Book Talk

Title : Reason Poisons Passion

Author : C. Chandrashekar, IPS (Retd.), Mysuru

Year : 2026

Pages : 424

Price : Rs. 450

Publisher : Abhiruchi Prakashana

C. Chandrashekar is a late bloomer, as it were. He started writing at the age of 70. His first book on Cauvery was published in 2023.

His autobiography ‘Reason Poisons Passion’ is a readable book, well structured except for the end, where too many incidents are all pieced together, seemingly in a rush.

Otherwise, it is chronological in its narrative. It begins with his admission to Regional College of Education (RCE), Mysore, in 1966. And he rightly says it is “the most significant and deciding factor that has shaped my entire life.”

He gives us vivid pen portraits of all his teachers like the redoubtable Don Byrne, Rajeev Taranath, L. Viswanath Mirle, U.R. Ananthamurthy and Balagopal Varma. He is especially grateful to Taranath and Viswanath for teaching him how to read poetry.

After successfully teaching English in colleges in Bangalore and Mysore for nearly five years, he joined the Police Department as Dy.SP on 2nd March 1977.

One is impressed by the manner in which he handles numerous problems with tact, understanding and above all, with a firm hand. And he is amply rewarded with letters of commendation.

His first independent posting is Sagar. His evocation of Sagar and its spirit of the place is truly Lawrentian in character. Incidents at Samanavalli, expulsion of a student at Lal Bahadur College and a tractor accident throw additional light on his style of functioning as a Police Officer.

Tactful handling of electoral issues

The tactful handling of the trouble brewing during elections is yet another feather in his cap. His fictional skills are very much in evidence throughout the book. His ability to bring individuals to life through his writing is clearly seen in his character sketches of K.V. Subbanna of Neenasam, Heggodu and the legendary socialist, Shanthaveri Gopala Gowda.

Then follow his experiences of policing in Bangalore city and the problems are threefold: Communal, political and VIP visits.

We have a horrific account of the Gangaram building collapse. As DCP, Intelligence, he played a key role in the success of the SAARC Summit held in 1986, a role for which he is appreciated by the Ministry of External Affairs.

As SP of Chitradurga, he did a splendid job in the recruitment of Police Constables, a well-known source of corruption in the department. Yet another milestone in his career is the successful management of Bangarappa’s political convention, which saw 4 to 5 lakh people and over 5,000 vehicles. His first award is Indira Priyadarshini Award received in 1983.

On Sarod Maestro

Two chapters are devoted to his dear teacher and Sarod Maestro, Rajeev Taranath. There existed a remarkable relationship between the two. Taranath regarded Chandrashekar as his son.

These chapters might look like interpolations but, in the ultimate analysis, they are not, for they shed light on their intertwined personalities. Another extraordinary addition to the book is Justice M.N. Venkatachalaiah’s talk on Human Rights. It is a brilliant piece of writing and is central to Chandrashekar’s role as a Police Officer.

He served as Police Commissioner of Mysore City with great distinction. He is remembered with love and gratitude by the citizens of Mysore, most notably for the construction of Police Bhavan and starting the hugely beneficial Helpline.

There is a searing honesty about his writing. He unashamedly lists the three major failures in his career. We don’t see any attempt at basking in glory even in moments of great success. He is always modest, self-effacing, which makes him dear to the reader.

He admits, “In the Police I was not seen as an officer in shining armour nor was I seen as a flamboyant officer that everyone took note of. I maintained a low profile but gave my best irrespective of the post I held.” Well said!

Little Nitpicking! He values his stay of 4 years in RCE more than the 2 years in the English Department at Manasagangothri. He opines that Gangothri did not make him qualitatively a better student of literature.

As a student of the very same department, it metamorphosed me, a Science student, totally in mere two years. This department was one of the most widely respected ones in the English-speaking world. Two of its teachers were awarded Padma Bhushan, a distinction not shared by any department in Humanities in Indian Universities.

I wish he had interrogated the problem of corruption in the Police Department in a more analytical fashion. Sadly, he devotes merely four short paragraphs to this, to use his own words, “all-pervading disease which has spread even to very high levels.”

The book has at the end thirty pages of photographs in colour, adding to the authenticity of his life story. His photos, taken from 1954 to 2023, are a bonus, tracing the changes in him over the years.

The book is well printed. However, there are over a dozen printing errors that mar its beauty. The narration makes for interesting reading. One is left with the feeling at the end that he has had a ringside view of a life well lived. I only wish more Police Officers like Chandrashekar tell us their life stories.

— Prof. K.C. Belliappa, former VC, Central University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh and President, Mysore  Literary Association