Presently posted as Commandant, Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) – 2, batch 2009 IPS officer Sanjay Ranjan Singh has now become popular for his not just his professional work but also his theatre activism. Singh talks about his love for theater and script writing, quirk of writing from the last page of a diary and other aspects of his life with The Pioneer. Excerpts:
How many of your plays have been staged till date?
Around half a dozen, each with an entirely different storyline and issue. Around three more are in pipeline which will be staged after the elections.
What is the genre you prefer to write in?
There is no specific genre. Every play has an entirely different storyline. Joihla Johila is a love story of three rivers, Ishq Parinda is a play based on Maoist Background, Thane Ki Ek Raat is based on Police while Firoza is based on Communal riots.
How and when did you develop this interest in writing plays?
I developed the love for reading novels when I was in class nine or ten. This gradually inclined towards writing. When I took admission in St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi, I connected with other people interested in theaters. I wrote around seven to eight plays, including Ek Swapna Katha which was among the first plays to be staged.
Ek Swapna Katha was not just dialogues but a musical play with some beautiful lyrics. So can we say that you are not just a script writer but a lyricist too?
I always loved writing dialogues and songs but never really got a chance to showcase them as I was too caught up with life, studying and then job.
So how did you finally decide to stage the plays you wrote?
I did not. A friend approached me around two years ago who said he has the copy of my script for Ek Swapna Katha. People gradually started coming together and the play was staged. However, staging that play was not easy as it required not just actors but also composing and recoding the music among other things. Interestingly, I did not even know when people were working towards acting out some of the plays I wrote. It was a surprise to me when I saw them being staged. Nothing was ever planned. I wrote as a passion and when people came across the scripts they appreciated it and started to work on them.
You said you developed a love for reading in school days. What were the type of books that got you hooked?
In Daltonganj, where I spent my childhood, Russian literature was available at a very cheap rate or even free, that is how I started reading. Then I came across Rabindranath Tagore and Premchand's works at friends' place and that fascinated me. I never enjoyed reading course books but novels were a different thing, they take you to an imaginary world.
What was the first ever play you wrote?
It was in 1986, called Andheron Ke Darakht translating to trees of darkness It was based on the riots of 1984. Back then I did not have the confidence or the resources to get it staged as it was not just a sensitive issue but also expensive. However, now I plan to get it staged.
Having a strong love for theatre, how did you end up in Police?
Frankly, this was never planned and neither was I interested. It was just a coincidence, not a success story. I wanted a job so I thought why not. I do take my job seriously but let me tell you getting a job is not a successful endeavour as people believe. What really matters is how many people are happy when they meet you.
If not IPS, what did you want to do?
I was interested to get into theaters but it was an expensive passion so it was not possible back then.
With such busy schedule do you get time to write?
I write in my free time. This is my only hobby. In day time it’s not possible so I write at night. I have a diary and a pen next to my pillow. I have this quirk that I write only on worn out diaries from the last page. I have a brand new diary I cannot write on it. Also, you pick up any of my diaries, the front pages are all blank and everything is written from the last page.
Theater definitely is not at its prime. What according to you is the reason behind its downfall?
The original theater is never complete without songs and music but as it is very expensive, people resorted to street plays. This ended the purity of theater art and public started believing that street play is theater. We have to cater to an audience which watches movies and TV and to do that you will have to give theater a panoramic treatment. However, if you take this art seriously, then people would gradually start taking you seriously.
What does your family say on your love for theater?
My wife supports me a lot and in fact she is a very brutal critic to my work. She doesn’t hesitate to say it on my face if she doesn’t like a script. There was an instance when she did not like a play I wrote and threw my diary out of the house. Meanwhile, my daughter has also picked up the love for reading, I guess this is genetic.