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Music on the beat
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The Dakshina Kannada Armed Reserve Police band plays its tunes in the hope that fresh talent and recognition of their work will rejuvenate it, writes PAWAN KUMAR H.
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Photo: R. Eswarraj
MUSIC IN UNIFORM Over the last 35 years, Dakshina Kannada Armed Reserve Police (DARP) band has won nine State-level awards
State and national holidays are days to relax for most of us. Police Constable Dinesh Kumar, however, strikes a different note on those days of the year. He is the band master of the Dakshina Kannada Armed Reserve Police (DARP).
Over the last 35 years the band has won nine State-level awards and after all these years, their shiny instruments look more and more like extensions of their bodies. Anthony William, Godwins Salines, Vijay Kumar, Richard D’ Souza, Premnath, Rukmaiya Gowda, Ganesh Kumar and Dinesh Kumar, have mastered the “Mangalore Police March”, “District Armed Escort March”, “Carnal Bogie”, “Jalpakshi”, “Queen’s Colour”, “Under the Double Eagle”, “Auld Lang Syne” “Modgalian Song”, “Rajasthan Song”, “Jesus Calls” and “Blue Zeniya Sound of Music”.
On November 1, for Karnataka Rajyotsava, these eight men had audiences trembling with patriotic fervour. The Town Hall reverberated with their tunes which was a combo of ‘Sare jahan se accha” and “Mera mulk mera desh”.
Their’s is a police band with protocol high on their agenda and there is a stipulated tune for every occasion. Dinesh explains: “We play the national anthem only at flag hoisting and on the arrival of the President or Governor of our State. Whereas for Chief Ministers, Home Ministers, senior officials and visiting Governors of other states, it is only a general salute.”
Dinesh is the youngest member of the band but he is by far the most accomplished. He was one among the two Indians selected for the International Sai Symphony band. He had played the trumpet in that international band, which performed at Puttaparthi in 2004. He has also trained Dakshina Kannada’s biggest band Alake Satya Sai Lokaseva band.
Unsung heroes
There are only eight musicians who are currently with DARP whereas it can accommodate 32. Godwins Salines, a police constable, has been in the band for the past 35 years without any promotion or recognition. And in six months he will retire in the same rank that he had joined with.
“By 2011, this troop will have no members, if it’s not infused with new talent. All the eight members will retire by that time. We even don’t get any extra payment or any allowance for being a part of the band set; our salary is the same as other constables have,” says Dinesh.
Most of the policemen seem to prefer the laathi rather than the trumpet – not many of them want to be a part of the band, many get trained and after few days they find an excuse to flee the place. Recently the troop got eight more trainees, whether they will face the same future as Constable Salines, is the question.
While, for most part of the year, they are making their laathis sing; every once in a while, when most people are busy making holiday plans, they strike up a different tune.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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