Veteran IPS officer Mr Rishiraj Singh, a man of strong personality, is also quite often admired for his gentle side- of being a connoisseur in art, music, culture, and writing. Inducted as IPS in 1985, Singh was allotted the Kerala cadre and is currently serving as DG Prisons and Correctional Services in the state. Coming to the southern state from Rajasthan where he spent his early life, Singh was among those rare officers from outside the state who adopted Kerala as his own.
His proficiency in the Malayalam language shows the dedication he carries towards his service and the attachment he has developed with the state and its people over his 35 years of service. Not only this but Mr. Singh’s latest book Before It Is Too Late – written in Malayalam- is a testimony to his love for Kerala as well as for the Malayalam language.
LAUNCHING THE BOOK
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched Mr. Singh’s book on 20 February 2021 in a glittering ceremony. It was done in the presence of State Chief Secretary Dr. Vishwas Mehta, Mathrubhumi Managing Director and MP, M. V. Shreyams Kumar, MLA V S Sivakumar, newly and DGP Loknath Behera.
‘Vaikam Mumbe‘ (Before It Is Too Late) depicts the frightening drug consumption in the educational institutions of Kerala, and how the adolescents and youth are getting affected by it. It is a valuable study of the drug menace in the state and guides the students, teachers, and parents to avert the grave threat to the young generation.
Mr. Singh spoke exclusively to Indian Masterminds, during which he pulled out some extracts from the book and also the inspiration behind writing the book on drug abuse.
THE IDEA
Mr. Singh has been a columnist for the past few years in a local newspaper in Kerala, and has also extensively written for leading English newspapers in the country. These also include several opinion pieces. Some of the topics he covered included the demise of KPS Gill, Steve Smith and David Warner controversy, Cannabis legalization in India and modification in rape laws in the country.
While speaking about the book, Mr. Singh said “I was Excise Commissioner when I visited nearly 1000 schools and colleges to dig the underlying causes of consuming drugs by interacting with the students. The role of the Excise Commissioner, a nodal officer in Kerala, is the prevention of drug use among the society. This is more a responsibility of the excise department than the state police in Kerala. I served as the Excise Commissioner for 1,000 days, which is nearly three years and I found out that children, at a very early age, are under a lot of stress and pressure to do well in academics.”
With the responsibility of reducing the drug menace in the state, as it was leading to rising suicide cases and the ill practices among children, Mr. Singh opted to pen down the causes, prevention, and treatment measures in a book that would not only help the students but will also bring a change in the “super ambitious’’ teachers and parents.
BOOK EXTRACTS
The book goes through a lot of revelations and author’s suggestions, which uncovers the dark side of our education system, family issues, side-effects of technology, and things which have become the new norm in the society.
Mr. Singh also gave an example of his own son in the book, where he explained how he was an average student throughout his schooling life. He said, “My son refused to attend any college, as he was not interested in joining one. Rather, he had a keen interest in animation and wanted to become an artist. He requested me to send him abroad for pursuing a diploma course. He got two diploma degrees and is now working with established international studios where he has already made 10 films.”
Apart from this, he also gave his own. He was an average student who scored sixty percent marks, but got a gold medalist in History. He explained how life was pretty much simple back then while he was completing his schooling. He also said that while he was preparing for the civil services, he worked very hard. He said, “The lesson for them is that you work hard, but only when the right time comes. Of course, school studies is important for your complete personality development.”
Mr Singh also stressed on the necessity of extra-curricular activities in a student’s life, as it can lead them to create an interest in sports. He also gave examples of some sport figures such as the legend, Sachin Tendulkar. He explained how Tendulkar was an average student but won the hearts of millions by his masterclass cricketing. Hence, he suggested students to pursue their passion and interest in any field, be it singing, dancing, drama, sports, education etc., rather than following what other tell them to.
Kerala’s literacy rate is 100 percent, and people here love reading books. The response shown by people to Mr. Singh’s book was startling: its first edition was sold out within twenty-four hours of hitting the bookshops!
