This Mother’s Day, meet the Capital’s moms in uniforms

Delhi Police cops share their stories of juggling their jobs along with the responsibilities of being a mother.

Being a mom isn’t easy, to say the least. However, being a mother and a cop is no less than being Wonder Woman. Just as motherhood has no fixed working hours, cop duties, too, are never-ending. Proud to be serving the nation and managing both roles 24x7 are IPS officers of Delhi Police. This Mother’s Day, they tell us how they strike the right balance between motherhood and their duty.

Delhi’s cop moms get candid about motherhood.

Geeta Rani Verma, DCP, traffic eastern range

Geeta Rani Verma with son Anshul Singh.

I have two sons, Anshul and Sahil Singh. I had experienced a sudden change in my life when my first kid was born, but they are both grown up now — my elder son, Anshul, is 25 and my younger one, Sahil, is 21. They fully understand that their mum has certain duties as a police officer and they are proud of me. Like every mother, I do whatever I have to do to keep them happy. I have raised them with lot of affection and attention. They know that a woman is capable of anything and everything, which makes them respect me.

I was an ACP before this, and there used to be a lot of work. I remember one incident when my elder son had his exams and he wouldn’t feel confident till I helped him revise his syllabus. I finished my night patrolling duty, reached home around 5am, and woke him up so we could revise together.

Vijayanta Arya, Additional DCP, South Delhi

Vijayanta Arya’s sons believe that their mom is Singham.

I have two sons, a five-year-old and a three-year-old. It’s a great experience raising the children, but I must say that I have my hands full. When I go on night shift, they ask me, “Mumma, aaj chor fir se road pe aa gaye?” (Mumma, are the thieves back on the streets tonight?) There have been many memorable incidents, but one of them has always stayed with me as the most hilarious one. On regular days, their grandfather used to pick the kids up from the bus stop. One day when he wasn’t available, I picked them up while still in uniform. Soon after, a teacher called me and asked me to return because the other children in the bus were crying that their friends had been taken away by a cop. Another common occurrence is that whenever someone comes to our place, my children tell them to not touch anything, because they believe that their mom is Singham and she knows everything.

I am a proud mother and am raising them in a way that they respect each and every woman. I know I could not give them enough time, but that’s my choice. Serving the nation is my priority and I am proud of it.

Esha Pandey, DCP, Special Unit for Women and Children

Esha Pandey spoils her sons whenever she gets the chance.

I have two sons — one is two-and-a-half years old and the other is five. It’s very difficult to be a mother and a cop because you cannot let go of either. I want to cherish every moment with them, but that’s not possible. We don’t have the luxury of fixed working hours unlike other working women. Anyone can call me anytime and expect me to solve their problems, not realising that I may have my own issues.

I tend to spoil my children whenever I am with them because I am guilt ridden about not spending enough time with them. I take them to play dates every Saturday or Sunday. We also watch movies on the kids section of Netflix. We recently went to see Peter Rabbit together. I take them around wherever I can and create as many memories as I can.

I remember this one incident that was very funny, but very deep, too. This was around the Republic Day parade. I had been leaving early in the morning for rehearsals so I couldn’t drop my son to school, and when he’d return from school, I’d be busy with official responsibilities. One day, we were talking about a friend of his. Maine usko kaha ki tum uss bacche ki tarah acche kaam karo toh he said ki tum uski mumma ki tarah accha kaam karo; woh toh kabhi parade mein nahi jaati. (I told him to be good like that kid and he said that I should also be good like his friend’s mother, who never went for parades) I was so taken aback that even at this age he realises that his mum stays busy with the parade.

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