[To be a fighter pilot for the Indian Air Force has probably been the childhood dream of every man reading this article, I know it was mine.
It has recently come to light that Wing Commander (then Squadron Leader) Sanjeet Kaila, stationed at the Nal frontier base in Rajasthan and who survived a MiG-21 crash; was sued by the Ministry of Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on a number of charges nine years after the near-fatal accident.
However, it has also come to light that records indicate his aircraft catching fire immediately after take-off and the pilot deciding to attempt clearing the area over civilian population before exiting the burning fighter.
In the recent past, there have been a number of cases related to these old fighters crashing during training exercises and resulting in the loss of life during a time of peace.
The Ministry of Defence does not seem to realize that it is actually discouraging the would-be soldiers, pilots and seamen from serving a nation.]
[This is my article for the Youth Connect magazine. You can read the entire article here: Join the Indian Air Force and die… by Accident!]