I consider myself lucky to have been part of the golden anniversary celebrations of the 96th Pilots’ course and the 34-35th Navigators’ courses. I wish my husband could have attended because these were his buddies and comrades. But, then, he was in a hurry to meet his Maker, so I was there by myself!

Although the event was being celebrated in Hyderabad, close to where I live, I too checked in at the five-star hotel where everyone else was staying because I didn’t want to waste time commuting between home and hotel.

Fifty years ago, 235 ragtag boys aged 19-20 graduated from Air Force Station, Begumpet (Hyderabad). After they were commissioned, some became fighter pilots, others flew transport aircraft and some became fighter controllers and ATC officers. While in uniform, there was some heartburn when one got his rank before the others, but after all these years what really matters is the fact that inside each one of those uniforms, a heart beats for the nation, for comrades, family and the families of comrades who have passed on. This is why I go to meet these stalwarts who may have greyed but still tell tall stories and naughty jokes.

In 1991, when the course completed 25 years, A S Chawla and J K Singh decided to set the ball rolling to celebrate the occasion. Although my husband was still in uniform, we managed to meet the gang at DSOI [Defence Services Officers Institute] in Delhi. It was an eye-opener for my civilian upbringing. Some of the Sikh officers were literally a head and shoulders taller than my husband—and I saw him lifted off the ground a couple of times! There was so much back thumping, so many bear hugs and so much love in the air—it was very heart-warming! Thereafter, these course-mates got together every year. The event was named Udaan and, every 12 months, we met at an exotic destination: the Andamans, Pattaya, Bhubaneshwar, Goa, Bhutan, among others. Time moved on and many stalwarts fell by the wayside.

Here’s a tiny peek into what it’s like to be a part of so much bonhomie and camaraderie, especially when you consider the decades that have flown past. Lalitha Mathew, whom we used to fondly call ‘Lali’, attended this reunion with her son, daughter, their spouses and their kids. No one had seen her for 30 years, since her husband Flight Lieutenant Tommy Mathew passed away. Then there was Bhanumati Singh, widowed at 22, wife of Flight Lieutenant S K Singh, the guy who had topped the course. She had never attended any of the earlier gatherings.

The duo who organised the recent gathering personally got in touch with Lali and Bhanumati and gently persuaded them to come. Dr Mandakini, daughter of late Flight Lieutenant V K Awasthi, and her husband flew in from Boston, while Justice Sodhi, who upheld the verdict in the famous Manu Sharma case, came in from Delhi and A V Singh from Aizawl.

The average age of the veterans at the gathering was 70 while the wives were in their mid-60s. But I spotted Anil Bendre, looking trim and dapper as ever with jet black hair! I chided him and he admitted he would retain the image as long as he could. Sohal and Merlin were confined to wheelchairs but that didn’t stop Merlin from singing while her trumpet act kept everyone amused.

It was an unforgettable event, and I am told we will meet in Sri Lanka next year. I am already looking forward to it.

—Shyamola Khanna

Photograph by Shyamola Khanna
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
December 2016