My Mission Udaan

National Geographic Channel had this contest running to select 5 people who will get to tour Indian air bases and also fly in an IAF jet at the culmination of an amazing month and a half with the Indian Air Force. All you needed was to enter you height, weight and age, with your emailid. And 2000 out of 60000 applicants were shortlisted. I got in and was asked to turn up at the Indian Air Force Training Command Center near Hebbal by 6 am.

Now, since Hebbal is nearly 20 km from home and also since admission was by first come first served basis, I ended up waking at 4:30 am. Bangalore's parking woes struck an early morning blow as one couldn’t park on the main road in front of the entrance to the center. Hence one rushed to the nearby palace grounds to park, while a brave few left their vehicles on the main road, which would be handed over to the police according to one person who kept psyching us! Then an early morning Samaritan in the form of an auto driver gave me a free lift back to the center's entrance. He also asked if I was trying to join the airforce. I told him I was trying for a TV contest!

While I rejoined the queue, there were already several hopefuls piling up. Then we got in. My neighbours in the queue were a freelance sound engineer and a 3rd year engg student. The latter was more typical of the people who had turned up. The only people who made me forget my age were 3 gentlemen each of whom was older than my dad. Then there were people who had come all the way from places like Calicut (Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi were the 3 centres). There were loads of PYTs as well.

The 1st round of selections involved what is called the Monkey Run – running on all fours for 25m, Running Backwards for 25m, Running on one leg for 50m and then sprining back to the starting line. I had actually gone there hoping that there would have been some endurance tests, hoping to put my running experience to some use. Turns out that I was 2 years late. The Mission Everest selections had been done by the Indian Army and that had involved a lot of endurance – a 1.5 mile run, 35 pushups, etc.

Anyways I got eliminated. But I spent the rather long wait learning about the selection process for the Indian Army, the rankings (had only a vague recollection that Brigadier is senior to the Colonel, etc), life in the army, etc all from an NCC thoroughbred from Calicut who had been to the RD Parade in 2003 and that after 2 rejections. He has been wanting to join the Army since he was a kid. Good luck to him.

When I had to return home, to get to the parking lot, one auto guy who wanted to perhaps make up for the good behaviour of his brethren earlier in the day asked for 30 bucks, for a distance less than a km away!!! But then how could you enjoy Bangalore without the public buses. I just flagged one down. The driver who had this bemused expression took one cynical look at me and I asked for a drop! Maybe it was the unrelenting rain, maybe it was the expression on my face. Whatever. He did drop me right where I wanted.

Filter Coffee at home restored my enthusiasm for another fight, some other day! Keep Flying