Rookies earning their wings

October 8 is celebrated as air force day by the indian air force. we therefore, thought it fit to give you a glimpse of an average day of some very extraordinary people, fighter pilots. Mayank Singh spent some time with pilots of a sukhoi squadron. here’s his report.

‘HJ’, as he is known to his colleagues, looks like any other young man his age. But see him in his green overalls, and it is a different story. HJ is a fighter pilot in the making; which is to say he isn’t operational yet. But it’s only a matter of time. 

Being trained to fly the Indian Air Force’s most advanced deep penetration strike aircraft,

The Making Of The Scholar Warrior

It has produced some of India’s best known heroes, And continues to maintain the same high standards it set when it first opened. Mayank Singh spends a day at the IMA, Dehradun to get to grips with how boys transform into men entrusted with protecting the nation’s sovereignty. 

The red and white facade of a timeless colonial building with long corridors greets me as I enter through the main gate. This is Chetwode Building; the heart of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun and it sits in the midst of green salubrious surroundings.

But a sudden shout of “Saavdhan Chal” from behind me, pierces the moment and I am passed by a group of young boys on cycles wearing colourful t-shirts. I say boys. The IMA calls them GCs or Gentlemen Cadets. Why? Because an officer or an officer in the making, is a gentleman, always. 

Three GCs stand out. GC Shiladitya Singh Ranawat, GC Abhishek Chandra and GC Abhay Sharma. With their uniform crew cuts and similar t-shirts, they look the same. But their backgrounds and their place here at the academy couldn’t be more different.