Melody beyond the uniform: Retired police officers form music troupe in Kollam
The group, emerging from the Kerala Police Pensioners' Association, aims to perform for fellow retired officers and bring musical joy to the community.
The group, emerging from the Kerala Police Pensioners' Association, aims to perform for fellow retired officers and bring musical joy to the community.
The group, emerging from the Kerala Police Pensioners' Association, aims to perform for fellow retired officers and bring musical joy to the community.
Kollam: There is nothing unusual about revisiting dreams that were set aside during a demanding career. For a group of retired police officers, a lifelong passion for music has found fresh expression through Swaradhara, a newly formed music troupe that is turning their retirement years into a harmonious pursuit.
The ten-member ensemble comprises former police personnel who continued to nurture their love for music even while in service. Though none of them has formal training in classical music, the group believes their enthusiasm and collective experience will resonate with audiences.
The idea for Swaradhara emerged from the Kerala Police Pensioners' Association (KPPA), which sought to launch a cultural initiative for retired officers. "The concept took shape just about a month ago, and there wasn't much deliberation," said Chandrababu, chairman of the troupe. "We officially came together as a group only a week ago."
Soon after its formation, cultural organisation Kollam Mass stepped forward to offer the troupe a platform for their debut performance, marking the beginning of a new musical journey for the retired officers.
As part of the New Year celebrations, the troupe gave its debut performance on Friday evening at V Park, Kollam. With just a week to rehearse, the members delivered a flawless performance, performing confidently without a trace of stage fright. Beginning with the song Kuri Varachaalum Kurishivarachaalum, they went on to perform a series of evergreen classics and transformed the venue into a lively celebration of music.
The troupe comprises retired sub-inspectors and KPPA members including its chairman Chandrababu, convenor Hariharan, Sunilkumar, Joby Anil, Suresh Babu, Omanakuttan, Vasudevan and retired ASI Susheelan. Adding a youthful charm to the group is seven-year-old Padmapriya, who also performs alongside the members.
The main goal of the troupe is to perform at the homes of retired police officers without charging any fees. According to KPPA district president R Radhakrishnan and secretary K Mahesh, the troupe members were carefully selected from nearly 40 names suggested through the KPPA WhatsApp group.