PEBBLES  ON  THE  BEACH

       Post retirement, offered to choose between a further intense life filled with accomplishments or a relaxed life filled with savoring…Which one would you go for ? No one will tell you which is better for you…You yourself have to figure it out and reach for the one that gives you a peace of mind….But are you the one alone to decide your future course of action, when you are now blessed with economic independence by virtue of having served the nation for a full term. It involves two amalgamated opinions including that of ones better half, with whom you have walked the path for over 25 long years, grooming her and being groomed by her.

        Most of my coursemates have opted for the former choice and have been amply successful in it…Take the case of Harry and Krishna and AJ and Samy and many more….they all have been successful and happy post retirement. I have grabbed the later option of a relaxed life by my circumstances. My kids have been initiated on their Life’s tracks and are tacitly tackling the obstacles by themselves….One in Merchant Marine and the other in the corporate world. 

       Life is executing the other 180 degrees, after the first half turn during my growing years. My Dad was a Sargent technician of Super connie aircraft in 6 sqn Poona in mid 60s, where I started my initial primary schooling...we stayed in 10-20 area and later Viman Nagar...Our school bus used to take us across the runway, which used to close for Canberra & vampires taking off in the morning...we really used to enjoy from our bus windows, the fighters taking off....in the evenings we used to venture into the abandoned liberator aircraft and sit in the cockpit and act out pilot/ copilot, do dummy flying, ...childhood was fun.....the 6 sqn 'Pagal Gim khana' anniv used to be fun and we were allowed to go into the connie earmarked for the visit from the rear , walk up the aisle and exit the front door...the cockpit cordoned off by ropes...when I and my younger brother walked up and reached the cockpit, I asked the Warrant officer guide, for sitting in the pilot’s seat ...he politely refused...this was in 1966, me 8 yrs then...

         Irony of fate ,...fast fwd 15 yrs later 1981, I was transferred from 550 Cochin to 312 Sqn to fly the connies at INS Hansa,Goa as an AgSlt along with Gopa Kumar...My Dad must have been in seventh heaven, on hearing that I was to fly the same aircraft that he served in.

1997

        My Dad left for his heavenly abode at the midnight hour of the Golden jubilee of our independence day,(1997) when I was posted in the Naval Unit NCC Baroda....My brother rang me up just past midnight from our Jamnagar Home...

        An hour later I with Meena and two small kids were on road in our Maruti Van...Non stop we drove...till then I was in a tearless terrible shock...in the morning we stopped at a tea-stall...while I just had my first sip, this song with a lot of meaning , welled up my emotions and lifted the shutters of my tear dams...Altaf Raja had just appeared on the musical scene with his record..."Tum toh thehre pardesi"

PS- I dedicate this post to my Dad, Late Hon Fg.Offr BR Dutta,...Miss you Dad...May your humble Soul remain blessed always and shower your blessings on us 

Self, Dad - Mom, Sister and Brothers (1969)

Bidar

126 PC  Navy

Self with Parents

Course Get-together Shikra

Self, wife and Kids

INDIAN NAVY  ACQUIRES  MARITIME EYES
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        The genesis of INS Rajali lies in the think-tanks of Navy acquiring the maritime aircraft in mid seventies, the Super-connie from IAF and the IL-38 from Russia and later the TU-142Ms in 1988, all of which had INS Hansa, Goa  as their home base apart from the Alizes, Kirans, Harriers and Kamovs. Although the connies had phased out in 1984, Hansa was getting saturated with fresh induction of TUs and a need was felt for a separate Airbase for the TUs. Extensive studies resulted in homing on to Arakkonam near Chennai which had an abandoned airfield of British times.  The airfield was abandoned after the WW-II and lay unused until the 1980s, when it was transferred to the Indian Navy who rehabilitated and commissioned the airfield as INS Rajali on 11 March 1992. Even as INS Rajali celebrates its Silver Jubilee this year with fresh inductions the Poseidon P*8I, I ‘am reminded of my association with the First  maritime Aicraft of Indian Navy.   

       

