A tribute to Mumbai Police

Mumbai Police has always made me feel something very similar to what Mumbai itself does — a sense of belonging, respect and pride.

The attacks of 26/11 made that feeling much deeper. Mumbai Police lost some of its finest officers that night. There were stories of extraordinary courage that stayed with me long after the attacks were over. Among them was Tukaram Omble, who confronted the terrorists and gave his life while helping capture Ajmal Kasab alive.

Those images and stories remained somewhere in my head.

When I had the opportunity to create photographs with the forces, they became the starting point for two tributes very close to me — A Tribute to Mumbai Police and my work with the National Security Guard (NSG). Both, in their own way, were connected to what I had witnessed and felt after the Mumbai attacks of 2008.

With Mumbai Police, I also wanted the city to be part of the photographs. Mumbai has an extraordinary visual identity, and I wanted to showcase its police force with the same pride with which we showcase the city itself.

So the men and women of Mumbai Police were photographed against the Mumbai they protect — its iconic architecture, coastline, streets and landmarks. Quick Response Teams, coastal patrols, beat marshals, the dog squad and policemen on everyday duty became part of a larger portrait of Mumbai and its police force together.

The resulting 16-page A Tribute to Mumbai Police calendar was unveiled by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Umang 2016, Mumbai Police's annual celebration. That year's event brought together the police force and some of Indian cinema's biggest names, including Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Rishi Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty. Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapur joined the Chief Minister, Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmed Javed and other dignitaries for the calendar launch.

 Photography: Pravin Talan