It is very common for the bureaucrats to pen down memoirs of their service. But, the 1983-batch IPS officer, Mr OP Singh doesn’t believe in undertaking common tasks. His tenacity and flair for words, make his memoirs called Crime, Grime and Gumption – case files of an IPS officer, an outstanding piece of literature interspersed with lots of interesting anecdotes and pieces of history. In a freewheeling interview with Indian Masterminds, Mr Singh discussed not only the book but also the tumultuous events that took place during his career.
In the first part of the interview, Mr Singh speaks about his childhood, early studies, his family, and how he landed up at the UPSC doorstep.
Mr Singh began by describing the unusual title of the book and what exactly he means by grime (filth) and gumption (resourcefulness). Does the filth not indicate crime or criminal-politician nexus (as in the phrase – a cesspool of politics)? Since an IPS in a district is the second most powerful officer (after the District Collector), what does he want to convey by mentioning ‘gumption’ in the title?
As the title itself conveys, the book is written very lucidly and in a racy style. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know about the events that took place in U.P. from the late 1980s to the summer of 2020. These include Babri Masque’s demolition, subsequent riots, Sikh terrorism in Terai, and frequent political upheavals in the state, impacting the bureaucracy.
Please click on the link below to watch the first part of the interview…
