Whilst the nation was celebrating the birthday of
late Rajiv
Gandhi on 20th August, I recalled with nostalgia
my association with him which started at Jaipur Airport. During 1977-78, Rajiv used to bring Delhi-Agra-Jaipur IAC flight and land his AVRO 748
sometimes in the evening while I used to impart gliding training to NCC
Cadets. I was introduced to him by Capt. Navin Sharma of RFC and there
after on almost every time after landing he would walk towards NCC and
RFC hangers to meet us. He used to love to have his tea made by one of
our lascar Kishori Lal. Simplicity personified, once when his Air Craft
was inordinately delayed, we got some dinner from Milap Restaurant and
Rajiv relished it with us not bothering about all that great service
lined up for him by the Airlines staff.
I
recall
having asked him if he was ever interested in joining politics to which
he said that he was very happy in his present job and politics is better
left for his brother Sanjay who was more apt to that life. Once I
casually happened to discuss with him the subject of his brother Sanjay
taking up hobby flying and also doing aerobatics on his newly acquired
aircraft which I felt was rather premature for his experience, to which
he said that he too was worried on that score but was perhaps unable to
stop Sanjay from his air adventures.
I was then posted out in 1979 on promotion as Wing
Commander to a missile course at Barrackpore .During that posting my
brother-in-
law was to be married at Jaipur so I managed a week end leave
for two days and took IAC flight from Dum Dum to Delhi via Patna for
onward connection to a flight from Delhi to Jaipur. The flight was
somehow delayed at Patna where the Bihar Governor who was to board the
flight came late. The Captain of IAC flight, Capt. R.C. Sharma was known
to me and I mentioned my plight to him about the fear of missing the
Jaipur connection from Delhi. Capt. Sharma passed on the message on
SELCAL to IAC mentioning my name and if it was possible to transfer me
from one plane to the other plane on tarmac itself so that I don’t miss
the Jaipur bound flight. Those days the security was not that hot. As I
alighted from the aircraft, to my pleasant surprise I saw Capt. Rajiv
Gandhi and Navin Sharma smiling at me and took my only hand carried
luggage and transferred me from 737 to 748 without any other formalities
and flew me to Agra. Rajivji himself took me to the Agra IAC lounge
where I wanted to make a phone call to my wife at Jaipur. So this was
Rajiv, so humane, cordial and friend of friends.
Events somehow have their own way of turning out. My
flight back from Delhi to Dum Dum was also delayed and as I was waiting
at the Airport restaurant I again saw Rajiv and Navin Sharma and I
joined them for a brunch.
I was then posted to Suratgarh in October 1979. In
the summer of 1980, I was spending my annual leave with my children at Srinagar where on 23 June, I heard of the sad untimely demise of Sanjay
Gandhi due to plane crash about which I already had some fears. Things
changed fast and Rajivji reluctantly joined politics to assist his
mother Mrs. Indira Gandhi. I was posted to Air HQ in May 82.
As Deputy Director org I was commissioned to complete
the forthcoming Golden Jubilee brochure of the IAF which was to be in
the form of a brief Air Force History. Time was short, the very basic
script was written by Air Cmde Jasjit Singh and rest of the work with
the help of DAVP was to be done by me. The brochure was compiled and
published and was to be released on 8th October, 1982 in Air
Force Day tea party at the Air house by the Honourable President of
India. At the party, handsome Rajiv came in his white kurta and
churidars and all eyes were glued on him. The Honourable Prime Minister
Mrs. Indira Gandhi was also there but stayed very briefly. The
Honourable President Sh. Sanjiv Reddy somehow didn’t turn up and the
Golden Jubilee brochure was released by the Honourable Vice-President
Hidayatullah. The centre of attention was however Rajiv Gandhi.
Everyone, specially the women folk were dying to get his attention. I
was rather junior in the crowd of the Alumni of the Air Force, Army and
Navy, standing aloof on one side and I met Rajiv’s eyes who was standing
tall amongst all. He smiled and walked straight towards me and literally
hugged me like an old chum. I was taken aback as all eyes in the party
were towards us. He took me aside and we talked about our Jaipur days
and Navin Sharma and other common friends. I mentioned to him about the
br
ochure and Air Force History and he immediately asked for it and went
through it. He himself asked for a photographer and had me photographed
with him looking at the brochure. He also asked if the Golden Jubilee
aerobatic team could release colours on their last manoeuvre. I
called Group Captain Brar, the acrobatic team leader who discussed
the issue with Rajiv. Perhaps all this also became a cause for envy
amongst the senior IAF officers as to why I was getting so much
attention from him as everyone knew he was the centre of power after Smt.
Indira Gandhi and perhaps the next prime minister.
Events changed very fast and in October 1984 Smt.
Indira Gandhi was assassinated and Rajiv became the youngest prime
minister of India. He astutely handled the affairs, visited USA, met
Reagon, visited USSR and resolved the Punjab issue with the Longowal
accord. I wrote a letter to him appreciating his handling the affairs as
PM which was personally delivered to him by my friend Shri Manphool
singh, MP in the central hall of the Parliament. Next day itself, the
reply came signed personally by him and delivered to my home at Princess
park through a personal courier. I still posses that letter as a fond
memory.
I was then posted as CO to NO 1 Delhi Air sqdn in
September 1986. It was a cold Sunday at Safdar Jung on 11th
January, 1987, very foggy with almost nil visibility, hence all flying
activity was stopped, so our cadets were practicing parasailing for
rehearsals of the forthcoming NCC Air Show to be held on soon after,at
Safdar Jung. I was sitting outside my office with Wing Commander BARBARA
and Wing Commander MOTEY planning the Air Show. Two of our cadets came
on a scooter and mentioned to me that Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was at the
parasailing site and desired to meet me, ‘if possible’. I could not
believe what I heard.. Wing Commanderdr BABARA actually asked the cadet
that ‘You know who Rajiv Gandhi is? You think he will just drop by?’.
In the meanwhile I could see faraway across the
runway a couple of cars but no usual white ambassadors near the
parasail. The messenger cadet also mentioned that Rajiv had enquired as
to who
the CO was and when he said it was Wing Commander DANDIYA he
enquired if it was Wing Commander Subhash Dandiya.When it was confirmed
to him that the CO was Subhash Dandiya,he expressed his wish to meet the
CO.Our car and jeep was on the other side of the runway and so Wing Cdr
BARBARA and I went there on the scooter and saw Rajiv Gandhi talking to
the cadets. He had come on his Gray Toyata car along with Priyanka and
Rahul and was accompanied by only two security staff . As I approached
him he greeted me profusely, took me aside, mentioned that he was coming
back from his farm house and seeing the parasailing just dropped by. He
asked me if it was ok for him to do a para launch. I said it was quite
safe, even the CAS Air Chief Marshal Lafentaine had just done it the
previous day. Immediately thereafter, Lt Col. Puri who was the main para
Instructor briefed him on the nitty-gritty of parasailing and strapped
Rajiv. There was no movie camera but fortunately there was one
Brigadiare Cortozo who had also come for parasailing, and he had a still
camera and he photographed these moments.
Within a Jiffy, Rajiv was up in the air floating by a
parasail pulled by a jeep and it was a perfect launch without any lag or
a mistake and a perfect landing. Weather had also cleared and some good
photographs were taken. He landed, unstrapped and was quite thrilled and
radiantly smiling.
We got the log book and he signed and put his
remarks. He seemed to be in no hurry. In the meanwhile, some cadet
brought hot tea in an aluminium kettle and small glasses which was
offered to him and he relished it with all taste. My photograph with him
evincing keen interest in Golden Jubilee brochure had appeared in 1985
brochure of IAF day which I got from my office and he signed that
photograph recalling our Air House meeting in October 1982. He stayed
for good 30-40 minutes, had himself photographed with the cadets at
Safdar Jung Air Port and went back very happily.
I informed my senior bosses in NCC who were quite
stunned and offerred no comments at that time. Someone had informed
Hindustan Times whose reporter came to my office within a couple of
hours. We had got the photographs printed by that time. I wanted
permission to release the news to the media but no formal ok came
through. However, next day it was a front page he
adline news in HT with
photograph of Rajiv Gandhi on parasail and myself briefing him. I did
not know whether I had done a right thing or a wrong thing – however, I
had no choice. Whole of the media were after me. They all wanted to talk
to me and brief them on the events, I was awfully busy organising the
forthcoming NCC Air Show to be held a few days later only. Since every
thing had gone very well with positive publicity by the media DG NCC
General Maya Das expressed his appreciation. However, there was a
feeling amongst NCC top brass that I had known about the visit of the PM
earlier but did not inform them and hogged all the lime light which was
not a fact. Some media people were also annoyed with me as to why the
news was not released to other papers and why to HT only. Later on, I
got a call from my cousin from California that the news was published in
New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle of which he sent me the
cutting.
So this was late Rajiv Gandhi. How I wish he was
there to lead the nation today. I have been across the globe many a
times and seen 66 summers but I have never come across such a radiant,
true, candid yet graceful and amiable person in my life.
