By Rajbir Deswal Yesterday only, a choked Mr. Rabinder Nath Vasudeva, a retired IPS officer and a saintly soul, called me up to inform about Mr. Koshy Koshy, another IPS officer of Haryana cadre, having been convalescing in a Faridabad Hospital, saying that he wasn't too well. Mr. Vasudeva could hardly speak. These two officers were my mentors when I joined the Haryana Police in 1983. Those days young officers stayed in the house of their immediate seniors in a district, like a family member, till accommodation was made available to him. The bonhomie was matchless. I had this kind of a relationship with these two mentors of mine who educated me in policing. The sad news of Mr. Koshy Koshy having breathed his last came as a bolt from the blue for he was 71 only. Many in Haryana Police had known him to be an extremely helpful, knowledgeable, able and upright police officer. Having remained with the Bureau of Police Research and Development for a long time, he was known all over the country for his contributing to the cause of training not only within the country's premiere training institutions but almost all over the world. He had studied the US, UK, Singapore models of policing and was an Internationally acclaimed police trainer. Coming from Erankulam District of Kerala, he passed his Masters in English literature from Agra University and was a man given to reading and writing. Koshy's diction matched only the maestros. He had been allotted to Haryana having cracked the IPS examination. He remained posted through out Haryana on important assignment but he loved police training as his pet indulgence. A man of incorruptible integrity, Koshy was a fearless officer who introduced very many reforms whatever area of policing he commanded. He wore many hats and was interested not only in photography and birdwatching but was always keen to be listening ghazals, and hold your breath, even Haryanvi Ragnis. His Facebook wall is infact an enviable gallery of picture of rare varity of birds. He would be seen with his camera holidaying sometimes in Harike Lake in Punjab and sometime in Sultanpur Bird Sanctury. He patronised many a bird-lovers' societies. He was invariably invited to very many Ragni coemptions that were held. If you tried to tell him the meaning of a particular Haryanvi nuance, he would smile and tell you that he already knew it. He loved music and had an eye for newer gadgets about which he seemed to know every technical detail. He practised astrology and homeopathy too. He was fond of wearing sober dresses. At home, I always found him wearing his lungi. I had a very special relationship with Mr. Koshy. He groomed me on the one hand and on the other pampered me to the extent that his other colleagues told him that he was spoiling me. He was such a large hearted man that he would quietly ignore your bonafide mistakes and faults and would always try to correct them. He himself was of small frame but he had a special fascination for tall and handsome Haryanvi officers. He would fondly introduce me to others saying'”Rajbir is our hero. Our poster boy. His magnanimity and kindness to me cannot be repaid ever. He offered me liberty to smoke with him, a fact which many people did not like. He allowed me to put an extra star, an epaulet, on my shoulders even during my initial training phase. Infact on hindsight I find lot many of my colleagues and senior officers who would proudly claim an association and personal bonding with Mr. Koshy. He was a very humorous person. He was always full of jokes and witticisms. He would keep making reference to the witty side of things in the South. Koshy was a near encyclopaedia of cultural practices in South India. He was fond of rice and coffee. Koshy's contribution to modern day policing in India can never be forgotten. He introduced newer reforms as were chartered by the BPR&D. He was in the police-think-tank of his times and interacted freely with other intellectual police giants and iconic figures . Having headed the BPR&D, he retired contributing his bit to the National Disaster Management Force as well. He had an inscription put on his working table saying 'œ If God be with you, who can be against you.' A devout Christian and a noble one, he never missed his Lent fasting of 40 days. His ancestors came from the Syrian Christian stock belonging to the times when St. Francis came to India. Perhaps that he was a believer, it always helped him to handle difficult situations coolheadedly, though at times Koshy was known to be losing temper, but he would gather himself the soonest laughing the situation away. Many chapters of my second book, 'œCulture: Bright & Dark' came from his advising me whether it was on Christians of Haryana, or Ragnis of Haryana, or lesser know places of Haryana. He knew by journalistic background also before my joining the police and he always encouraged me for writing. He was quite popular in my own family as well. My father kept asking me about Mr. Koshy. Our hearts go out to Mrs. Susan Koshy, his lady wife; George and Shalini, his kids. On his demise, I recall the inscription that he kept on his working station, and I can see Mr. Koshy going away from all of us, holding The Lord's finger. Adieu Koshy Sir ! (Rajbir Deswal, a retired IPS officer, Haryana cadre, is advocate Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh)