https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

An IPS Officer with a Poet’s Heart

Here is a police officer-cum-poet. IPS officer D C Rajappa not only served the country with distinction, he has written hundreds of poems which continue to enthrall the people of Karnataka and beyond.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Imagining a police officer conjures up the picture of a man with a stern look and a coarse voice in a khaki uniform, also yielding a gun and giving the impression that if the need arose, he would not hesitate to use it. Often, one stern look from him would scare away most people. Now imagine a police officer with a pen, somebody who writes poetry and talks about love and brotherhood.

The second kind of cop may be hard to imagine. But he exists in flesh and blood: in the form of DC Rajappa, who retired only last year. Today Mr. Rajappa is known more for the scintillating books on Kannada poems he wrote over the years while in service than the number of prisoners he might have sent behind bars.

A renowned Kannada poet, Mr. Rajappa believes that empathy is the guiding force for both poets and policemen. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Rajappa opens up about his stories from the service, the inspiration behind his poetries, and also his new venture.

Mr. Rajappa believes in tackling cases humbly

Budding poet since Childhood

Mr. Rajappa’s love for poetry bloomed when he was a mere teenager. He wrote his first poem at the age of 15, in Kannada. “I read a poem titled Karisidda by a very well-known Kannada poet, Kuvempu, who has also received awards for his poems in 1968. I started enjoying poetries since then.” His early work came out so well that his mother and teachers urged him to write more.

Dr. DC Rajappa along with Dr. HSV, a famous Kannada writer

Jotting real-life experiences into verses

Poets usually take inspiration from nature or tangible objects to write their poetry, but such was not the case with Mr. Rajappa. The police officer’s poems are largely based on his own experiences, things he went through in real life while serving the nation. He took inspiration from various events that unfolded before his eyes. For instance, he recalled, his initial poems grew from the impressions he gathered in his village. He observed that several superstitions were rooted in everyone’s mind. One such superstition consisted of animal sacrifice to Gods.

“I wrote a poem on a practice called Maari where animals are sacrificed to the evil goddess Maaramma, to fulfill her appetite. Due to this practice, a number of animals were butchered in my village. But after my poem, the villagers stopped the practice.”

The personal collection of Mr. Rajappa’s poetry

The incident that stirred him

An incident that shook Mr. Rajappa from inside happened when, as the Superintendent of Police in Gulbarga district, he had to go on an accident scene where 14 people had lost their lives. What he witnessed left him emotionally scarred. He recalls, “I had managed to separate 12 dead bodies already when I encountered the last two. It was of a nine-month-old baby suckling his mother’s breast at the time of death. The sight of milk spilling out from the baby’s mouth disturbed me to my core. Not being able to take out the horrible incident from my mind, I wrote a poem called Saavu Mathu Sambrama (meaning Celebration of Death)” The poem brings forth the “irony of death’’, in the sense it does not come to those calling for it but reaches out to those who never wished for it.

Mr. Rajappa has written numerous other poems from various experiences he gained while working in the service.

Mr. Rajappa is a devoted officer and poet

Publishing his passion

Over the years, Mr. Rajappa has not just written poetries but also published them into books. He has a collection of four books, consisting of more than 500 poems, to his credit. These are titled Maari, Baradu Bhoomiya Sathyagalu, Hullu Meyuva Kudure, and Samavasthradolagondu sutthu (vol. 1, 2, 3, 4)

Mr. Rajappa is also the receiver of various awards such as the Amma award, Basava award, and Rajyashree award. He has also inspired hundreds of other police officers to pursue their creative passion and write poetry.

“The Karnataka police force has around one lakh officers, out of which more than 500 have started writing their experiences through poems! I have collected all these poems and edited them. I have been doing this work for 20 years.” said Mr. Rajappa.

‘Police Lahari’, the newly started monthly magazine

Moving towards a new venture

After his retirement, Mr. Rajappa has started an in-house publication of a monthly magazine called ‘Police Lahari’. Through this magazine, Mr. Rajappa is providing all the police officials of the country with a platform to showcase their talent and passion. This has been done for the first time in the history of the Karnataka Police.

“It will be a common platform from constable to DGPs to write poems and articles. There are several magazines and newspapers that give the opportunity to only the senior officials. If they would write something, they will publish it but nobody gives any opportunity to a lower grade constable. That’s why I launched the magazine and now everyone has an equal chance of getting their work published,” says Mr. Rajappa.

The DGP of Karnataka Police releasing ‘Police Lahari’

One doesn’t come across cop-cum-poet like Mr. Rajappa, too often. He is a one-of-a-kind person who can make the country better, through his words.

Indian Masterminds wishes Mr. Rajappa the best for all his future endeavors!


Indian Masterminds Stories
Related Stories
NEWS
burglary_intruder
Odisha: Locals Are Flummoxed After Burglars Break Into IAS Prasanth Reddy's Official Abode In Bhubaneshwar
news_4thnov24
SAIL & ASCI Hyderabad Enter Into An MoU To Develop Customized Management Development Programs For SAIL Executives
image_news
Coal India Limited Celebrates Its 50th Foundation Day At Kolkata HQ, Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy & Coal Secy Vikram Dev Dutt Grace the Event
BEML-Limited
Bharat Earth Movers Limited Bags "Self Certification" Status
AnyConv
Maharashtra: DGP Rashmi Shukla Removed Ahead of Elections; Senior IPS Officer to Take Charge
Indian Railways
Indian Railways Set to Launch 'Super App' in December to Revolutionize Passenger Services
Andhra Pradesh govt
Andhra Pradesh: Govt Transfers Senior IAS Officers, G. Lakshmisha Made Collector, NTR District
government-of-haryana
Haryana: Major Administrative Reshuffle, 27 IAS Officers Transferred, CG Rajini Kaanthan Made Secy, Finance Dept
Videos
Sujoy Banerjee
How Sujoy Banerjee Rescued India’s Endangered Crocodiles in Chambal
Prakash Singn IPS
Mulayam Singh Introduced Casteism in Police Force
WhatsApp Image 2024-10-25 at 21.23
Why Only Soldiers? Can’t Politicians or Civilians Sacrifice Too?
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
burglary_intruder
Odisha: Locals Are Flummoxed After Burglars Break Into IAS Prasanth Reddy's Official Abode In Bhubaneshwar
news_4thnov24
SAIL & ASCI Hyderabad Enter Into An MoU To Develop Customized Management Development Programs For SAIL Executives
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Sujoy Banerjee
Prakash Singn IPS
WhatsApp Image 2024-10-25 at 21.23
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT