[Applause]
ladies and gentlemen boys and girls
jehane a small introduction to start
I believe that irrespective of how
ordinary life one leads there are
movements in everyone’s life which are
beyond ordinary and life is nothing at
the end of it when you look back at her
life you don’t remember days you don’t
remember months
you don’t remember years you remember
these moments in life where you behaved
or you saw something beyond ordinary and
life is nothing but these moments strung
on a time line the closer these
movements are more enriched or better
life you have lived life and armed
forces where some people go out there
less their lives day in day out as
routine gives you a lot of such appachan
moments few of us who start flying
together I do not know the reason why
they are not there with me today they
left somewhere in between some of us are
alive today some of us are not similarly
some of them started flying after me
they are out there today
I have no reason no explanation you call
it destiny karma fate whatever you call
it I have no explanation but I do know
that all of them each one of them
irrespective of the color of uniform or
the kind of job he was doing he had the
same attitude same inspiration same
motivation and the same propulsion to do
the task at hand with as best to his
capability as possible without total
disregard to the personal danger he
experiences for his life let me take you
thirty two years back when I was a
flight cat at 28 20 years old strapping
very happy to clear my solo strapping up
on a Korean aircraft or Air Force
Academy on a tarmac I saw an aircraft
three four hundred feet above me and
descending I thought it slightly low for
an aircraft to come there little pull up
that aircraft ain’t that aircraft
continued when scrape the hangers and
just bang them the ground there was a
huge mushroom of smoke and dust and fire
search-and-rescue parties firefighters
turned towards that meanwhile one
instructor came sat him in the aircraft
daddy and we went for flying with the
aircraft being crashed there that
evening when I came back I write certain
things in my diary is some important
important things happen
to share it because I’m no longer doing
it I can share it with you today I saw
the death so closely that I feel it
chilled spine I was one of the few who
saw their aircraft banging into the
ground we are all in the game and it’s
the part of the game today we lost our
first course mate and the scene is there
in my mind like a video film I was due
for a solo I wanted to go but CFR that’s
chief flying instructor decided against
it today officer since Colonel Khalsa
came to a mess just to make us feel that
you boys better make it a habit if you
want to become a pilot
the biggest thing which I learnt from it
is that any day any time it can happen
to anybody and sooner I make adjustment
the better also the work should go on
flying in stock and that’s the best part
of it no doubt the impact of this
incident is going to remain for some
time but I should not feel any sort of
fear as it is not the number of days
which are important as it is not the
number of days which are important this
5th February when I was watching the
news channel at the young captain aid of
22 captain Kapil conlou here’s one of
the reason for Facebook post said life
should be big not long not the number of
days same sentiment echoed
thirty two years later by a 20 to 22
year old captain as I had a 20 year old
32 years back nothing has changed ladies
and gentlemen nothing has changed
this youth combined with the raw
idealism is the potent force that
propels these youngster to do that and
that’s the first reason later I got the
mission luckily fortunate to be selected
for fighters then I became then I went
there to become instructor in the same
place and then I volunteered for test
pilot course fortunate to be selected
for test pilot course in 1998 I finished
my test pilot course and due to some
reason I couldn’t take any leave and at
the end of it I took some leave I had we
had an aircraft if you look at this
aircraft used to call it Italy Avro you
see that Italy on top of it right so
this aircraft I had flown some few
sorties in this aircraft in viewers to
go to our kaanum for sea-level trans
performance trial but I was away for
some reason
two other pilots went for this to flight
test engineer some diario scientist on
11th of january 1999 while coming back
from the last flight of those trials
this aircraft crash short of naval our
column base killing all eight on board
two test pilots my course mates to
flight test engineers for DRDO
scientists 11th of Jan 1999 12th of Jan
we have the funeral at Bangalore and
12th of June when I came back once again
I’ll share my thoughts with you it’s
been 13 to 13 years since I lost my
first course mate today the tally is 6
Venki in shape these are two pilots
quality today on 11 June 1999 I’m so
smoking the butt of cigarette left by
sheshu in the ashtray on 29 December 98
by the way that was his birthday
sometimes it pays to be untidy I was a
mild smoke at that time 13 years back at
the young age of 20 years I told myself
not to be scared of flying
after having seen the aircraft going in
the ground that time my logic was it’s
not the number of days but how you live
that matters now today I’m scared I can
never forget the sight of Anish that’s a
shoes son walking across the coffins on
the ASD tarmac a steez aircraft system
and testing establishment where as a
test pilot I was post at that time on
the tarmac with flowerings hands the
six-year-old kid looked dazed confused
insecure and troubled he looked so much
like goon goon that’s my son he’ll life
is unfair and God is not not
non-existent how can you possibly
justify the death of eight people who by
any standards were contributing more
than 99% of the people for the country
and society I’m shocked and shaken
neither this country nor this Air
Force’s what’s taking your life
it hurts to things like this but it’s a
fact I cannot reconcile to it it’s
simply too much I’m seriously think
about destiny maybe it’s true that it’s
all written well before and we are just
puppets on the stage it could have been
me and just to think of SEMA goon goon
and Saloni
without my being there is enough to
chill my spine that’s to say is the
ultimate truth and we are so happy to
close our eyes to it by thinking thank
God it’s not me any guess 14 to 15 hours
later on 13 of Jan early afternoon what
absolutely I was starting up a Jaguar
for a flight to sortie along with an her
test pilot who was starting a mirage
2000b were the first to get able enough
after that incident that’s the second
reason why we do it that those who went
didn’t go for nothing right you have to
express your solidarity solidarity with
them and if you need to tell people that
listen those guys they left something
undone you’ve got to do it there’s no
way that you can share away from that
that’s the second reason why do it and
this is peacetime
whatever happens in war time because of
flying being a machine failure in the
air you will lose as many lives in the
war time as you in the peacetime that’s
just because we defy gravity and get
airborne thankfully that for 24 years I
served in Air Force there never was a
war but closest we came to war was when
they attacked our Parliament in December
2001 and all three armed forces were
activated the full scale that was the
largest activation since 1971 and I was
deployed as a flight commander flight or
in a Fighter Squadron flight commander
is the number two in this garden who
takes he’s in charge of all the
operations of this guard so
operationally he’s responsible for the
fighter operations of the squadron and
at that time it looked sometimes we had
loaded aircraft weapons all charged up
that next stage go to the bar third
reason how much you love yourself how
much you love your wife and kids what if
you die am I scared
yes but this time I’m scared of dying
and not reluctant to die only if I can
ensure the victory for my country and
lives of my scorned pilots by laying
down my life I’ll be happy to accept the
bargain I’m not sure how long this
activation is going to last or when will
the war start if there is war I promise
I’ll never be found wanting
as a flight commander and as a pilot
long back I wrote in this diary that the
only two things I want out of the next
war are victory for my country
myself alive as I am training for it the
first goal remains as it is for the
second goal is I want each and every
pilot of my squadron life and let me be
the last in the list this is third
sentiment which makes you go through
because you feel responsible for the
youngsters who are there and you
feel that you can protect them
that’s the third reason all this
wandering in wildness was trying to find
out the reason when I was told to give
this talk I said let me share what my
thoughts are about it took me another 10
years to come to the conclusion how how
this gets how all these things this is I
have summed up and this is not my
thoughts these are thoughts I told you
before also all those who have been
there who are there and who are going to
be there it doesn’t change because
that’s something which is from time
immemorial that the will to fight and
for the righteous is right it’s time
immemorial because you feel you’re on
the right side 2010 I applied for
premature release from the Air Force and
for the personal reasons and Air Force
fortunately agreed to relieve me and I
was looking ahead for a career in civil
airline flying civil airline at the age
of 45 and my wife was little bit
relieved that yes for the next 20 years
he got a set time to go aeronautical
Development Agency at that time when I
retired I was chief test pilot for the
light combat aircraft the indigenous
aircraft was the our own home-built
fighter aircraft aeronautical
Development Agency offered me a contract
to continue flying as a civilian the
