1997-batch IPS officer Quaiser Khalid equates life to love. There will be struggles, desperation, ups and downs, and wins and losses. And these are the things that make life worthy. Otherwise, the very essence of life is lost, he says.
Profound words from this IGP from Maharashtra. And no wonder! Apart from being involved in law enforcement, he is deeply into poetry and literature. His heart literally beats for these two arts, so much so that he has organised over 100 poetry and `shayari’ shows so far. But, this is not all. There’s another side to him as well. The humanitarian side. He likes to do his bit for society through his NGO, Pasban-e-Adab.
NOT BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON
Mr. Khalid is from a remote village in Araria district of Bihar. He completed his initial education from a government school in his village. At a later stage, he used to travel three kilometers every day to reach high school. While speaking on a media platform, he said, “I come from a generation where thousands like me were not born with a silver spoon. We had to make efforts to make our life better. Nothing was easily served.”
He cleared his 10th in Urdu board and took admission in Science College, Patna. Since he had good marks, he got hostel accommodation, too.
Recalling those days, he said, “I learned the most there. Initially I used to think how will I survive among students from great educational background. Then I thought, if I scored good marks by studying in deprived conditions, then I can stand my ground here, too.”
Once, he got ragged in the Patna Women’s College, where he had gone to take part in a Quiz, as he was too shy. This prepped him further to work on his English, General Studies and communication.
KEEP MOVING ON TRACK
Having been there and lived that, he now advises young people to set fixed goals, and at the end of the day, close their eyes and analyse if the activities they are indulging in are taking them towards those goals or not. “Your progress may be small or big, but you shouldn’t derail from the track. Even if your progress is slow, if you keep moving on the track, you’ll surely reach your goal.”
To motivate aspirants coming from not-so-privileged backgrounds, he gave the example of his own journey, saying if he can do it, then anyone can. He had even left 100 marks questions in UPSC CSE, still he made it to the list. “Anyone who is determined and ready to keep making an effort, can achieve anything and everything in life,” he concluded.
