Beyond the uniform

There's more to the new Director General of Police (DGP), Dr P S Pasricha than the vardi. Bombay Times delves deep If you thought DGP Dr Pasricha's claim to fame was that of being a traffic expert, think again. There's more to this cop than meets the eye. Here are some surprising facts about this multi-specialist: The poet: "I write poetry in Urdunised Hindi.Jab mann aaya tab likh diya," says Pasricha. His poems touch upon subjects including life, humanity and communal harmony. Mad about music! Pasricha says he's enjoyed old Hindi music since he was a kid. "I also like semi-classical and classical vocal." And who's his favourite classical composer? Bhimsen Joshi," he states. A good sport... "I love playing cricket and table tennis. The latter is a sport I have played at university level." Wielding a mean pen... Pasricha has written six books on traffic management and road safety. How the writer emerged? "The interest developed while I was doing Ph.D. I wrote my first book - Traffic Management - A long way to go, in 1990. I subsequently wrote book on teenagers' safety," says Pasricha. His books were also translated in Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi and Tamil. Party-shy guy: "I am not a party man. I go for selective parties. I like small circles of friends with whom I can interact informally. Big parties become very formal and impersonal." Endnote: Despite the hectic schedules, Pasricha manages to remain cheerful. "When I joined the service my mother told me that jab ped mein phal lagte hain, woh neeche jhukta hai (when a tree gets fruits, it bends). This means, the higher you go in your life, the more magnanimous and level headed you should be." manish.pachouly@timesgroup.com