Memories of 8 Squadron, IAF
BIRTH AND INFANCY OF No. 8 SQUADRON, IAF Preamble Sqn Ldr T J Thomas joined the fledgling Air Force in 1939 at the bottom rung, and worked his way up to a ‘field’ rank, equivalent to Major in the Army. In the process, he had to climb many steps.He commanded No 43 Signals Unit in J&K from 1960 to 1962. He …
THE WAR DIARY OF OUR FATHER, MAJOR BALWANT SINGH (1911-2004)
Preamble A commission in the British Indian army was highly coveted by our ancestors. Military officers ranked high in the pecking order, since the Commander-in-Chief was next only to the Viceroy. Consequently, military officers were placed higher than the civil servants. And for a long time, the army was officered exclusively by the British. Until as late as 1919, …
A RACE ON THE LONG ROAD TO NOWHERE
This is a true account of an event which took place exactly sixty years ago on Sunday, the 7th August 1960. Four NDA cadets went out on ‘liberty’ to Poona. But what was meant to be a fun-filled weekend turned into a tragedy. To save some typing effort, I will call them Ravi, Raj, Tej and Jit. Given below is …
Rainwater Harvesting by Dave Sood
Foreword by J Thomas It was a pleasure working with Dave Sood. He already had solar photo voltaic panels on his roof, thus proving that he was receptive to new ideas. His niece and staff were also clueful and enthusiastic people. They quickly and intelligently discussed the issues with Dave and implemented the ideas. The first major rain swept …
WELCOMING AIR MSHL “LUNGI” by CYCLIC
CYCLIC is well known in aviation circles. We are now privileged to carry an article by him, quite appropriately with a Khadakvasla background. Even though he is an alumnus of PWMC and NDA, CYCLIC has not lost his sense of humour. He also dabbles in seriousaviation history. He proudly calls himself a “supercilious scoundrel.” Air Marshal Minoo Jehangir Dotiwalla passed …
3007 Solves the Flooding Problem in Srinagar
An Introduction to ‘Dredging’ For those who may not know, dredging means, ‘to clear the bed of (a harbour, river, or other area of water) by scooping out mud, weeds, and rubbish with a dredge. This process has been successfully employed to deepen rivers and harbours to facilitate marine transportation, and also for flood control. In India, a Dredging Corporation …
A ‘Middle’ on Military Meetings
Preamble Before the Television age, the newspapers were our only source of information on the current events. The morning began with a cup of tea and the ‘paper’ For many of us, the ‘middle’ article on editorial page was a great attraction. I, for one, read them with very intently. In due course of time I began to write such …
Milestone Fifty!
The Editor’s Foreword It is said that ‘Time Flies like an Arrow’. This proverb implies that time travels at a very high speed, and also that it can move only in one direction: forward. Therefore, just as the arrow cannot return to the bow, yesterday can never come back. As for the speed, I notice that this is relative, as Einstein …
MY ADORABLE PARENTS by Rashmi Oberoi
Foreword This is the story of Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi and his erudite soul-mate, Daulat. It is written by their daughter, Rashmi, who is a well-known writer, in her own right. Oberoi (XVIII NDA, G Sqn) was commissioned in 1961, and lost a leg in the 1965 war, when he was barely 24 years old. He braved the loss of his limb …
‘AN INSPECTION IN THE LAND OF THE KANCHENJUGA’ By Brig KN HARIKUMAR
An Introduction to ‘Peace-time Soldiering’ The Second World War (1939 – 45) went on for so long, that when, at long last it ended, the soldiers had forgotten their peace-time routine. And then one day, a commander called all his officers and said, “Well, gentlemen, now that the war has ended, let us get down to some serious soldiering!” He …
