Dad’s always been my hero – DSP Jessy Prasanthi

“Dad’s always been my hero–he was a sub inspector. Every morning, I’d wake up to see him impeccably dressed, ready to leave for work. Once, when I went with him for patrolling, I saw everyone saluting him. I didn’t understand what it meant, but since that day even I started saluting him every morning!

But it was when I was older that I truly understood the risks he took on a daily basis and the sacrifices he made. He was the senior who always prioritised his team and made sure everyone got home safe before he did. He’s had countless sleepless nights and missed hundreds of meals for his duty.

The postings were also erratic – sometimes at remote locations and sometimes in forests with no network. But he never complained. He’d always smile and say–‘Yeh vardi bahut mahengi hai, iski izzat rakhni padhti hai!’ The feeling of doing right by others meant everything to him.

Over the years, his driving force became mine. And when the time came for me to choose my career path, without a second thought, I began preparing for the civil service exam. I also wanted to do right by others, just like Dad.

So I studied hard, took the exam and in 2018, I was selected! I joined in as a DSP. I’ve never seen my father cry, but when I wore the uniform I’d admired for as long as I can remember, both Dad and I were teary-eyed. All his colleagues called to congratulate him–his smile during those calls was priceless.

But I think my moment of validation came when we were on duty together and I was the officer-in-charge. When he reached the location, I was already there, police-ing my way through the patrolling. I don’t know what it was; perhaps it was seeing me in action for the first time, but mid duty, he stood up and saluted me! And even though I’d been a police officer for a year by then, that was the day I actually believed it.

It’s been a few years since I joined the force, and it’s not easy. Earlier it was Dad, but now it’s me who’s staying away from family. I can’t plan my days, because I never know what the next minute will bring. I barely get to sleep and every other day I walk into a pool of blood and witness dead bodies.

Still, I wake up everyday wanting to go into work and serve the country. I wake up everyday wanting to be a good cop and doing right by my vardi.”

Featuring: DSP Jessy Prasanthi