AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 7 – Panorama CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 249 of 332 7 Ode To Fallen Air Warrior Air Mshl Sumit Mukerji PVSM SC VSM Genre: Reminiscence / Poetry The bright morning sun and the song bird’s flight Has always provided a child unmitigated delight The urge to grow wings and soar to great heights And leave the “surly bonds of earth” as John Gillespie decried. The sheer joy and freedom of the open blue skies Has tugged at the heartstrings of every guy To loop and to tumble, unfettered and free Defying gravity must be easy, just see the bumble bee. But the business was rough, it soon became clear A military aviator wasn’t sure there was nothing to fear Hatched in the shadow of the Second World War, “Tally Ho” was the war cry that made every heart soar. Inoculation, nay baptism, by fire they say There is no better training to show us the way. The IAF in its rise became a great story Its motto clear, to Touch the Sky with Glory. No Air Force in the world does such rigours impose, On man and machine as they chose to repose From the towering mountains all snow-clad and white To the shifting sands where the scorpion did bite Spanning the expanse of the Gangetic plain, The arms even spread south into Dravidian domain.