Wanting a change, I decide to leave Kanpur

I has joined AMD Kanpur as a trainee Supervisor – it was a one-year training after which I did another one year service by which time I lost interest in the work. It was a routine monotonous work and there was practically no scope of innovation. In fact, it was boring stuff.
It was at that time that a deal was signed between India and Russia to undertake manufacture of MiG-21 fighter aircrafts. The time was just after the Chinese aggression and India wanted to arm itself with sophisticated fighter aircrafts.
I wanted a transfer to this newly formed setup but my application was turned down by my boss. He was an officer of the IAF and we had an exchange of hot words. I was young, my blood was hot and, in my opinion, it was the only decision at the time. The result was that I came out of his office and penned my resignation.
Of course, I was not the only one to resign because a couple of others who had joined the training course also opted out – the initial charm had worn off.
Anyway, my course mates arranged a farewell party for me and, I returned back to Kolkata with my eyes set on joining the MiG complex.
I had sent a letter to my father after submitting my resignation and he did not say no, neither did he approve. To him, it was my personal decision and he did not want to influence my decisions – I had to live my life and, in case I made any mistake, I would have to suffer.
Anyway – I could not sit at home and twiddle my thumbs till I got a job in the MiG complex. Therefore, I went to ATTI and requested the Principal to accommodate me till such time my dream was fulfilled. He had a soft corner for me because of my involvement on bringing out souvenirs when I was a student there.
And so, I joined there as a Trainee Instructor – I taught the students different subjects and kept waiting for the opportunity to move out. The MiG complex had three units – one in Nashik to manufacture the complete aircraft, another unit in Hyderabad to manufacture and supply the electronic equipment to Nashik and a third one at Koraput to manufacture and supply the engine.
My target was Nashik. (to be continued …)

Schedule completion party in AMD Kanpur

As I have mentioned earlier, I was employed in AMD Kanpur during 1963 to 1965 and was engaged in manufacturing the HS 748 transport aircraft. The work force consisted of people from the Indian Air Force plus some civilians like me and all of us were assisted by specialists from the Hawker Siddley Company of Britain. It was a totally new type of work for all of us and construction of the aircraft was a long exercise.
The complete work was confined to four hangars of the Air Force Base namely Hangar numbers 1, 4, 7 and 10. The assembly of fuselage was in one of these hangars and, the first fuselage was completed after nearly one year. Immediately, as per the IAF tradition, a picnic was arranged to celebrate the occasion.
Any picnic in the IAF meant drinks and this was no exception – and the venue was a park on the outskirts of Kanpur known as Allen Forest. Cooking was no problem because the cooks were requisitioned from the canteen. And, for drinks, the responsibility was given to a teetotaler – he happened be a Bengali.
As to transportation, a Queen Mary was requisitioned – it was a huge trolley on wheels and was known as the work horse of the IAF. The complete group of airmen and civilians boarded the Queen Mary and went to the venue. On the outward journey they were sober, on the return journey, some of them were dead drunk. In fact, they had to be located from different corners of the Allen Forest – they were found sprawling in the grass, too drunk to move. (to be continued ..)

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I get selected in AMD, Kanpur and step into a new life

The Aircraft Manufacturing Depot (AMD) was the dream project of Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh. The facility was located in the premises of the IAF base at Chakeri in a total of four hangars in which manufacturing of the Avro-748 transport aircraft had been undertaken. The aircraft was being built with expertise of Hawker Siddley Company of Britain and was the Indian version of the HS-748.
And – the area was popularly known as Harjindernagar.
AMD was under the administration of the Indian Air Force and most of the staff were in uniform. After the written test I along with other candidates had to wait for the results to be declared because those who cleared the written test would have to appear for the viva-voce.
The candidates had come from different corners of the country and when a Flight Sergeant came out with the results, there was suspense. He asked us to stand in queue and began to read out the names one by one – and, I was one of the successful candidates.
I had cleared the first hurdle and, then, came the viva voce – that too went off smoothly. The last step was the medical checkup and, fortunately, a Bengali MWO (Master Warrant Officer) ensured that the last step also ended in my favor. After selection, I had to find a place to stay and, here, I was lucky to meet a couple of acquaintances from ATTI who had got employment in AMD. They stayed in a rented house in Lalbangla and I joined up with them.
My father was happy and returned to Kolkata by the Toofan Express because one full bogie used to be attached to the main train from Kanpur and it was possible to board it without reservation of seat or berth. (to be continued …)

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