AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 4 – War Diary CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 64 of 237 airplane and we all raced to the trench. I found Nina under her cot sobbing hysterically. I pulled her out, tried soothing her and then slapped her hard, dragging her to the trench. The distant drone grew louder and nearer, and we saw a huge shadow flying low, with a deafening sound. Then we heard another sound, of firing from the ground along the runway. All of a sudden the dark sky burst with lightning sparks and a thunderous blast and the plane was in flames. My older daughter Shalini was all of 2 years and six months old; she clapped her tiny hands and shouted excitedly, “Diwali re Diwali” All I experienced in those moments was a numbness which would transform my life more than I knew at that time. My thoughts were racing to the pilot, had he ejected, had he been blown up? A mother, a wife and children in Pakistan, had lost a loved one. Why this war? Whose turn is it next? After what seemed ages in that cold and cringed trench, we returned to the barrack. But, I could not sleep. We heard the next day that the pilot had ejected, and has been taken prisoner. Ayre simply said that he was safe and his family would be informed. Many of our pilots too were shot at. Some flew back saving their damaged aircraft and themselves, yet others ejected and were taken prisoners, some were missing, believed killed and a few were declared martyrs. Our neighbor Nina’s handsome young husband, Flight Lieutenant Harvinder Singh walked in on the evening of 5th and ate Patti’s idlis with relish, one last time. I was devastated as the radio kept giving us the names of so many dear friends, Dilip Parulkar, Bhargava, Harish Sinhji, and Tambay, all taken prisoners. We rejoiced, knowing they were alive and will be returning ... some day. Harvinder had been taken POW. We broke the news to Nina. She was devastated. Her father arrived from Ludhiana to take her away the next day. Later we came to know that Harvinder was taken alive but beaten to death by the locals there. On the 6th a jeep drew up to the gate; it was the Commanding Officer, Wg Cdr Alan D’Costa. He said, Kuruvilla has been shot down. “I saw him eject. I think he is in their territory. We will know soon. Where is Grace? I want to tell her with you all here.” Grace appeared just then and was informed about her husband. We were shaken by the news of Kuruvilla and