fighter aircraft and like Godfather he
said this was an offer I couldn’t refuse
although my wife was not very happy
about it
at that age I was young enough to know
that I can do it I was old enough to
know that I shouldn’t be doing it but as
we must have guessed that I was stupid
enough to continue doing it three years
later we were to do a test of a
single-engine aircraft the fly-by-wire
adds few more complications to it to
switch off the single engine air light
it once again and then come back that
time it looked a very very huge
high-risk exercise and risk was right
not only personal risk of the aircraft
and the pilot but also for the whole
program if that test is unsuspicious
research and development program which
the government of india has undertaken
in last 50 years of since independence
may have very very serious drawbacks as
you can see I’m standing on my legs with
all my limbs so test was successful
but that time it looked as if we are
jumping in fired my sister who lives in
UK came to know about it
about 15 days later she wrote a mail to
me after coming to know about it Neetu
that’s my nickname we were on the m1 or
our way to London wrestling with Friday
evening traffic on 25th November
ranjeet’s that’s my brother-in-law
enthused voice tells me a story he heard
from our mum the day before my body
freezed eyes welled up and my face lit
up with pride I turned my face away from
the windscreen and closed my eyes to
count my blessings the rows of cars
slowed volume traffic the road signs the
trees the landscape the rotating turbine
the clouds everything becomes invisible
felt an unbearable ache in my heart and
honest longing to hug you to touch you
to feel you in real and assure you these
life-threatening event adventures may be
a normal working day for you but as
these are some ones from the godless
earth the prayers of wife mother sister
and others are being heard may God bless
you with long and handle life happy I do
love you dee dee da dee dee I do not
think prayers work as I have seen so
many people suffering even after so much
of genuine prayers but in my case
prayers of my loved ones seems to be
working for me
and despite my serious doubt about his
existent existence God if exists has
been on my side someone said that this
kind of lying is not for the boys who
want to be men but for the men who wants
to be boys I always feel like a teenager
trapped in a world body page said to you
disturb while lying on his deathbed at
kuruksetra that the only duty of
admission of a man on this earth is to
follow his Dharma and wisdom is the
greatest obstacle in doing that it was
wisdom which over part is valid on that
day when he did not stop the reasoner
from insulting dropsy the rest as they
say is a history I have seldom been wise
in making important decisions of my life
this time though I debated and pondered
that am I not being unfair to my family
by taking such a risk I could not find
the correct answer to it but I knew if I
do not undertake this task I will live
rest of my life with a regret wisdom
would have advised me to live a life of
regret and choose certainty of being
alive in one piece for my family my
universe said if not me then who else I
refused to listen to my wife
and took refuge in following Matt Dharma
by listening to my inner calling Thank
You didi for such a wonderful mail on
high dude you’re right it is a result of
prayers of mother sister wife and
daughter is catching a fast I just hope
I never push God to support me beyond
the limits of their prayers this is the
essence of it right this is the essence
that follow your inner voice Dharma all
the three reasons which are listed and
maybe people who have been there can
list them in better ways than what I
have done they can describe it this is
the final it comes down to that
irrespective it’s not about risking your
life it’s about any situation in life
what does your inner voice say and do
you follow it first response of your
inner voice normally will be the correct
one or the right one right but
thereafter wisdom overtakes you the pros
and cons overtakes you and then you
become weak you give in to the wave so
this is the essence which I’ve found
that any situation following your inner
Dharma in a calling the more you listen
to it right better it becomes when it
says yes if you go ahead and do it right
you will praise yourself when it says no
stop don’t do it the more you listen to
it better it becomes it should become
your best friend and you was critic
that’s the way your inner voice should
become instead Dharma it’s not religion
it’s not sect it’s not following someone
it’s following your inner calling you go
to hone it day by day more you listen to
it better it becomes that is all I had
to share ladies and gentlemen with you
that in this life this is the essence of
my learning and this is the
precipitation of what I have seen in
last 32 years about the people or is
there life as a routine thank you [Applause]
ladies and gentlemen boys and girls
jehane a small introduction to start
I believe that irrespective of how
ordinary life one leads there are
movements in everyone’s life which are
beyond ordinary and life is nothing at
the end of it when you look back at her
life you don’t remember days you don’t
remember months
you don’t remember years you remember
these moments in life where you behaved
or you saw something beyond ordinary and
life is nothing but these moments strung
on a time line the closer these
movements are more enriched or better
life you have lived life and armed
forces where some people go out there
less their lives day in day out as
routine gives you a lot of such appachan
moments few of us who start flying
together I do not know the reason why
they are not there with me today they
left somewhere in between some of us are
alive today some of us are not similarly
some of them started flying after me
they are out there today
I have no reason no explanation you call
it destiny karma fate whatever you call
it I have no explanation but I do know
that all of them each one of them
irrespective of the color of uniform or
the kind of job he was doing he had the
same attitude same inspiration same
motivation and the same propulsion to do
the task at hand with as best to his
capability as possible without total
disregard to the personal danger he
experiences for his life let me take you
thirty two years back when I was a
flight cat at 28 20 years old strapping
very happy to clear my solo strapping up
on a Korean aircraft or Air Force
Academy on a tarmac I saw an aircraft
three four hundred feet above me and
descending I thought it slightly low for
an aircraft to come there little pull up
that aircraft ain’t that aircraft
continued when scrape the hangers and
just bang them the ground there was a
huge mushroom of smoke and dust and fire
search-and-rescue parties firefighters
turned towards that meanwhile one
instructor came sat him in the aircraft
daddy and we went for flying with the
aircraft being crashed there that
evening when I came back I write certain
things in my diary is some important
important things happen
to share it because I’m no longer doing
it I can share it with you today I saw
the death so closely that I feel it
chilled spine I was one of the few who
saw their aircraft banging into the
ground we are all in the game and it’s
the part of the game today we lost our
first course mate and the scene is there
in my mind like a video film I was due
for a solo I wanted to go but CFR that’s
chief flying instructor decided against
it today officer since Colonel Khalsa
came to a mess just to make us feel that
you boys better make it a habit if you
want to become a pilot
the biggest thing which I learnt from it
is that any day any time it can happen
to anybody and sooner I make adjustment
the better also the work should go on
flying in stock and that’s the best part
of it no doubt the impact of this
incident is going to remain for some
time but I should not feel any sort of
fear as it is not the number of days
which are important as it is not the
number of days which are important this
5th February when I was watching the
news channel at the young captain aid of
22 captain Kapil conlou here’s one of
the reason for Facebook post said life
should be big not long not the number of
days same sentiment echoed
thirty two years later by a 20 to 22
year old captain as I had a 20 year old
32 years back nothing has changed ladies
and gentlemen nothing has changed
this youth combined with the raw
idealism is the potent force that
propels these youngster to do that and
that’s the first reason later I got the
mission luckily fortunate to be selected
for fighters then I became then I went
there to become instructor in the same
place and then I volunteered for test
pilot course fortunate to be selected
for test pilot course in 1998 I finished
my test pilot course and due to some
reason I couldn’t take any leave and at
the end of it I took some leave I had we
had an aircraft if you look at this
aircraft used to call it Italy Avro you
see that Italy on top of it right so
this aircraft I had flown some few
sorties in this aircraft in viewers to
go to our kaanum for sea-level trans
performance trial but I was away for
some reason
two other pilots went for this to flight
test engineer some diario scientist on
11th of january 1999 while coming back
from the last flight of those trials
this aircraft crash short of naval our
column base killing all eight on board
two test pilots my course mates to
flight test engineers for DRDO
scientists 11th of Jan 1999 12th of Jan
we have the funeral at Bangalore and
12th of June when I came back once again
I’ll share my thoughts with you it’s
been 13 to 13 years since I lost my
first course mate today the tally is 6
Venki in shape these are two pilots
quality today on 11 June 1999 I’m so
smoking the butt of cigarette left by
sheshu in the ashtray on 29 December 98
by the way that was his birthday
