The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out some hidden skills of police personnel in the city, and most are using their talents to create awareness about COVID-19 amongst the general public.
One of these, is officer K. Prabakar, deputy commissioner, St. Thomas Mount and another is R. Sasikala, a woman constable from Gummidipoondi. They have created music albums that are now being played on public address systems and uploaded on social media to create awareness about COVID-19
R. Sasikala, a constable with Gummidipoondi police station
“I read a lot of books and give motivational speeches in colleges. I wanted to use music to create awareness about the pandemic and ask people to follow safety measures. Hence I decided to make a music album. I wrote a portion of lyrics with lyricist Chittarasu and sang a few lines of the song along with singer, Velmurugan. The music director of the album is S.R. Ram,” said Mr. Prabakar.
The music album is now being played on public address systems fixed to autorickshaws and at spots where people gather in large numbers. “We are using 70 auto rickshaws to play the announcement and songs at 60 important junctions in St Thomas Mount district. It is also circulated on police WhatsApp groups,” he added.
Meanwhile, R. Sasikala, a constable with Gummidipoondi police station, has also composed three folk songs to create awareness about COVID-19. A native of Nagalingapatti village in Sivagangai district, she joined the police service two years ago, but had retained her interest in poetry and music.
“Music is the best way to make a person listen. During my free time, I penned the lyrics for the songs and showed them to my superior officers. They asked me to sing it in a recording studio and it was then uploaded on social media,” she said. The album has been uploaded on social media to create awareness.
P. Aravindan, Tiruvallur district Superintendent of Police, said that the songs will be played in autorickshaws to create awareness.
