shiv wrote:
Must set the record straight.
When it comes to Pakis there are plenty of them, are there not? The Brtits (on the Paki side) were also an accomplice to such stories.
Going by memory here (Jagan, I lost my email account - so details were lost with it. You should have the original script with you.)
Going by fading memory here:
A few years ago I got in touch with Jagan, regarding an an incidence that occurred a few days prior to India gaining independence.
Turned out to be a major incidence.
The Pakis and Brits had one story and unknowingly I stumbled across a person who was part of the real story.
No 1 Squadron of the then RIAF was stationed in Karachi (IIRC), with both Hindus and Muslims making up the unit. As partition became a reality there was palpable friction between the two communities. Without getting into details, suffice it to say, enough friction for the Hindu group to make plans to "vacate" the base. So, they called Delhi and requested that they send a transport at a pre determined time. They packed everything they could *without* raising any alarms - which was essentially nothing.
When the transports came (more than one) the families boarded and the planes took off.
Here my memory fades (Jagan should have details in my email):
Some of teh pilots wanted to take a few planes with them. So in preparation - again without raising alarms - they prepped the planes, including using cycle tire tubing to complete fuel systems, etc. Filled fuel the night before into them, etc.
And, as a precaution, they disabled the remaining.
When I wrote this story to Jagan, his response was (paraphrasing) "so that is the real story, eh?". The party line from the Brits and Pakis apparently was totally different (perhaps Jagan can tell us what it was).
Uncle - the person who told me some of these No 1 stories - had some other fascinating experiences to narrate. Because of interest in Shastriya Sangeet we spent a lot of time together. We also liked that stuff that evaporates - so some more time. But, never did I know who Uncle really was. Until Jagan told me. By then Uncle had passed away. All those years I heard his stories, but never paid much attention to the,