Cop star!

Nonika Singh

“We don’t wear the same clothes everyday…so why should we live our lives in the same monotonous fashion?”So believes young police officer, DSP Gurjot Singh Kaler. Whereas most cops are happy with rapping onto the knuckles of criminals, he has acquired the persona of a rap star, which comes with a pseudonym – Eehsaaas. 

As he is all set to release a single My Hero Farmer, the social conscience befitting a government servant has not taken a backseat. Deeply affected by the plight of farmers’ suicides, he decided to write a piece on their distress. Suddenly the words began to rhyme and the prose turned into a poem, and then a song at the intervention of a friend, who happens to be a music director. Kaler decided to croon it as well.

A video followed suit and while the idea was to circulate the song among his friends to begin with, he soon felt the song could have a life beyond playing it in his car. He could have easily uploaded the song on YouTube, but realised that would have at best meant a few likes. So with a flutter in his heart, he approached PTC and the channel without any misgivings has decided to air the song. Much to his delight, the song was also featured at the Sikh Lens Film Festival, California. And though he pumped his money to produce the song…today the community associated with the festival is ready to back him for his next song.

Passion driven

Hey, don’t get him wrong; he has no intentions of becoming a full-time singer. A police officer first and foremost, singing is just a passion he will continue to pursue as and when he finds time and subject that ignites his mind. Being a singer also helps him break out of stressful situations, which come with being a cop, forever on the tail of criminals.  Besides, he says, “A police officer’s job is to bring a smile on the face of people. By extending my life as a singer, I am only adding to that smile.” 

On that note, he also jokes how now he is armed to take on competition within the family from his lovely sister Diljott, who happens to be an actor. As for the feedback from outside and the possibility that his initiative might make him a butt of ridicule, for how we love to bring fledgling artists down, he quips, “When the intentions are right, people will get the message.” But since the lyrics are in English, how does he expect to reach out to the agrarian community to whom the song is dedicated? He asserts, “I also wanted to connect to audiences outside the state..”   By the way, his next song a paean to girl child is in Punjabi…need more proof that he has not turned a singer just for a lark. Tune in to the cop coping with Saat Suron Ki Duniya!

nonikasingh@tribunemail.com