           The Navy’s first long range Maritime Reconnaissance squadron was commissioned with five ex IAF Super Constellation aircraft on 08 Nov 76 at INS Hansa, Goa. Cdr RD Dhir was the commissioning Squadron Commander. I and my course mate Gopa Kumar had  flown the resilient Super-connie for 2 yrs in early 80s at INS Hansa Goa, the largest Naval Air Base of Asia prior to Arakkonam. Resilient, I mention, because in its sunset days with the Navy at Goa, the aircraft although seemed to display fatigue with malfunction of Hydraulics and misfiring of spark plugs, but always brought its crew back safely, after having tested their emergency actions…The aircraft gave some harrowing times to the poor Flight Engineer (FE) stationed behind the copilot, keeping an eye on the 72 sparkplugs of the 4 piston engines, on a scope that resembled an ECG monitor in an ICU..Either you could see the FE busy feathering one of the four engines, due to shorting of a sparkplug or pumping away the emergency hydraulic pump to get the undercarriage down, after an inadvertent drop of Hydraulic pressure due to a small leak somewhere on the old pipelines….DP Ashtekar, R Jayraman, MP Verma and Deen are some names that I recall, who ensured their good rapport with the spluttering engines coughing often nearing the fag end of their lives…. We were known as the mighty albatrosses. A crew room of the mighty albatrosses was a fun room with crew engaged in scrabble, chess and the never ending tea flowing in…Our  eversmiling  Snr ‘O’, Lt Cdr Rajesh Sharma  was  an instant  wit, who  heralded  the era  of  stand in  comedy…He once  stopped  Lt  Arya  in  the  sqn  corridor and  asked  him, “ Tu  Aa  riya  hai, ke Ja riya  hai ?” (Are you coming or going). Our  Snr Flt Engrr, Lt Jayaraman  had a quick fix solution for every thing under the Sun. Our Snr ‘P’ Lt Cdr Theo, later Cmde, was mostly engrossed in virtual world with his daily changing Novel in the briefing room, before the computers invaded the world and  made us realize that there is a real world around us. Lt Rakesh Saxena with his baby face did make the crew room buoyant with his mere entry.  Our Sqn Cdr, Cdr Macaden, was a very soft spoken Officer, who owned a vintage car, but he was mostly seen under his car than inside it as it invariably broke down at the road approaching the wardroom area and  we  saw him trying out a spanner under it. Our request for pushing it was politely declined with a complementary smile. He was a humble man leading a rowdy pack. If ever there was Life in the Navy, Haminasto-Haminasto-Haminasto (it was here, it was here, it was here).   

          This was the same aircraft that was the pride of Air-India in the ’50s, before being handed over to the IAF. My Dad was a Sargeant  technician of Super connie aircraft  in 6 Sqn Poona, where I started my initial primary schooling...we stayed in 10-20 area and then Viman Nagar...Our school bus used to take us across the runway, which used to close for canberra & vampires taking off in the morning...we really used to enjoy from our bus windows, the fighters taking off....in the evenings we used to venture into the abandoned liberator aircraft and sit in the cockpit and act out pilot/ copilot, do dummy flying, ...childhood was fun.....the 6 sqn 'Pagal Gim khana' anniv used to be fun and we were allowed to go into the connie earmarked for the visit from the rear , walk up the aisle and exit the front door...the cockpit cordoned off by ropes...when I and my younger brother walked up and reached the cockpit, I asked the Warrant officer  guide, for sitting in the pilot’s seat ...he politely refused...this was in 1966, me 8 yrs then...irony of fate ,...fast fwd 15 yrs later 1981, I was transferred from INAS- 550 Cochin to 312 Sqn to fly the connies at INS Hansa,Goa as an AgSlt, along with Gopa Kumar...My Dad must have been in seventh heaven, on hearing that  I was to fly the same  aircraft that he served in…

          My perfect  Naval  Salute  to the  original Albatross  of the Naval  Aviation , the mighty  Super-Constellation. These  aircraft  herlded  the  era of the  mighty  Tuplov  T-142 M and of later  the  Poseidon  P*8I both based at Arakkonam near Chennai …

 Best Wishes to INS  Rajali on its Silver Jubili  on 11 Mar 2017. The Naval  aviation  has  come  of  age  !!  Shano Varuna…Jai  Hind  !!

KHESE  PARK

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“Work. Good, honest work, whether it’s working with your hands to create an artwork, or manual labour, brings forth a sense of divinity at play. The only prerequisite is that whatever the work is, it is done sincerely and in congruence with the soul’s true origin and intent, then, without any effort, one experiences a flow, wherein one feels a part of the plan of the entire universe.”  Says  Kamand Kojouri, the poetess author of ‘The Eternal Dance’ …..The above is a tribute to Meena and all people who revel in working with their own hands. 

         Meena and I divide time between our  Borivali Flat and  sprawling  Pune Bunglow in Khese Park. The former is on lease from her parents, (who are nested in Jhansi), and later is the house that jack, nay Raj built.

         The two storey bunglow has a 10KL underground water tank  for replenishing an overhead  500 Lts syntax. The underground sump demands annual cleanship  for which last year  we employed a local tank cleaner. The guy charged a ransom  for  an hour’s work with average results. Having watched him, a brainwave hit Meena  and this year she decided to do it herself with a little help from her bitter half.  So after her parents, who were here on a vacation, left  we planned the annual  ritual, as the sump was almost dry.

         We filled up the overhead tank, watered  the garden…refilled  the tank….repeated  the process…until the sump water kissed the bottom. Then Meena descended into the sump, after we eased a ladder into it. When she did step onto the sump floor along with a bucket and mug,as I held the ladder, she found the bottom to be extremely muddy, nay marshy….She kept filling up the bucket and passed on to me for watering the plants…As the sump was huge, about 20 buckets of mucky water had to be fished out. Later the floor had to be sponged with clean water. In the nick of time the job was executed, as the municipal water supply  started gushing into the tank, to fill up a foot deep in the allotted hour’s supply.  . 

        Our  Borivali  neighbours  Mr Ramesh Kadam with family  dropped by on their drive to Bangalore, to drop their Beagle with us. The pup is quite fond of Meena and even in Borivali spends more time in our house. He is fond of stroll any time of the day/night , and indicates it with his bark and as she says ‘Pattaa’, he will fetch the leash for being taken out.

      He was most of the time peeping into the sump, when meena was inside. Have a look.