sometimes it pays to be untidy I was a
mild smoke at that time 13 years back at
the young age of 20 years I told myself
not to be scared of flying
after having seen the aircraft going in
the ground that time my logic was it’s
not the number of days but how you live
that matters now today I’m scared I can
never forget the sight of Anish that’s a
shoes son walking across the coffins on
the ASD tarmac a steez aircraft system
and testing establishment where as a
test pilot I was post at that time on
the tarmac with flowerings hands the
six-year-old kid looked dazed confused
insecure and troubled he looked so much
like goon goon that’s my son he’ll life
is unfair and God is not not
non-existent how can you possibly
justify the death of eight people who by
any standards were contributing more
than 99% of the people for the country
and society I’m shocked and shaken
neither this country nor this Air
Force’s what’s taking your life
it hurts to things like this but it’s a
fact I cannot reconcile to it it’s
simply too much I’m seriously think
about destiny maybe it’s true that it’s
all written well before and we are just
puppets on the stage it could have been
me and just to think of SEMA goon goon
and Saloni
without my being there is enough to
chill my spine that’s to say is the
ultimate truth and we are so happy to
close our eyes to it by thinking thank
God it’s not me any guess 14 to 15 hours
later on 13 of Jan early afternoon what
absolutely I was starting up a Jaguar
for a flight to sortie along with an her
test pilot who was starting a mirage
2000b were the first to get able enough
after that incident that’s the second
reason why we do it that those who went
didn’t go for nothing right you have to
express your solidarity solidarity with
them and if you need to tell people that
listen those guys they left something
undone you’ve got to do it there’s no
way that you can share away from that
that’s the second reason why do it and
this is peacetime
whatever happens in war time because of
flying being a machine failure in the
air you will lose as many lives in the
war time as you in the peacetime that’s
just because we defy gravity and get
airborne thankfully that for 24 years I
served in Air Force there never was a
war but closest we came to war was when
they attacked our Parliament in December
2001 and all three armed forces were
activated the full scale that was the
largest activation since 1971 and I was
deployed as a flight commander flight or
in a Fighter Squadron flight commander
is the number two in this garden who
takes he’s in charge of all the
operations of this guard so
operationally he’s responsible for the
fighter operations of the squadron and
at that time it looked sometimes we had
loaded aircraft weapons all charged up
that next stage go to the bar third
reason how much you love yourself how
much you love your wife and kids what if
you die am I scared
yes but this time I’m scared of dying
and not reluctant to die only if I can
ensure the victory for my country and
lives of my scorned pilots by laying
down my life I’ll be happy to accept the
bargain I’m not sure how long this
activation is going to last or when will
the war start if there is war I promise
I’ll never be found wanting
as a flight commander and as a pilot
long back I wrote in this diary that the
only two things I want out of the next
war are victory for my country
myself alive as I am training for it the
first goal remains as it is for the
second goal is I want each and every
pilot of my squadron life and let me be
the last in the list this is third
sentiment which makes you go through
because you feel responsible for the
youngsters who are there and you
feel that you can protect them
that’s the third reason all this
wandering in wildness was trying to find
out the reason when I was told to give
this talk I said let me share what my
thoughts are about it took me another 10
years to come to the conclusion how how
this gets how all these things this is I
have summed up and this is not my
thoughts these are thoughts I told you
before also all those who have been
there who are there and who are going to
be there it doesn’t change because
that’s something which is from time
immemorial that the will to fight and
for the righteous is right it’s time
immemorial because you feel you’re on
the right side 2010 I applied for
premature release from the Air Force and
for the personal reasons and Air Force
fortunately agreed to relieve me and I
was looking ahead for a career in civil
airline flying civil airline at the age
of 45 and my wife was little bit
relieved that yes for the next 20 years
he got a set time to go aeronautical
Development Agency at that time when I
retired I was chief test pilot for the
light combat aircraft the indigenous
aircraft was the our own home-built
fighter aircraft aeronautical
Development Agency offered me a contract
to continue flying as a civilian the
fighter aircraft and like Godfather he
