Setting the pace

Rajiv Trivedi, Principal Secretary, Home, Telangana, believes that one needs to be passionate about at least one thing to be able to live life with complete satisfaction. He gets attracted to anything that improves endurance and tests his stamina and mental staying capacity. Running a marathon is one such thing. 

To set an example to the new recruits at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVP NPA), he recently ran from his home in Jubilee Hills to the Academy. “I ran 19 

kilometres this morning from my residence in Hyderabad to attend the Dikshant Parade of 355 Armed Reserve Recruit Constables as Chief Guest. My younger son Prashant, who works in Bengaluru also joined me. It was an effort to set an example which may perhaps be remembered by the recruits for some time. It 
took me an hour and 45 minutes to reach the Academy,” says the senior IPS officer, whose 1998 record of the fastest swim across the 30 kilometre Palk Strait from Sri Lanka to India in 12 hours and 31 minutes, still stands. 

Not surprisingly, Trivedi is an inspiration to many. “Rachel Chatterjee had given the Inspiration 

Medal to me on her win at Mumbai Marathon this year,” he adds. Interestingly, both his sons, Prashant and Prasoon are into fitness and endurance activities while his wife Udaya is into yoga and swimming.