Journalism of Courage
Rather than be a part of air-shows 55-year-old Suhas Hazare prefers guiding and training young kids from sub urban areas on aero-modeling,free of cost
As a student during school days,Suhas Hazare used to pass by the Gliding Centre at Hadapsar. He remembers standing hours on the railing,staring at the flying machines. That was the beginning of his fascination for aeroplanes,gliders and helicopters. Since it was impossible to ask his parents to support his passion,he used anything and everything that was available on hand,from broomsticks,use-and-throw glasses to X-ray films ,to fuel it.
His experimentation with the machines kept growing with the years however his hobby took a backseat for sometime when he took up a job at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Currently he is working as a technical officer at DRDO. But as and when he has free time on hand,especially on weekends,he devotes it to either experimenting with different components that he can use to assemble a plane or helping out aero modeling enthusiasts. However he sees his gesture merely as a small way of contributing. Speaking about it Hazare says,I dont think I am doing anything great,I just want to share my skills with people who have less means but extra desire to gain knowledge about aero modeling.
Besides,various engineering students who take tips from him in regard to their college projects often visit Hazare and he is too happy to offer his help as he feels that it gives him a reason to be with machines and share his knowledge. Today when he looks back Hazare says that he has lost the count as to how many people he has trained until now. His very recent student is 56-year-old J S Bhale,who was working as a supervisor at the Pune Municipal Corporation Health Department and had absolutely no technical background. Age doesnt matter. What matters is the willingness to gain the skill. Its challenging as well as fun to teach someone who is very new to the concept of aero modeling, adds Hazare.
According to his student Bhale,Hazare is extremely supportive and he considers himself lucky to have someone who is ready to give guidance free of charge. After my retirement,I wanted to fulfill my long-cherished dream of gliding but when I contacted the authorities at the centre,I was told that since age is not on my side,I would first have to learn aero modeling. Thats when someone introduced me to Hazare Sir,who fortunately did not give a second thought before beginning to train me, says Bhale.
Currently,Hazare is five years away from his retirement but he sees his approaching retirement as an opportunity to get back to his hobby aero modeling. Then,instead of giving few hours on the weekend,I would be able to devote full-time to what interests me the most, he concludes.
