Journalism of Courage
On May 12,1965 two Seahawks were launched from INS Vikrant amidst much secrecy. Their mission – to ensure that two aviators reached in time for their wedding ceremonies for which they had both been granted a days leave! Both arrived at their respective venues – Mumbai and Bangalore – within minutes of the muhurats and were flown back next morning to rejoin the squadron with war clouds hovering overhead.
On August 12,1964,a sailor Ajit Singh did what no one had dared before him or after. Despite never having learnt how to fly a jet,he took off on a Seahawk when no one was around to fulfill his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. When he could not land,he came down with it on water and miraculously survived. Though court-martialled,his deed went down in the annals of the history of Seahawks.
Another reason was to fulfill a promise he had made to the squadron he had commanded when the Seahawks flew their last sortie in 1978. “I promised them that one day I would capture the glory of the squadron in a book. In fact I presented them with a blank book – that is just a cover- and promised to fill it up one day, says the Vice Admiral who then went about collecting precious information about the Seahawks for many years. However due to the demands of the service,it was only after retirement in 2002 that he could finally manage to put it all together.
“This is the only book in the country giving the full history of a naval aircraft. The Seahawk was the most magnificent of all aircrafts and the mainstay of the Indian Navy front-line attack for two decades. It was part of four navies – Indian,British,German and Dutch. Of all the naval chiefs of staff,only three were from naval aviation and all three were from the Seahawk Squadron,so I also call this a lucky aircraft, says Vice Admiral Pasricha,his passion for the Seahawk as evident from his words as it is from the fact that he has decided to sell his book only online to avoid pricing it exorbitantly as demanded by publishers and book stores. “I want this to reach people,not make a profit out of it. In fact,I have even explained in great details and in layman terms the flight of an aircraft, adds the naval officer who has till now published 1000 copies of the hard bound volume.
Other than handling his book printing and sales – he has just dispatched an order for 50 books to England – the 69-year-old officer also continues to take sorties at the Hadapsar Gliding Centre even now. This despite an iron rod that was inserted in his leg after a scooter accident in 2005. ”I took a three-year break after that but am back in the pilots seat now, he smiles. Guess its not for nothing that all Seahawk aviators were labeled tigers.
