Midnight’s children & their children: Mumbai

PS. Pasricha was not even born when his family was displaced from what is now Pakistan. Born in Sirsa in erstwhile Old Punjab — now Har...

PS. Pasricha was not even born when his family was displaced from what is now Pakistan. Born in Sirsa in erstwhile Old Punjab — now Haryana — on November 11, 1947, Mumbai’s former police commissioner did not witness the struggle for freedom. Childhood was all about hero-worshipping Bhagat Singh and Shivaji and following Swami Vivekananda.

Nearly 57 years later, on a rainy afternoon, in between files and phone calls, Pasricha makes time to go back in time. ‘‘I grew up listening to spine-chilling stories of an atmosphere that turned vicious almost overnight,’’ he recalls. ‘‘Even today my mother has tears in her eyes when she recollects those post-Partition days.’’

The oldest of four siblings, Pasricha did his Masters in Physics and Electronics from Roorkee University. Too young to take the UPSC exam, he taught at a government college for six months before he joined the IPS in 1970. Along the way, he also managed to acquire a doctorate in Management Studies.

Story continues below this ad

The IPS took him from Mussourie to Mount Abu, Satara to Raigad and Amravati to Mumbai, where he now lives with his family. ‘‘When we were children, religion never mattered,’’ he explains. ‘‘Those days, values were valued but problems started when politics started interfering with religion.’’

He says he has tried to inculcate the same values in his children, Puneet — fondly called ‘Pasha’ or ‘Master’ — and Nitasha or ‘Niti’. ‘‘When my son was five, he asked me: ‘Papa, who is bigger, Jesus Christ, Guru Nanak or Ganeshji?’ I asked him, ‘Who is bigger, Puneet, Pasha or Master?’ He said they are all the same. Then I told him it’s the same with gods,’’ Pasricha narrates.

Though he finds the new generation is sharper and smarter, he believes their priorities are changing. ‘‘It’s a fast-paced world. Today’s youth are more practical,’’ he states.

Pasricha himself never let foreign shores lure him into leaving his country. Today, Puneet — a 30-year-old Business Management graduate — is in Boston but wants to return to India soon. Nitasha (25) chose a career in fashion designing instead of the administrative services.

Story continues below this ad

His kids send SMS messages at the speed of a jet but he still struggles with the keys on his cellphone. He met his wife on the day of his engagement but his children insist they want to get to know their prospective partners first. ‘‘My relationship with dad is very different from what he has with his father,’’ Nitasha reveals. ‘‘I correct dad when I think he is wrong. But he would never do that with grand-dad. He is still scared of him.’’

Pasricha agrees but adds that every era has its beauty. He believes being in between the two generations is enriching. ‘‘I have seen the best and the worst,’’ he says.