A woman constable with the Mumbai Police has been drawing the admiration of her colleagues and winning accolades at literature festivals for her poems.
Police Constable Prachi Mulik was honoured with a certificate for her poems at Kavi Katta, an event held for budding artists by the State government in Baroda from February 16 to 18.
Last week, Mumbai Police Commissioner D.D. Padsalgikar felicitated her in the presence of the Mumbai Police’s top brass. Ms. Mulik said, “My superiors have been supportive. When I sought permission to attend the event, I was readily granted leave by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone XI) Vikram Deshmane and Senior Police Inspector Ramesh Nangre of Gorai police station, where I am posted.”
Ms. Mulik, who joined the police force in 2000, is a graduate in Marathi Literature. She said she fell in love with poetry at an early age and wrote her first Marathi poem at the age of 17. Ms. Mulik said, “I was interested in poetry since my school days. During undergraduation, my Marathi professor taught with such dedication that it was impossible to not fall in love with poetry. Noted writer Mangesh Padgaonkar is my favourite poet.”
Ms. Mulik said her brother Bhushan Kadam always encouraged her to write and her friends would often give her constructive feedback. She said, “I began by writing charolis or four line verses, which were all the rage at the time owing to [noted Marathi poet] Chandrashekhar Gokhale. Soon, I started writing longer poems. I have noticed that I have grown as a poet over the years. Earlier, I laid much emphasis on the rhyme and meter, but later the subject started taking precedence in my poems.”
Ms. Mulik said two of her poems have received wide appreciation. She says, “One of them, Kamgaar , talks about the life of labourers who migrate to cities in search of work and go through extreme hardships in order to provide for themselves and their families. The other, Naarad , is centred around an all-knowing person who exists in all workplaces, be it a government office or a private firm, and is like the sage Naarad in Hindu mythology.”
Ms. Mulik says she is fortunate to have colleagues who not only support her but also help her improve her skill. She says, “My husband and in-laws are appreciative of my passion. My elder daughter, who is 11 years old, has also taken to writing.”
