The Other Side of CRPF: My Bhangra Experience in Bijapur

When people hear that I serve in CRPF, Bhangra is probably the last thing they imagine me doing.

But while serving in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, I became part of a Bhangra group and performed at several cultural programmes. One of my most memorable performances was on 26 January.

And that experience showed me a side of CRPF that many people outside may never see.

Most people know CRPF through what they see in the news or online—uniforms, deployments, security duties and difficult locations.

But when you are inside, there is much more happening.

CRPF brings together people from different states, religions and cultures. There are courses, sports, training programmes and cultural activities. Almost every month, there are cultural programmes where people get an opportunity to represent their state and culture through dance, music and other performances.

For me, that became Bhangra.

I am a Sikh, so Bhangra is something that naturally feels familiar to me. But I never expected that I would be performing it in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, with a group of people I met during my posting.

Then came 26 January.

We performed Bhangra during the Republic Day celebrations near the Police Lines in Bijapur. What made the experience special was knowing that many local people watching had probably never seen Bhangra performed live before.

It was a small moment, but I remember thinking about how interesting India is.

Here I was, far from Punjab, performing a Punjabi dance in Chhattisgarh, in front of an audience experiencing that culture live for the first time.

That is something I genuinely enjoy about life in CRPF.

You meet people from different parts of India. You learn about their cultures. Sometimes you share your own. And over time, places that once felt completely unfamiliar become part of your own story.

My posting brought me to Bijapur.

But somewhere along the way, I also got a Bhangra group, performances, practice sessions and memories that I never expected to have.

That is the side of CRPF I wanted to share.

Because sometimes, a posting gives you more than a place to work. It gives you experiences you never planned for.