The Kerala native’s first language was Malayalam but when he got inducted in the Delhi Police in the 80s, he soon moved on to English and Hindi, which brought him due recognition and credit for his talent.
After three decades in the force, wielding a baton might have come easy to this Delhi Police officer. Surprisingly, however, a pen is his weapon of choice. The three-time Limca record holder, Sub-Inspector PP Shyamalan, is the man behind the department’s exquisitely crafted invites and the beautiful mantels adorning officers’ chambers.
Gifted calligrapher, Shyamalan, 50, has been beautifying the drab alphabet since he was a child. Crediting his mother for his talent, he says: “My mother was always particular that my handwriting was neat and clean. As I befriended the alphabet, I felt I should bring them alive in a manner that they do not just look like jaded black letters but magnificent objects compelling one to stop and admire them.”
The Kerala native’s first language was Malayalam but when he got inducted in the Delhi Police in the 80s, he soon moved on to English and Hindi, which brought him due recognition and credit for his talent.
Shyamalan recently calligraphed a thank you placard, bearing words from a whopping 10,000 personnel, for the Delhi Police Commissioner as a gesture of gratitude for promoting over 25,000 cops this year.
“It was a proud moment when colleagues appreciated my work and held up the placard with so much respect at an event where the force’s top brass was present,” says Shyamalan, who has also been writing roll of honours and other official communiqué for functions such as Raising Day for long.
Currently posted in the LG Office, he writes in 12 different fonts and uses only the fountain pen. He has even rubbed the nib of his pen to suit his style and font.
As he diligently practices the art, the cop confesses that it is difficult for him to devote as much time as he would like to his passion. But he is not complaining. “It may sound very hackneyed but the fact is that I find solace in the alphabet. Nothing gives me more pleasure that dipping the nib in ink and creating beauty,” he says.
Limca records
2011: For writing ‘wish you all the best’ 80 times in one hour
2013: For writing ‘best of luck’ 261 times in one hour.
2015: For writing names of 193 Delhi Public School students in an hour
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