V: Vartika Chaturvedi #AToZChallenge

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I'll let out another secret today, I feel immensely proud when I see a woman in uniform. There is something so inspirational about it. Vartika Chaturvedi is the cop from Netflix's show 'Delhi Crime'. This show states the events of the Nirbhaya case which shook the country. This character is inspired by the real life cop Chhaya Sharma who handled this case. For those who are unaware of this case, a woman and a man were harassed on a moving bus on 16th December 2012 in Delhi by six men. While the man was beaten up badly, the girl was raped and mutilated beyond recognition. Her intestines were pulled out of her body and she did not live long after the incident. 'Delhi Crime', in its seven episodes, attempts to show the effort put in by the police in capturing these rapists within five days of the crime.

Vartika Chaturvedi is the Deputy Commissioner of Police for South Delhi and is woken up in the middle of the night to tend to this case. She reaches the hospital to meet the victims and is taken aback by the state of the woman. As a cop, she's supposed to be in control of her emotions, but the situation in front of her is too gruesome. She forms a team of her own and hijacks a colleague's office to form a head quarter for the case. She puts in all the man power she has to catch these rapists.

To start with, it is nice to see a woman be the head of the team to follow up on such a heinous crime. She forms a team mainly consisting of men and only two other women and follows up with every clue and intuition. She handles her emotions so beautifully. She refuses to go home and stays put in the station until the men are caught. She's strong and a quick decision maker in front of her team, and yet is vulnerable when she's alone. Here's a woman who is trying to solve the most gruesome rape case in the history of the country and yet she wants to prove to her daughter that the city and the country is not such a bad place to live in.

Vartika is strong headed and knows what to expect from the right set of people. There is a lot of sensitivity and precision in her character and Vartika doesn't rest until all the rapists are caught. Her emotions are all over the place and yet she remains composed. She doesn't sleep or go home to her husband and daughter. Dealing with emotions alone is a really tough thing. More so if you are expected to be strong in front of your colleagues. Vartika is not the one to put up with nonchalance and does abuse when she loses her cool. She's only human, after all. She's very comfortable with herself and gives orders with ease. You can see the relief on her face when the final culprit is caught. This is the only moment when she loses her strong demeanor and hugs her colleague who brings in the news.

Shefali Shah has done a brilliant job playing Vartika Chaturvedi. We need more such strong female characters to be brought on screen. Vartika Chaturvedi is an inspiration to every woman out there, more so because she has been inspired by the real life cop Chhayya Sharma. Chhaya or Vartika, it is time women show the world what they can do.

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I'm participating in the April A to Z Challenge for 2019 and my theme is Wonder Women.