He’s my colleague. A junior colleague, and a friend too. I’ve known him for years. He’s Puneet Sharma. Captain Sharma, an airline Captain who is also Wing Commander Sharma, an IAF veteran. He’s from Punjab, but is now settled in Pune, after the IAF brought him here. He retired, and found an airline job here …
Decades ago, Mr NR Narayana Murthy, lamenting about the Indian education system, had said, “More than 80% of youngsters are not trained enough for getting jobs.” Since then, a lot of industrialists and CEOs have repeated, that a majority of educated Indian youth are ‘unemployable’. I always thought they were exaggerating, or maybe talking about …
A Boeing 737-800 of China Eastern Airlines crashed yesterday, baffling a lot of real as well as self-styled ‘experts.’ The confusion was not helped by fake videos and pictures doing the rounds on the social media, being picked up even by prestigious news outlets. I’ve been flying Boeing 737 for almost two decades, which is …
China Air Crash: Separating Facts from Fake News Read More »
You’re a pilot. A lady pilot. Your husband is a software engineer, in a booming multinational, in the management, at a high level. He works 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, and often works from home. Which is good, because your daughter is only 4 years old. And your timings are odd. Early morning one …
Operation Ganga – Rescue from Ukraine: A Pilot’s Personal Perspective Read More »
Is it true, or only Pakistani propaganda? It is true, and the Indian government has acknowledged it with regret. Which missile was it? From the flight path described, we can surmise that it was a BrahMos missile. India developed it in collaboration with Russia and therefore named it after two rivers in the two countries: …
India Fires a Missile into Pakistan: All Your Questions Answered Read More »
You may have read my review ‘Bhuj – The Pride of India is But a Ride of Hysteria.’ I wrote that as a former fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force. And now I write this as a current commercial pilot in an airline, flying the Boeing 737NG, the latest version of the hijacked airplane …
I was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force and have done two tenures in Bhuj. Having spent five years flying over and driving around Kutch, I was keen to relive the happy memories of my days in the IAF and in Kutch. I must confess, the movie brought tears to my eyes. Tears …
‘Bhuj – The Pride of India’ is But a Ride of Hysteria! Read More »
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) recently said, “…the Air Force continues to remain a supporting arm, just as Artillery or Engineers support the combatants within the Army…” I retired from the IAF full 18 years ago, and to borrow from Harry Belafonte, “No one wants my opinion anywhere, any time, on any subject, about …
Deepak Sathe was my friend and a longtime colleague. Our lives and careers followed a similar path except that he was a brilliant senior and I was a wide-eyed and often awed junior. My sense of loss is personal, and I have so far shared my feelings only with my family and close friends. But …
I normally avoid television news, to preserve what little is left of my sanity. Internet headlines are enough to paint the grim picture for me. But, in these Corona days, getting the latest news is important, so I began to endure the news channels. Last night, a popular channel announced an exclusive special report on …
Is there a connection? There is! Most Indian cities have the ubiquitous MG Road. Thankfully, youngsters can still identify MG, unlike the SB Roads in Pune and Mumbai. A young lady who lives there didn’t know what SB stood for. Her friend knew the full-form, but not the person they named it after. Worse fate …
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet.” Shakespeare said. Who can argue with the great Bard? But maybe, the times have changed, and names evoke expectations in products and people. For example, if you see a restaurant called ‘Nana-chi-Tang’, you would expect Oriental food …
I did nothing special on the night of 31st December, but, hearing the revelries outside, began to wonder why they were drinking, dancing and bursting crackers all night. I wondered why they were drinking, dancing and bursting crackers all night. Why were they celebrating? To forget the stress of the lives they led last year, …
A longing look at a beautiful childhood memory spoiled by plastic pollution. On the occasion of World Environment Day.
I don’t enjoy IPL cricket, because I see all the players as ‘ours’. Where’s the joy in one winning at the cost of others? So, I relish the international matches more – India vs. another country, especially Pakistan – because the divisions are clearer, the rivalry sharper. On 12th May, I sat down to watch …
“Haven’t you done the job yet?” Wife asked. “I’m trying…” I said, actually trying only to sound more confident than I felt. If you have done that job, and that too in one attempt, I salute you. I’m talking about the Package Selection for the television channels from your DTH provider, as mandated by the …
In 2012, my son Agneya, then 19, was doing Bachelor’s in Commerce while simultaneously studying to be a Chartered Accountant. To become a CA, the first step is to pass the Common Proficiency Test (CPT) and the second test is for the Integrated Professional Competence Course (IPCC). The number of students that pass the CPT …
I believe I am fair. Fairly fair. Fair in my feelings and dealings, but not fair in the colour of my skin; not the way we complexion obsessed Indians look at it. I have, what the matrimonial ads call, a ‘wheatish’ complexion, which as per the Oxford Living Dictionary means, ‘complexion of the pale golden …
‘Every day, Jack arrives at the train station from work at 5 pm. His wife picks him up at 5 pm and drives him home. One day, Jack gets to the station an hour early and starts walking home, until his wife meets him on the road. They get home 30 minutes earlier than usual. …
Exactly a year ago, on the night of 8th November 2016, I got a call from a friend, asking agitatedly, “Are you watching television?” “Yes,” I replied, “A movie.” “Movie?” My friend screamed, “Watch the news, you fool, the world is coming to an end!” “What happened? Earthquake?” I saw visions of massive eruptions from …
Remember the song from The Sound of Music, ‘I am sixteen, going on seventeen?’ Well, I am fifty six, going on fifty seven. Naturally, I’m not too active on Facebook. All I do is regularly wish people happy birthdays and occasionally post links to new articles on my blog. Beyond that, I’m largely a mute, …
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose; By any other name would smell as sweet,” said William Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet. I was reminded of this quote on seeing a government advertisement some time ago. It was very practical, and refreshingly different. Names of public office holders and political leaders were …
Among the many messages I received early morning on this Independence Day, the one shown above was very different – and left me deeply moved. And then there was another thing too. Since it was a holiday, I left home late, and on the way back after a leisurely morning walk, got stuck in traffic …
We all are very clean. Cleanliness has been a part of our culture and upbringing for thousands of years. Only, like everything else, we’ve modified the teachings about cleanliness to keep up with the times, so we clean our house and throw the muck on the street, smugly satisfied that we’ve done our job and …
“Hello, Sir! How are you?” Asked the young partner from the CA’s office when I answered her call. What business does she have sounding so cheerful in July when hard earned cash has to be coughed up and Income Tax Return filed? But one has to be civil. “Oh hello.” I replied, trying to – …
A throat problem resulted in the ENT specialist advising me ‘Voice Rest.’ So, I looked forward to spending my days silently, with a saintly smile on my face and feeling as pious as the Pope – like many great men, who have spoken about the power of silence. Look at the irony here – they …
I call my daughter, ‘The Selfie Queen’. She can click her own photo in a jiffy without seeming self-conscious and without appearing to be looking somewhere else – a trick I have not been able to master. She has a selfie-stick and a phone stand and knows all the features of her phone camera, from …
I am a member of many WhatsApp groups, and so are you. Much against our desire and good sense, we are forced to remain in some of them, due to familial, social or peer pressures, just so that folks do not label us as pompous asses who have grown too big for their boots. Being …
I exercise regularly… ah… about once a week. After a ravenous summer enjoying mangoes and a little sickness that interrupted my exercise routine, my new trousers became a bit uncomfortable around the waist. Dear Wife, never the one to let an opportunity go by, remarked in full view and hearing of the kids, “Your tummy …
