Hyderabad: When 56-year-old Circle Inspector Shyam Sundar met his daughter, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Yendluru Jessy Prashanti for the first time on duty, he could not hold back his tears and the proud father saluted his daughter. Now, a photograph of their interaction has gone viral after it was posted on Twitter by the Andhra Pradesh Police Sunday.
#APPolice1stDutyMeet brings a family together!
A rare & heartwarming sight indeed!#DutyMeet pic.twitter.com/5r7EUfnbzB
— Andhra Pradesh Police (@APPOLICE100) January 3, 2021
Prashanti, 31, was posted as the Deputy Superintendent of Police, just a month ago and met her father, who is a Kurnool range Circle Inspector, for the first time on duty Sunday. Sundar saluted his daughter since she holds a higher rank than him.
“I cannot express my emotion. Seeing her in uniform and as my superior — I had tears in my eyes. I was so overwhelmed and I could not speak at that time. I was greeting all my superiors and since she is also one of them, I saluted her,” Sundar told ThePrint.
The emotional moment has become an overnight sensation after the photograph was posted on social media. The duo said they have received a marathon of calls and messages appreciating them.
“Usually children look up to their parents, but when parents have to salute their own children, that feeling gives us another high. There is nothing better and precious than that feeling. I am so happy for her and proud,” said the circle inspector, who has been in service for 26 years.
Meanwhile, for Prashanti, it was a day of mixed feelings. On one hand, she said, was the happiness of seeing her father being proud of her, but on the other was the hesitation that her father was saluting her.
“I agree I hold a higher rank, but in life he holds a higher rank … he is my father. I asked him not to salute me because I never thought that my father should do that. But, as per protocol, he did it and I returned the salute,” Prashanti told ThePrint.
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My father is my inspiration, says DSP Prashanti
According to Sundar, ever since his daughter was posted as DSP, he hoped to work with her before his retirement in four years.
His dream came true when the father-daughter duo were in Tirupati to attend the Andhra Pradesh State Police Duty Meet, ‘IGNITE’. The four-day event, which is being held for the first time post the state’s bifurcation, will showcase the department’s achievements and accolades received at national and international stages.
For Prashanti, her father was her inspiration for joining the civil services. She noted that his honesty, passion towards public service, respect for the job and the affection he received from hundreds of people inspired her to take up the career.
“It was never just my goal. When I told him about my interest in services, it became our goal,” she said.
Sundar, meanwhile, admitted that he was a little hesitant about his daughter’s decision to become a DSP, initially.
“When Prashanti told me that she chose the DSP category as her first priority for training, I was slightly apprehensive, but I told myself she is capable of everything. Look, how proud she made me today,” he told ThePrint.
Now the inspector hopes the viral photograph will inspire parents to encourage their children to pursue their dreams, especially girls.
“A lot of people are telling me that they’re showing this picture to their children and telling them that they should become like Prashanti. I also told them that they should never stop girls in pursuing their dreams. We need more women in all sectors and so do we in civil services,” he said.
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That’s beautiful! Congrats to father & daughter.
Quite an inspirational story