Pune Memoir's

         After finishing my initial training on joining IAF,  I had got back home in Kerala when the news of Kargil war started to trickle in. I had been given full quota of my leave , 60 days,  before I had to join my new place of work, Kalaikunda near Kharagpur in West Bengal. As the war continued to play out on TV and newspapers I couldn’t stop myself getting back to work and join the war. I boarded the TVM-Guwahati express along with my new bike, Bajaj Calibre, inspired by the  famous ad of course ..!!! , well before completing my leave and reached Kalaikunda. On reaching there found  out that I had been detailed for a training programme in Pune for three months . I was amused. On one hand I wanted to join the war and here I was detailed for a  sought after Training programme and that too in Pune.

     My Engg College Trip in Second year to Munnar and Athirapally still invokes mixed feelings of joy and despair. Hence when the College Final Year All India Trip was announced , which included visits to Goa, Mumbai and Agra I was in two minds whether to go or not. But my tight pocket made my decision easier. Though now I regret that  decision whenever I come across the All India trip pics shared by my batchmates.

    The training programme in Pune was sought after one because it had visits to Goa, Mumbai and Agra.And here I was now not very keen to go. But in Military you don’t have much choices hence within a fortnight of reaching Kalaikunda I boarded my train to Pune. Defence Institute of Advances Technology(DIAT) Pune is located in quite a picturesque place. From my room on the fourth floor ,to west I could see the beautiful Khadakvasala Lake .. and to the east was the imposing Shivaji’s Sinhgadh fort.

      There were  seven of our batchmates in the Training Programme along with me. Besides having fun and masti, we had very good seniors and instructors which made the Trng programme quite engaging too.Those were  the days of STD calls, and the watchman , Mr Wilson will call out names whose calls were received at the only telephone available in our building. Mr Wilson had lost his vision but remembered names of each one of us and names of girlfriends too( those who had..!!) We were approx one month into the course when Mr Wilson told us they there is a new course commencing in the campus , it was  training programme for newly joined Officers of DRDO. Our  interest was raised when he mentioned that whenever IAF and DRDO  training  programmes are held at same time , some  pairings happen invariably.

       On reaching Pune one of the first things I did was to get a map of Pune City and paste it in my room.Managed a bike from one of our Senior and with my namesake batchmate we explored  Pune City whenever we had some free time. The most memorable times in Pune was Trek to Sinhagad on a rainy day. Enroute one could find people selling lemonade and snacks  even in the heavy rain. I was speaking to a Puneite about Trek to Sinhagad  and he mentioned for Puneites it’s like going to a temple. Weekends at Sinhagad are pretty busy with trekkers. The topography of Sinhagad also helps Romantic couples by giving them ample private spaces. It’s very  common  to see bikes lying by side of the roads with  nobody nearby when one climbs up Sinhagad.

    It was a Sunday when the DRDO batch arrived. Anxiously we waited at the reception. There were eleven girls in their batch . As for the number of boys .. who cares ..!!!. The innings openings were like the Indian cricket teams batting form those days. First five six wickets .. no hope .. then some consolation and finally some good tail end batting.

     A year back only I guess the IAF Prototype Airborne Early Warning(AEW) aircraft had crashed,  based on which we were given a project to design an escape system from such class of aircraft. Brainstorming at the bar in the evening,jotting ideas over bar chits , that’s how our project meetings used to happen. Three Flying Officers were given the Air Cmdes office in the afternoon for project work along with an Internet connection and a STD phone.We didn’t know how good our project work was till the time our DS suggested us that we could take a patent for it.

      As part of the training programme we also went to a Naval base at Vasco, Goa.  The Naval  base at Vasco named after Vasco-da-Gama is located at a  very scenic place.  Early morning from my balcony I could see the fishing boats and trawlers going into the sea. A few hundred meters away was Bogmalo beach a beautiful beach.The trip to Bombay was a one day affair where I took a one day tourist package and finished all the must visit places . Memorable  ones were visiting Gateway of India and  Bombay VT. Our  first visit to Taj in Agra was disappointing as entry was closed for that day , nevertheless went around Taj along the  banks of Yamuna river . Visited Taj the next day evening,  it was simply mesmerising and to see the marbles changing colour  in the moonlight was majestic.

    The three months of our Training programme went by so fast that we didn’t realise only.During our last weekend of the Training programme I was standing out in the corridor looking at the majestic Sinhagad when  I heard sound of a Hero Puch from down below. Hero Puch was a favourite two wheeler for youngsters those days. It was Shiv my batchmate who had got his brothers bike with him , who was a Pune localitie. Then out of nowhere I saw one Girl getting onto Shivs bike , she had her head and face fully covered. Later on came to know it was Yamuna one amongst the DRDO batch. It was like what on earth. It was a moment of disbelief.

     Apparently while we were busy exploring Pune city and around, couple of our batchmates, Shiv and Sanjay, both my batchmates, had joined BallRoom Dancing classes in the DIAT campus itself. The Girls from DRDO batch were also attending the same dance classes.After the  Valedictory Programme was over on the last day  and while we were returning back to our rooms saw some commotion in the small park below our building. Sanjay  was surrounded by the girls of the DRDO batch , getting photographed along with the girls, who kept taking turns for  posing for the camera with him , with his IAF peaked cap. Don’t know if jealousy could have felt anyway better.

     Met Shiv and Yamuna after those days when we moved to Bangalore where they become our neighbours for some time before moving back to Pune again. Mr Wilsons prophecy had indeed come true.