension.

We reflected on three core principles:
Respect rights, prevent violence.
Communicate before escalating.
Isolate provocateurs without treating the entire crowd as an enemy.

We also discussed the 5 Cs: Communication, Containment, Calm, Control and Credibility.
A successful operation is not about displaying power. It is one where no one is hurt, property remains safe and citizens feel fairly treated.

How we treat young citizens today will determine whether they see the police tomorrow as protectors or oppressors.

To our future PSIs: protect rights, maintain order and let every action build public trust.

Address

Karnataka Police Academy
Mysore

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Chennabasavanna SL IPS posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category