Col PS Randhawa (Retd)

She is not able to sleep. It has been five days since her son spoke to her for a brief two minutes. It was a long-distance call put through by the Army exchange operator. Before her instructions to her son could finish, the call was abruptly cut. It has been like that since he got deployed on the China border, since mid-June. The calls were erratic and brief, mostly at the mercy of the operator. Gone are the days when she could pour her heart out to her only son through mobile phone calls and give him all possible instructions, mostly aiming at his well-being, safety and security, eating timely and of course her favourite topic of making up his mind to get married.

The son, like a true fauji, does not talk about ‘what is happening there’. She tries to gather information from TV channels and social media but seeing the shoddy display of jingoism, war cries, and sabre-rattling by anchors shuts it off, cursing them that maybe none of their near and dear ones is in the Army and deployed on the border. Her husband advises her not to watch TV and not to believe what appears on Facebook and WhatsApp. Any news about ‘meeting’ on the border with the Chinese is keenly read, watched, and heard by her. ‘Their mothers must be equally worried,’ she muses about enemy troops.

She had been an Army wife and suffered long separations from her husband in the prime of her life. Those days there were no mobile phones and letters were the only means of communication. By the time a letter reached her husband and elicited a reply, a lot would get changed. Some minor problems could get mitigated or she could overcome single-handedly. In the absence of her husband, she miraculously played the double role of father and mother for her kids. Quite naturally, they did not want their son to join the Army and suffer long separations from his family. But fate decided otherwise. The son won’t listen and he followed in the footsteps of his father and forefathers; went to the IMA and joined his father’s battalion. Though proud of her son’s achievement, she cannot help being over-worried about his well-being. Her husband, at times, feels irritated and tells her that she wasn’t even half as much worried about him as she worries about her son. She tells him that he does not know about a mother’s heart.

Her son has given a civil number of his unit Adjutant, away from his location, to be used in exceptional cases. She insists on using that number but the old man is reluctant. He doesn’t want to ‘interfere’ in unit routine, and also does not want to sound ‘too worried’. ‘It is warlike,’ he tells her, ‘leave it to God. Everything will be fine.’ He assures her but she insists. Seeing her restlessness, he gives in. Almost apologetically, he calls the Adjutant and enquires about his son. The officer assures him all is well. Thanking him, he disconnects the call. Mother, having heard everything, is happy and thanks God. ‘I can now sleep peacefully,’ she says.

Ghaziabad, October 8, 2020: On the occasion of Indian Air Force Day, 2020 Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on Thursday assured the nation that the Indian Air Force will evolve and be ever ready to safeguard India’s sovereignty and interests in all circumstances.

“I want to assure the nation that the Indian Air Force will evolve and be ever ready to safeguard our nation’s sovereignty and interests in all circumstances,” said Bhadauria at Hindon airbase.

“As we enter the 89th year, the IAF is undergoing a transformational change. We are entering an era which will redefine where we employ aerospace power and conduct integrated multi-domain operations,” he added.

Bhadauria further stated that this year has indeed been an unprecedented one. As COVID-19 spread across the globe, our nation’s response was firm.

“The tenacity and resolve of our air warriors ensured that IAF continued to retain its capability to undertake full-scale operations throughout this period,” said IAF Chief.

“I commend all air warriors for quick response in the recent standoff on the northern frontiers when we deployed our combat assets at short notice to handle any eventuality and provided proactive support to all requirements of deployment and sustenance for Indian Army,” he added.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Mukund Naravane and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh attended the 88th Indian Air Force Day celebrations at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad.

Bhadauria inspected the 88th Indian Air Force Day parade here.

Nishan Toli being led by Squadron Leader Shivangi Rajawat marched at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad on the occasion.

Two Chinook helicopters also took part in the flypast to mark 88th Indian Air Force Day here.

IAF Day 2020: Defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah also extended their wishes to the force. IAF Day celebrations are taking place at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

It was winter and heavy snowfall had almost stopped normal life in the northern region. Heavy shelling by Pakistan had injured many of our soldiers. I received an emergency evacuation message in Chandigarh. We promptly activated the stand-by crew. However, when I studied the weather at Thoise in Ladakh’s Nubra Valley, from where the casualties were to be airlifted, I realised it was marginal and the crew may not be able to execute the mission.

The weather indicated that clouds were covering the entire region of Leh and Thoise. In hilly regions, one has to keep the ground in contact and keep clear of hills. Descend on instruments is a big no. I was the most experienced and the senior-most pilot in the Squadron, so I decided to attempt a landing.

The weather was such that in normal circumstances, one would not have even attempted a landing and instead waited for a clear day. But it was a matter of life and death for about 8 to 10 soldiers. We took off within half an hour from Chandigarh. The weather en-route, until Leh, was negotiable. We decided to go overhead to assess the weather for landing as we approached Thoise. We could not see the ground at all, not even through a few very clear patches.

