From his school days, retired IPS officer Pawan Jain has been deeply interested in poetry and has attended numerous kavi sammelans of famous poets of the time, which is how he realized that poetry is a way through which one can not only express his thoughts and emotions but also connect with people at large. And, thus, began his journey as a poet, a litterateur, and a social worker.
Indian Masterminds exclusively spoke with the officer to know more about his creative side.
CHILD POET
He began his journey as a poet at the age of 13 years, when he received the opportunity to share a stage with Rahat Indori, a famous lyricist and poet, who was impressed with his confidence and praised him immensely.
In 1988, when India returned empty handed from the Olympics, the officer wrote a heartfelt poem on the situation. He recited the poem in front of his batch mates and instantly won everyone’s hearts.
“My batch mates appreciated my talent and that’s how I realized that my poems surely do have what it takes to connect to big audiences. It was my first big gig at in poetry which I recited in the National Police Academy in front of several dignitaries,” shared the 1987 batch officer.
SURGUJA DAYS
During his tenure as the SP of Surguja in 1995, the IPS officer once again received a grand opportunity to showcase his talent in front of a large crowd of around 20,000 people when he recited his poem on the stage during the Dussehra festival. The event was attended by several renowned poets and the officer became a sensation overnight.
“It was one of my biggest achievements and the love that I received from the famous poets and the public was overwhelming!,” he told Indian Masterminds.
ANTIM ICCHHA
Soon, the officer started weaving more poems into words, after receiving a beautiful handwritten collection by Sri Ashok Chakradhar, a well-known author and poet, who motivated him for the same.
He then moved on to write his magnum opus ‘Antim Ichha’ based on the agony of police personnel who die in the line of duty and are not able to fulfill their dying wishes. The book touched the heart of all police personnel serving selflessly on their job. It garnered so much attraction that today, a copy of the poem can be found on the walls of every single police station in Madhya Pradesh.
“The poem earned me huge respect from my fellow mates and the public. So many times, police personnel die in the line of duty but it never strikes a person’s mind as to what his last wish was or could have been. I wanted to bring out that pain through my poem and I am happy that I was able to do justice to it,” shared Mr. Jain.
BOOKS
The officer wrote his first book in 2006 called ‘Main Samay Hoon’, the prelude of which is written by Shri Ashok Chakradhar and the foreword is written by Mr. Javed Akhtar.
The officer’s next book ‘Sacchai’ is also in the pipeline and will give its readers insight into the job and duties of a police officer. The officer is an ardent lover of sports and enjoys writing on the topic for various newspapers.
SOCIAL WORKER
Besides being a sportsman, sports fan, and literary enthusiast, Mr. Jain is also involved in social service in his hometown, Chambal. He has assisted over 50,000 poor people in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh by arranging for prominent doctors from around the country to perform eye, dental, and polio procedures in large free medical camps.
Furthermore, the officer has also organized 53 kavi sammelan in Rajakhera, Agra, Morena, and Chambal, among others, where he has invited poetry maestros like Surender Sharma, Ashok Chakradhar, Shailesh Lodha, Kumar Vishwas, numerous times for the entertainment of the public, free of cost.
The officer has received the T.P. Jhunjhunwala Social Service Award for his outstanding achievement in the field of social service. He has also received the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2003 and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2013.
