1. Adieu Friends.
All the 13 Air Force personnel have perished in the crash of the An-32 aircraft crash in Arunachal
Pradesh. This has been confirmed by the rescue team that was landed at the crash site. A Court of
Inquiry has been ordered by the IAF which is as per SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) and the
'Black Box' that has since been retrieved from the crash site will reveal the moments prior to the
crash to the investigating team.
RIP comrades-at-arms! My prayers and tears. May your near and dear ones have the strength to
tide over these stressful times.
The vintage of the aircraft and the periodic upgrades should come under close scrutiny. I still
remember my trip by an AN-32 to Mechuka - as part of our FAT (Forward Area Tour), in Sep '91,
while doing the staff course at the DSSC, Wellington. Sturdy machines, fondly viewed by both the
Army and the Air Force for all sorts of logistic support at the ALGs (Advance Landing Grounds).
The airstrips at great heights amid mountainous terrain need tremendous skills on the part of the
pilots who take off and land on very short runways! My salute to the fine men and their flying
machines!!
2. It Hurts.
As the import of oil, from Iran, has come to a stop due to US diktats India faces difficulties which
are:-
(a) Alternate sources yet to be identified.
(b) Consequent shortage will be discernible soon.
(c) Could affect bilateral relations with Iran.
(d) The Iranian port Chabahar's expansion being done with Indian assistance comes to a
standstill. The cascading effect can affect other joint ventures too!
The sad fact was that not only was the quality of the Iranian oil good but also the agreement
regarding the imports were on favourable terms for India which was not passed on to any other
country.
Trump is an irrepressible bully! And he can go to any extent to make good his threat!!
3. What a Shame?
The police has informed a Bombay Court that they have no evidence to prosecute him in the
molestation case filed against him by the Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta. Her complaint
in October last year had sparked off a nationwide '#Me-Too' movement on social media bringing
quite a few big names from various fields down to their knees. (Former union minister, MJ Akbar
was one among the many casualties).
Tanushree Dutta has said that she's neither shocked nor surprised because "being a woman in India
this is something that we, all, have got used to".
What a shame? When a woman says that she has been wronged, it has to be taken seriously and
the cause needs to be identified and dealt with promptly because no woman would denigrate
herself to gain publicity. Period!
Tailpiece.
Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and were ready on time. Annie had come by and got on with her work without ado. It was a quiet day, otherwise.
All the 13 Air Force personnel have perished in the crash of the An-32 aircraft crash in Arunachal
Pradesh. This has been confirmed by the rescue team that was landed at the crash site. A Court of
Inquiry has been ordered by the IAF which is as per SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) and the
'Black Box' that has since been retrieved from the crash site will reveal the moments prior to the
crash to the investigating team.
RIP comrades-at-arms! My prayers and tears. May your near and dear ones have the strength to
tide over these stressful times.
The vintage of the aircraft and the periodic upgrades should come under close scrutiny. I still
remember my trip by an AN-32 to Mechuka - as part of our FAT (Forward Area Tour), in Sep '91,
while doing the staff course at the DSSC, Wellington. Sturdy machines, fondly viewed by both the
Army and the Air Force for all sorts of logistic support at the ALGs (Advance Landing Grounds).
The airstrips at great heights amid mountainous terrain need tremendous skills on the part of the
pilots who take off and land on very short runways! My salute to the fine men and their flying
machines!!
2. It Hurts.
As the import of oil, from Iran, has come to a stop due to US diktats India faces difficulties which
are:-
(a) Alternate sources yet to be identified.
(b) Consequent shortage will be discernible soon.
(c) Could affect bilateral relations with Iran.
(d) The Iranian port Chabahar's expansion being done with Indian assistance comes to a
standstill. The cascading effect can affect other joint ventures too!
The sad fact was that not only was the quality of the Iranian oil good but also the agreement
regarding the imports were on favourable terms for India which was not passed on to any other
country.
Trump is an irrepressible bully! And he can go to any extent to make good his threat!!
3. What a Shame?
The police has informed a Bombay Court that they have no evidence to prosecute him in the
molestation case filed against him by the Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta. Her complaint
in October last year had sparked off a nationwide '#Me-Too' movement on social media bringing
quite a few big names from various fields down to their knees. (Former union minister, MJ Akbar
was one among the many casualties).
Tanushree Dutta has said that she's neither shocked nor surprised because "being a woman in India
this is something that we, all, have got used to".
What a shame? When a woman says that she has been wronged, it has to be taken seriously and
the cause needs to be identified and dealt with promptly because no woman would denigrate
herself to gain publicity. Period!
Tailpiece.
Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and were ready on time. Annie had come by and got on with her work without ado. It was a quiet day, otherwise.
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