Haryana Humour appropriates on the sly and is sneaky in character. Syed Ali Ahmed interviews Rajbir Deswal

FACE TO FACE
Humorist in uniform
By: Syed Ali Ahmed
Mr Rajbir Deswal, an IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, is better known among his colleagues as the man who writes middles. For this humour-writer IPS officer, it was a few Urdu couplets recited by his father while he was still in school, which inspired him to continue with writing. Apart from authoring three books, he has contributed middles and articles on tourism and travel in almost all the leading newspapers and magazines. His books have also been translated by the well-known Khushwant Singh. He, who has a passion for reading and writing, was born in a village, Anta in Jind, located in Haryana. He completing his schooling from Jind, higher education from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and M.D. University, Rohtak from where he attained his masters in English.
He is currently pursuing law from the Delhi University.
He topped the Haryana Police Services in 1983, was elevated to IPS cadre a few years back and is currently an Assistant Director in the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD). However, it’s been his passion for writing due to which he has been contributing to various newspapers. Apart from being invited to various literary functions, he has also visited various countries including USA, England, France and Italy. And not just writing, he has been tremendously successful in his mainstream career as well.
Several projects, based on the idea of social policing, initiated by him in various areas, turned out to be exceptionally successful.
Excerpts:
What inspired you to write?
My father was very fond of Urdu poetry and novels. At times, he used to recite beautiful couplets of Urdu poets which inspired me to write, particularly with a tinge of humour. Besides, being a student of literature, it was easy for me to pick up the subject and translate it.
I also worked as a journalist in a newspaper in Delhi before joining the police services, which gave me additional impetus for writing. Frankly speaking, when I was studying in college in Chandigarh, I used to recite poetry and jokes for my friends.
After completing my postgraduation from Maharshi Dayanand University, I joined a newspaper in Delhi and worked under a known journalist. But I left the pen-pushing job and joined the Haryana Police Services. Later, I also started contributing to newspapers – regional as well as national. At the same time I concentrate on my official duty – policing.
What kind of writing do you enjoy the most?
I contribute to various newspapers and mostly write light-hearted pieces. I have authored three books, one in English and two in Hindi.
My books have been translated by an eminent journalist, Khushwant Singh. These subject of my books moves around Haryanavi humour, culture and history. My jokes and other writings are those which find roots in the soil of the state. These are thoroughly village-oriented and it looks good when one speaks in the local language.
How do you spare time for writing while pursuing your official duties?
Writing jokes and other funny articles comes to me naturally. For these, I do not require extra time. While working in the field, I get ideas for my write ups.
A few years back, for instance, some incident took place in the Gharaunda police station. I was an SSP there. I went to the police station to see the nature of the incident, as generally officers do.
The SHO gave me the minutest details. While narrating the scene of the incident, the SHO told me about an old haveli where, kids played, but got injured when they jumped from there.
When I visited the haveli, I found that it was a historical building. It thus, became a subject of writing for me. So if one is interested, one can explore subjects of writing anywhere.
What is the character and form of Haryanavi humour?
Haryanavi humour is robust and not at all pretentious. It does not espouse in making up or repentance. Rather, in doing so, the intention and endeavour go beyond. The best humour is said to be the “laugh at oneself” variety but the Haryana brand, is, by nature, of the type that makes fun of anybody, anywhere and in whatever manner in such unsparing terms which do not differentiate between the subject and the object.
How does Haryanavi wit and humour reconcile in your estimation?
Haryanavi fun is more humorous and less witty. Wit emanates out of intelligence and humour, out of incongruities of human life, and interactive situations. Haryanavi humour is largely situational in its genesis. Its bite is fatally incurable. Once the salvo has been fired there is no salvaging effort. And this aspect makes the Haryanavi humour a distinctly tribal genre. Perhaps the hard life the Haryanavi leads manifests in his rural cultural milieu and leaves ample scope for desirable catharsis which is always purgative in nature. Thus a harsher hit balances more conveniently and suits the Haryanavi temperament more than a controlled and sophisticated approach even in matters not so serious.
Why is Haryanavi humour unpredictable?
As I said Haryanavi humour mostly emanates out of situations and since the situations cannot be predicted. So is its reaction, which is so spontaneous and innocent that you cannot read in between the unintended craft.
For instance, if you ask a Haryanavi the time, he might quip with no intention to harm you, “why, are you planning to down yourself in a well?” Or “ Do you have intentions to lie under a running train?”
And people also say that the Haryanavi humour is robust and unsparing…
Noted writer Khushwant Singh believes that high and might evoke laughter amongst the hoi polloi. The treatment meted out to the subjects is harsh and the latter are bound to make fun of their rulers in an unsparing manner.
This is true of the Haryanavi historically, since they have lived in the shadow of Delhi, a seat of power, since ages.
The belligerence in their disposition provided an in-built system of balancing, when it came to taking on the powers that be or any kinds of persecution of the people around Delhi.
That is how the Haryanavi humour got more teeth to bite than soft palate to soft-pedal when it came to situations allowing an interpersonal dialogue.
What do you say about your latest book on Haryanavi humour “Latke-jhatke”?
It is collection of jokes in case it gives you titillation what earthy humour is expected to give. The locale of all the anecdotes is typically rural and the dialect is Haryanavi, written in Devnagri.
But it is only the punch line that is in Haryanavi that too is translated for better understanding of those who may find it difficult to understand the dialect. It was almost a challenge for me to retain the punch while translating the dialectical idiom into a recognised and comprehensible scheme of Devnagri.
Infact, in all the anecdotes reflect some aspects of Haryana’s culture, be it the dialect, dressing, agriculture, lifestyle, dwelling, marriages, interpersonal relationships, the anecdotes do invoke laughter. But in a lighter vein, the desired effect of informing the readers about the culture of the land of Haryana is sought to be achieved.
With this kind of disposition, how have you involved the community in your police work?
Wherever I have remained posted in the field of active policing, I have given preference to the concept of social policing. At Karnal in Haryana, I started a police-Bhaiya project, which catered the tiny tots in primary schools.
The idea was to make the children not fear the police in their formative years so that they don’t carry a negative image of the police in the years to come. Then our ‘police – students anti copying programme’ too was a big success.
At Fatehabad, I was instrumental in floating a non governmental organisation with the help of about 100 socially conscious citizens who took up causes in public interest. At Sonepat in Haryana, I worked hard to have an all women police station, the first one of its kind in the state, which is working very well till date.
The latest in policing trends is to involve the public in way that they participate in poling the community a large.