It’s not every day that one gets a glimpse of both the hard and soft sides of an eminent personality. Someone whose hard exterior scares the most hardened of criminals, while his heart beats softly for poetry and music. Meet IPS officer, Mr. Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, who is not just a super cop but also a profound poet, novelist, lyricist and singer. In conversation with Indian Masterminds, this multi-faceted officer talks about the work that actually stirs his soul.
THE POLICEMAN AND THE POET
Everyone knows him as Mr. Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, the 1987 batch IPS officer. Some also know his present designation – DG, Homeguard, West Bengal.
But not everyone knows about Mr. Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, the poet, lyricist, and singer, who has worked in both Bengali and Bhojpuri music and film industries.
He wrote lyrics and sang for several Bhojpuri albums, including Ae Babua and Ruk Ja Sajan. He has also written lyrics for Hindi films and represented India in cultural shows abroad.
WITH RITUPORNO GHOSH IN CHOKHER BALI
But the highpoint of his life was working with acclaimed director Rituporno Ghosh in the film, Chokher Bali, adapted from the original story by Rabindranath Tagore.
“A close associate, Debojyoti Mishra, was doing the music for the film. One day, he and Rituporno came to my house and told me that they need an old bhajan for a movie. Rituporno had visited many places, including Banaras, to find the right bhajan, but was not satisfied. So, I sang him a Ram bhajan which my nani used to sing and he liked it. That was it!” he revealed.
He wrote the lyrics of a song for the film and, also, sang it himself.
POETRY IN HIS SOUL
He first started writing as a child for his school magazine in Bihar. He continued writing sporadically after joining the police force, but it was only when he was posted in Kolkata that he published his first poem collection, Kirchen, in 2007.
This was followed by the translation of Meghdoot (originally by Kalidaas) to Hindi. In 2019, he published another poem collection, Aas ke Aabhas. His first Bhojpuri novel, Ganga Ratan Videshi, was also published in the same year.
“When the story of ‘Ganga Ratan Videshi’ came into my mind, it was clear that no language other than Bhojpuri can do justice to it. I was born in Sonbarsa, Bihar, and Bhojpuri is my mother tongue. I have always believed that unless you respect your own mother tongue, you cannot respect others,” he said.
WORKING ON DRAUPADI
The erudite officer is currently working on a story of Draupadi. This will be a poetic portrayal of Drapaudi’s version of events in Mahabharata.
“Through the character of Drapaudi, I want to question some instances of the epic saga,” he revealed.
IT WAS MEANT TO BE
Mr. Singh says that he never planned anything in life, things just happened. The decision of getting into civil services was taken in just one night.
Although the policeman in him believes in acting on time, the philosopher in him believes whatever will be, will be. Que sera, sera.
