AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 7 – Panorama CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 232 of 332 embarrassed rather than otherwise about our involvements in any war (which in some ways is definitely a Good Thing); but 1971 was unequivocally one of India’s finest achievements after Independence, and (this is important) not just — perhaps, not even primarily — for military reasons. The military reasons are just the start. We won an overwhelming military victory; but that was only the enabler. We put a stop to humanitarian crimes on a truly massive scale (which should guide us, as we consider the plight of the Rohingya in Burma); we changed the world map by helping to create the new nation of Bangladesh; and we withdrew all our military forces from the new country in a period measurable in weeks (unlike the aftermaths of many Western countries’ recent military successes). So remember this victory and the Indians who died for it, and honour those who wear the SangramMedal. They were part of something admirable that India did, 46 years ago. About The Author KS Nair is a graduate of IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore, and a former director and vice president of multinational consulting firms. He has been a lifelong student of Indian aviation history. He is the author of the books Ganesha's Flyboys (Anveshan, 2012) about the IAF in the Congo in the 1960s, and The Forgotten Few (HarperCollins, 2019) about the IAF in World War II. His third book, on the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, is likely to be released later this year. His father was AVM NK Nair of the then Tech Electrical branch, commissioned in 1951. His father-in-law was Wg Cdr Venu Kondath, also of the Tech Electrical branch also commissioned in 1951 but one course junior to his father at AFTC.