TRIBUTE

After Rohit’s death, I became close to three other classmates in Springdales School, Delhi. Two left for foreign shores, soon after finishing their schooling. Anil and I decided to join the Indian Air Force; essentially to lead an adventurous life with not too much of studies thrown in, that is what I thought. As luck would have it, I have not stopped studying and am presently undergoing my doctoral studies with Osmania University.

Since Anil and I were school chums, we usually stayed together in most training institutions. It was not only the rough with the smooth that we shared, but also interesting altercations that only close friends can have. One such incident was when, we drove out on a powerful mobike from the Armed Forces Medical College (Pune) gate, where we had gone to meet our school friends. Since Mad Max and Tom Cruise had left a deep impact on our driving psyche, the hard turn on the road full of gravel lifted the bike many feet up and it came to rest with a huge bang on the centre of the road. Whilst, I was sprawled in a semi conscious state, my friend Anil was busy explaining to the “ladies who would be doctors” what his mission in life was. Even when they pointed towards me and expressed their concern, he told them that such things did happen and I would soon be alright. I never really excused him for the bruises and the hurt ego.

It was many years later that he alongwith his squadron came to the same airbase that I was stationed. It was like the old days coming back again. By now, he was married and blessed with a son. Every evening after flying, we got together and lived it up. This air base is located at a rustic and remote place in West Bengal. One evening, when I was not flying, his squadron decided to catch up with some night flying. Around 8 o clock that night, I suddenly became restless and started feeling breathless. For a moment I thought I was in the initial stages of a heart attack. I got up and started wandering around aimlessly but the restless feeling just did not go away.

At that time, I got a call from another of my friend's wife. She asked me "Angad has something happenned, my husband has just gone to the Air Traffic Control tower".Without waiting any further, I quickly rushed to the airbase.There was an aircraft crash and the pilot had not survived. I knew it was Anil, God had given me enough indications earlier. In a helicopter, I went to the crash site and assisted in collecting the body pieces. I later came to know that after practicing a landing; he was again taking off, when the engine failed. Apparently, to save a village, he ejected late. The people on ground got saved, but the time the parachute opened, he was already hitting the earth at 400 km/hr.

I can tell you, men don’t cry. The face remained straight throughout and the eyes were dry, so I thought. However, as I lifted the coffin, the resolve couldn’t be kept. Something kept streaming down the eyes. I seemed to have disgraced the entire men folk. The same happened when his brother came to collect his belongings. Men in Blue do not die, they just fade away. I may not have the courage to meet his wife, who always was very considerate to me or his son, but his memory remains deeply etched in mind and heart.

This post too is based on real life experience. I have flown thousands of hours on Migs and I can trust my life with these aircraft. They are the safest in the world. The Indian Air Force pays special attention to its maintenance. However, mysterious are God’s ways and it is certain that some things are destined to happen. I still fly these machines, whenever I get an opportunity, just to prove the point.