PATHANAMTHITTA: His days are filled with the urgency of sirens, emergency calls and rescue operations. But when he is done for the day, Fire and Rescue Officer (Driver) K K Remakanth turns to something quieter – poetry.
A member of the Special Task Force (STF) at the Pathanamthitta Fire and Rescue Station, the 42-year-old has been selected for this year's Chief Minister's Fire Service Medal for his exemplary service. His journey is one of courage and duty, and also of a man who has found a way to nurture his literary passion amid the demands of a 24-hour emergency service.
His first collection of poems, 'Nagarathile Mazha' (Rain in the City), published by DC Books, won the 2012 Ashan Prize for Young Poets. He recalls being fortunate to have his debut work published alongside books by noted poets Rafeeq Ahammed and Veerankutty.
Remakanth joined the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in 2013 and became a member of its STF when it was formed in 2022. He has undergone basic and advanced scuba-diving training, mountaineering and rope-rescue training with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and collapsed-structure search and rescue training with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). He is also trained in swift-water rescue and rescue operations involving breathing apparatus. As a civil defence master trainer, Remakanth also trains others. His contributions to various rescue operations have earned him around 25 commendation certificates.
However, there is another side of Remakanth – the poet. “I started writing poetry during my college days at NSS College, Pandalam. I used to top college competitions. I won my first mobile phone in a poetry competition, at a time camera phones had just become popular,” recalls Remakanth. He continued pursuing his passion for poetry even after joining the FRS.
“The writing happens whenever I have spare time. There was a gap in publishing, but I hope to bring out another collection next year,” he says.
However, finding that spare time in a 24-hour shift is as challenging as the job itself.
“We work 24 hours, reporting for roll call at 8.45am and leaving after the next roll call. Still, in between emergencies and other duties, I find the time,” he says.
The profession that demands physical strength and quick decisions has also exposed him to countless human stories – moments of fear, loss, survival and relief. Those experiences, he says, coexist with his literary sensibility.
Diving, in particular, has been one of the most challenging aspects of his profession. “When I joined the service, I knew only swimming. Later, I was trained in diving,” he says.
For a rescue officer, the water can conceal danger. For a poet, it can reveal emotions and images. It is perhaps this ability to move between the two worlds that makes Remakanth's journey distinctive.
The son of retired teachers S Krishnan Nair and E Radhamma of Krishnanivas, Vallikunnam, in Alappuzha, Remakanth has carried both discipline and creativity through his journey. He is married to Aswathy Vijayan and they have a son, R A Sreeshiv.