This is not based on the anecdote of 'Rang De Basanti', movie based upon the youths who were despondent and despair about the political system. Just to give a small overview of the movie which had a caring young girl who was going to get married to a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force. As usual like any other Bollywood movies they all were very happy and enjoying their lives, and then suddenly life jolted and every thing changed in a very dramatic way...
My autobiography also revolved around the same fate as theirs, but the end was not as filmy as it was in their case.
I am Mikoyan-Gurevich, aka MiG-21. I proudly became the integral part of the Indian Air force in 1961. The Indian Air Force (IAF) opted to purchase me over several other western competitors because the Soviet Union offered India full transfer of technologies and rights for local assembly. I was merriment and euphoric to be a part of such a prestigious organisation. I was building castle in the air, thinking that I will be the part of all the combat operations. But my happiness was ephemeral due to the limited induction numbers and lack of pilot training which laid down me to play nothing but a limited role in the Indo-Pak war of 1965. I also heard the jibe from the Indian Parliament and from the media about my safety standards leading to this they gave me my new nick name the "Flying Coffin". I was totally devastated and despaired. And at the end my cohorts(other MiGs) and I, laid their lives in the Kargil operation and became the Martyrs.
I was reincarnated into the same genre but with the different name, this time I was Mikoyan MiG-27. I was again happy, thanking to god that they had given me another chance to serve the nation. But I'd forgotten that god has already sealed my fate. Yes dear you are right!!!, my comrades and I again defunct in another insurgency operation happened in the Kupware district in J&K.
It was like cul-de-sac for me. I was reborn again, this time I was Mikoyan MiG-29. But this time I was not happy as earlier, instead I was bemused. I was confused on my fate and my destiny. I was looking for the answer of my question- "Why it is happening to me? Is it my fate or because of the pilot ignorance or because of someone else lacunae?" I was quite promised that this time I won't keep myself mum and I will try to find my answer at any cost.
I did some investigation and later I found that, all this happened to me and to my comrades were because of the pit-less greed for the money that our politicians have had. There were scams involved while sending the invoice to
Soviet Union. In order to stash the money to their pockets they had taken cheap and phony parts of the MiG.
Despite finding out the plague which was omnipresent in the Indian Air Force's procurement process, they keep saying that their processes were clear and transparent and nothing opaque in it. They always try to remove dirt from their shoulder. Apparently, very unfortunate jibe came in the month of Oct, 20011 after my dear friend defuncted on the desert of Barmer district in Rajasthan. "Unfortunately except for one case, the other cases point towards inexperience of young pilots who were not been able to handle the landing and approach (of the aircraft)," said IAF chief N A K Browne. I was maimed after he referred the pilots who had lifted me as 'rookie'.
As I said my fate and Ajay Singh Rathod ( R Madhavan) more or less were same. Only difference were, after Ajay Singh Rathod died due to MiG-21 crashes Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) and her friends did not accept the official explanation. Instead, they claim that he sacrificed his life to save hundreds of other lives that would have been lost had he ejected from the aircraft and left the aircraft to crash into a populous city, while in my case I was left bled and wounded all alone. No one's shoulder were there on which I could laid.
I think God was little harsh toward me as Ajay Singh Rathod died only once while I was reincarnated and died again and again. According to officially report, 927 MiG crashes till date. I dont know how many more are still to come.
I wish I won't be in their shoes... I wish I won't be reincarnate and die again... blotting myself again by leaving wrongly onus on the pilot as 'neophyte'.
My autobiography also revolved around the same fate as theirs, but the end was not as filmy as it was in their case.
I am Mikoyan-Gurevich, aka MiG-21. I proudly became the integral part of the Indian Air force in 1961. The Indian Air Force (IAF) opted to purchase me over several other western competitors because the Soviet Union offered India full transfer of technologies and rights for local assembly. I was merriment and euphoric to be a part of such a prestigious organisation. I was building castle in the air, thinking that I will be the part of all the combat operations. But my happiness was ephemeral due to the limited induction numbers and lack of pilot training which laid down me to play nothing but a limited role in the Indo-Pak war of 1965. I also heard the jibe from the Indian Parliament and from the media about my safety standards leading to this they gave me my new nick name the "Flying Coffin". I was totally devastated and despaired. And at the end my cohorts(other MiGs) and I, laid their lives in the Kargil operation and became the Martyrs.
I was reincarnated into the same genre but with the different name, this time I was Mikoyan MiG-27. I was again happy, thanking to god that they had given me another chance to serve the nation. But I'd forgotten that god has already sealed my fate. Yes dear you are right!!!, my comrades and I again defunct in another insurgency operation happened in the Kupware district in J&K.
It was like cul-de-sac for me. I was reborn again, this time I was Mikoyan MiG-29. But this time I was not happy as earlier, instead I was bemused. I was confused on my fate and my destiny. I was looking for the answer of my question- "Why it is happening to me? Is it my fate or because of the pilot ignorance or because of someone else lacunae?" I was quite promised that this time I won't keep myself mum and I will try to find my answer at any cost.
I did some investigation and later I found that, all this happened to me and to my comrades were because of the pit-less greed for the money that our politicians have had. There were scams involved while sending the invoice to
Soviet Union. In order to stash the money to their pockets they had taken cheap and phony parts of the MiG.
Despite finding out the plague which was omnipresent in the Indian Air Force's procurement process, they keep saying that their processes were clear and transparent and nothing opaque in it. They always try to remove dirt from their shoulder. Apparently, very unfortunate jibe came in the month of Oct, 20011 after my dear friend defuncted on the desert of Barmer district in Rajasthan. "Unfortunately except for one case, the other cases point towards inexperience of young pilots who were not been able to handle the landing and approach (of the aircraft)," said IAF chief N A K Browne. I was maimed after he referred the pilots who had lifted me as 'rookie'.
As I said my fate and Ajay Singh Rathod ( R Madhavan) more or less were same. Only difference were, after Ajay Singh Rathod died due to MiG-21 crashes Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) and her friends did not accept the official explanation. Instead, they claim that he sacrificed his life to save hundreds of other lives that would have been lost had he ejected from the aircraft and left the aircraft to crash into a populous city, while in my case I was left bled and wounded all alone. No one's shoulder were there on which I could laid.
I think God was little harsh toward me as Ajay Singh Rathod died only once while I was reincarnated and died again and again. According to officially report, 927 MiG crashes till date. I dont know how many more are still to come.
I wish I won't be in their shoes... I wish I won't be reincarnate and die again... blotting myself again by leaving wrongly onus on the pilot as 'neophyte'.
