AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 7 – Panorama CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 246 of 332 While the Academies threw up extensive modules of training, Panga taking and procrastinating became an Art of Living. There is no doubt that life is all about survival of the fittest, The bonhomie and camaraderie meant you helped the weak pass the test. You carried his FSMO and his rifle too, Provided he passed you the cog-sheets as you went to the loo. “Thrust and Parry”, normally a fencer’s delight, Was a matter of routine (for us) before we said Good-Night. The final training for the Army & Navy took just a year The Air Force was slow and needed another six months to bear. Thus Nineteen Seventy One was the Year of the Lord, When the course took the oath to bloody the sword. It didn’t take long because war clouds were gathering, The Pakis were belligerent but seemed to have lost their bearing. The war had begun amidst swords that did rattle, As this fine bunch from ’67 were BORN TO BATTLE!! It was a cry from the motherland to defend its borders, The military engaged the enemy amidst instructions and orders. A valiant young officer put his life at the stake, Proudly commandeering his tank towards the enemy, make no mistake. The heroics of Arun Khetarpal can be seen on every portal, As we remember his last fight which made him immortal. The great warship INS Khukri took a torpedo and sank, Sunil Nandan Singh survived because of Daku’s training slam-dunk. There were many who bled and many shed a tear, But the rigours of training had erased all forms of fear. Battle-hardened and inoculated in the infancy of life, Only sharpened the senses and the urge to find a wife!