Staying above hills in Thoise was a safe option, so we circled around and waited for a clearance to descend through the opening in the clouds, because the task of casualty evacuation was of immense importance. Thanks to our luck, we got a small break in the cloud through which we could see the airfield. Adapting all precautionary measures and keeping ground in contact, we descended and landed at Thoise. I kept the engine running.

Also read: Why the IAF’s peacetime operations are bigger than any other country

Spirited soldiers

The patients were brought to the aircraft and boarded without switching off the engine. The aim was not to waste any time on the ground because the weather was not helping our cause. With the aircraft door closing, I quickly taxied out. The doctor briefed me about the soldiers. All young men aged between 19-20 years with splinter injuries in the head and other body parts. I was to exercise caution about correct pressure maintenance in the aircraft for their comfort, even though they were heavily sedated. In head injury cases, these precautions are necessary.

The aircraft was ready for take-off but the weather played spoilsport once again. There was no break in clouding for our climb. I waited on the runway for 10 minutes without any success. Fuel was just about sufficient for the return journey to Chandigarh. I taxied back to the dispersal, where the doctor again came to the cockpit and told me something surprising.

The moment the soldiers had boarded the aircraft, even in their half-conscious state, they were sure that they were being airlifted to Chandigarh. The very thought of being airlifted to a better hospital showed a marked improvement in their overall health as indicated by their stabilised blood pressure. They were unaware that we had taxied back and not taken off yet — for them, the knowledge that they were in safe hands was clear now.

God showed some mercy and we got an opening. We took off for Chandigarh. When we reached there, we found ambulances were ready to ferry the patients to the Command Hospital. Next morning, I could not resist a visit to the hospital to see how the soldiers were doing. I met them all one by one and was happy to see them recovering. I did not disclose that it was my aircraft that had brought them here. For them, it did not matter: the very sound of An-32 had comforted them and their will power did the rest. Such incidents give one immense satisfaction about task accomplishment. It is the biggest award for your routine job and encourages one to move on with newfound enthusiasm.

AVM Suryakant Chafekar was the Commanding Officer of the 48 Squadron and retired from the Indian Air Force in 2017. Views are personal.

Ready for Ladakh winter, Army also preparing summer strategy, eyes more troop deployment

“The talks are on between both sides but China is sticking to its position that we should withdraw from the southern banks of Pangong Tso. We are of the view that disengagement should happen from all locations concerned simultaneously,” said a government source.

“We are prepared for the winter if China wants to stay, and we are also working out the summer strategy,” the source added.

Top government sources said Indian forces will at no point carry out any reduction in current troop deployment in forward areas unless China agrees to do the same. Any Chinese move, they added, will be subject to a proper verification process that will have to be decided by both sides.

This is so because at some points where the two armies are locked in a stand-off, the Indians need more time to reach the location than the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which has better road connectivity and the advantage of plains on their side, the sources said.

“We can’t afford a situation where we pull back, only for the Chinese to come back and occupy the positions. In some locations, we need more time to reach the positions where we are on than the Chinese who, can reach in a shorter time,” the source said.

At many locations along the LAC, the troops of the two countries are just a few hundred metres apart.

With no easing of tensions at the border despite multiple rounds of dialogue, India and China are already set for a heavy deployment in the forward areas of Ladakh through the region’s bitter winter, where the temperatures can drop to -35°C. Forward deployment through the Ladakh winter will be a first for both India and China.

The 7th round of corps commander-level talks is scheduled for 12 October, but the military is not pinning high hopes on it, as before. This is the first round of talks since China raked up the 1959 claim line as the LAC last month.

Also Read: 5 maps that tell you all you want to know about India vs China in Ladakh

‘India prepared for winter’

Talking about the plan ahead, government sources said the Chinese have come prepared to stay during the winter.

Giving details about the Indian preparations, the sources added that the Army has made all arrangements for the winter, with “some smaller issues left to be tied up”.

“Clothing, heated tents, food and other rations have all been taken care of. There might be some small challenges here and there, but then the Army will take care of it as days pass,” the aforementioned source said.

Referring to plans for increased deployment through the summer, or the “LoC-isation” of the LAC, another source said, “This increase does not mean creation of new division or anything but in terms of more battalions or a brigade more along with their equipment.”

Sources said there has been a renewed focus on increasing our capabilities along the LAC because of the aggression shown by the Chinese since May.

“We are determined to push ahead with the infrastructure activity. If anything, we have only sped up the process. Along with it, the Army in Ladakh is being provided with everything that they are demanding,” said a third source. “A spate of emergency procurement is being done which would have otherwise taken time.”

Also Read: How India-China crisis in Ladakh could impact Pakistan’s fate at FATF meet