said this was an offer I couldn’t refuse
although my wife was not very happy
about it
at that age I was young enough to know
that I can do it I was old enough to
know that I shouldn’t be doing it but as
we must have guessed that I was stupid
enough to continue doing it three years
later we were to do a test of a
single-engine aircraft the fly-by-wire
adds few more complications to it to
switch off the single engine air light
it once again and then come back that
time it looked a very very huge
high-risk exercise and risk was right
not only personal risk of the aircraft
and the pilot but also for the whole
program if that test is unsuspicious
research and development program which
the government of india has undertaken
in last 50 years of since independence
may have very very serious drawbacks as
you can see I’m standing on my legs with
all my limbs so test was successful
but that time it looked as if we are
jumping in fired my sister who lives in
UK came to know about it
about 15 days later she wrote a mail to
me after coming to know about it Neetu
that’s my nickname we were on the m1 or
our way to London wrestling with Friday
evening traffic on 25th November
ranjeet’s that’s my brother-in-law
enthused voice tells me a story he heard
from our mum the day before my body
freezed eyes welled up and my face lit
up with pride I turned my face away from
the windscreen and closed my eyes to
count my blessings the rows of cars
slowed volume traffic the road signs the
trees the landscape the rotating turbine
the clouds everything becomes invisible
felt an unbearable ache in my heart and
honest longing to hug you to touch you
to feel you in real and assure you these
life-threatening event adventures may be
a normal working day for you but as
these are some ones from the godless
earth the prayers of wife mother sister
and others are being heard may God bless
you with long and handle life happy I do
love you dee dee da dee dee I do not
think prayers work as I have seen so
many people suffering even after so much
of genuine prayers but in my case
prayers of my loved ones seems to be
working for me
and despite my serious doubt about his
existent existence God if exists has
been on my side someone said that this
kind of lying is not for the boys who
want to be men but for the men who wants
to be boys I always feel like a teenager
trapped in a world body page said to you
disturb while lying on his deathbed at
kuruksetra that the only duty of
admission of a man on this earth is to
follow his Dharma and wisdom is the
greatest obstacle in doing that it was
wisdom which over part is valid on that
day when he did not stop the reasoner
from insulting dropsy the rest as they
say is a history I have seldom been wise
in making important decisions of my life
this time though I debated and pondered
that am I not being unfair to my family
by taking such a risk I could not find
the correct answer to it but I knew if I
do not undertake this task I will live
rest of my life with a regret wisdom
would have advised me to live a life of
regret and choose certainty of being
alive in one piece for my family my
universe said if not me then who else I
refused to listen to my wife
and took refuge in following Matt Dharma
by listening to my inner calling Thank
You didi for such a wonderful mail on
high dude you’re right it is a result of
prayers of mother sister wife and
daughter is catching a fast I just hope
I never push God to support me beyond
the limits of their prayers this is the
essence of it right this is the essence
that follow your inner voice Dharma all
the three reasons which are listed and
maybe people who have been there can
list them in better ways than what I
have done they can describe it this is
the final it comes down to that
irrespective it’s not about risking your
life it’s about any situation in life
what does your inner voice say and do
you follow it first response of your
inner voice normally will be the correct
one or the right one right but
thereafter wisdom overtakes you the pros
and cons overtakes you and then you
become weak you give in to the wave so
this is the essence which I’ve found
that any situation following your inner
Dharma in a calling the more you listen
to it right better it becomes when it
says yes if you go ahead and do it right
you will praise yourself when it says no
stop don’t do it the more you listen to
it better it becomes it should become
your best friend and you was critic
that’s the way your inner voice should
become instead Dharma it’s not religion
it’s not sect it’s not following someone
it’s following your inner calling you go
to hone it day by day more you listen to
it better it becomes that is all I had
to share ladies and gentlemen with you
that in this life this is the essence of
my learning and this is the
precipitation of what I have seen in
last 32 years about the people or is
there life as a routine thank you [Applause]
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