The last strains of the “Tryst with Destiny” speech from the Parliament House in New Delhi had faded out from radios. In Bombay, which in a sense had been the nerve centre of nationalism, celebrations of Indian independence had begun even before Nehru finished his speech. The markets and mills of Bombay which had supported the freedom movement in different ways too marked the momentous occasion. Bombay’s first Indian police commissioner, the legendary JS Bharucha, had taken charge from his predecessor Commissioner AE Caffin that historic day. The ship, packed to capacity with the first batch of British troops to leave India, had bid goodbye.

Source: Hindustan Times August 09, 2017 14:03 UTC