I am asked to fly to Lucknow at short notice

A team of officers had come from Air Headquarters for a meeting with HAL Nashik. It was a long and never ending meeting that began after lunch and went on till dinner time. The dinner was in the HAL Guest House along with the visiting officers. After dinner, the team assembled in the computer room because the subject was related to computerization and the computer staff including some of the girls had been asked to stay back.
Suddenly, my boss took me aside and told me to pack up and go home. The reason? I would have to leave for Lucknow the next day to obtain the latest status on Lucknow and Korwa supplies for a meeting of the MDs of the two complexes. I would have to fly from Mumbai to Lucknow and my air tickets would be kept ready in the Mumbai Guest House.

Well – when I arrived home my wife was surprised. It was around 9.30pm and she had not expected me so early. I explained to her and then rang up Mumbai Guest House. The Manager had already got the message from my boss and confirmed that the air-ticket would be kept ready.
Relieved, I packed my briefcase and went to sleep. Next morning I left by bus for Mumbai and arrived at the Guest House by afternoon. I rested for the night and the company car dropped me at the domestic lounge of Santa Cruz airport. My flight was an Indian Airlines Mumbai-Lucknow flight via New Delhi.
At New Delhi, there was a halt. Most of the passengers alighted and a few new members boarded – they were for Lucknow. One of them was a burly woman loaded with several bags. Most of the bags contained toys!!
Anyway, when the plane landed at Lucknow, I got out of the lounge and was nabbed by cab drivers. There was a pre-paid booth from where I could get a cab but the counter was empty. The drivers standing around were enjoying my predicament.
Finally one of them came up to me and agreed to take me to HAL Guest House and gave me an official receipt also for me to claim the expenses. (to be continued …)

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From Hindon, the venue shifted to Chandigarh

After completing a study of the aircraft held at the base at Hindon, it was decided that we shift our area of operation to Air Force Station Chandigarh where some more aircraft were available. Accordingly, I decided to travel by bus from New Delhi to Chandigarh while my Russian specialist chose to fly down with his friend from HAL Koraput.
I still had one set of change of clothes and, I knew that I would have to manage with those in Chandigarh because I would have to put up in the Air Force mess where I would not have the luxury of a room boy to keep my clothes cleaned and ironed very day.

The journey was a pleasant one because the bus was air-conditioned and it halted at a wonderful eating joint where the food was delicious. There was a small body of water in the garden and it added to the atmosphere.
From the Chandigarh bus stand I took a cycle rickshaw to go to the Air Force station and on the way I passed the ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police) headquarters – it was scorching hot and there was a guard standing at attention just below the national flag. He stood like a statue with nit a muscle twitching on his face in spite of the heat all around him.
Anyway, I arrived at the mess, and next morning met the officers, explained the purpose of my visit and started the work. They had already got necessary briefing from Air Head Quarters and as the day progressed we were joined by our Russian experts.
The number of aircraft here was less and, hence, we were able to complete the assessment within a couple of days. And, then, it was back to Delhi, debriefing and flying back to Mumbai. Since there was no connecting flight to Nashik I hired a prepaid cab from Mumbai airport and landed up at Nashik. (to be continued …)

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Stuck in Delhi in summer with only one change of clothes!!

Next morning, before leaving for continuation of meeting in Air Head Quarters, I handed over my shirt, pant, and banyan etcetera to the room boy of the Guest House and requested him to get them cleaned and keep the set ready within 24-hours because I did not have a spare set of clothes. The room I occupied was air-conditioned no doubt but summer in Delhi can be hot in the open and perspiration made one’s life miserable.
Anyway, in the meeting, a decision was taken that I, along with my Russian specialist, should proceed to Air Force base at Hindon where the aircraft were kept. Once there, we should check up all the available aircraft, note the observations and submit the report to all concerned. We should involve the Air Force personnel in our study.

Obviously, it was a time consuming work of a repetitive and monotonous nature and, for the next 20 days, every morning, I would leave the Guest House after breakfast, pick up my Russian from his hotel and proceed to Air Force Station Hindon.
The car would be provided by the Guest House and the driver was a young man and a very rash driver. He would keep putting on the car’s headlights demanding right of way and keep zigzagging through the heavy traffic of Delhi roads.
After observing his actions for a couple of days, my Russian friend pleaded with me to ask the driver to go slow and not rush. ‘I have a tiny daughter back home in Russia and I want to go back to her in one piece’ – he said. I explained that to the driver and he smiled and slowed down but, that was momentarily – speed was in his blood. (to be continued …)


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Meeting with Air Force officers at Air Head Quarters

Yes, I have mentioned earlier that my TD to New Delhi was for 3-days but, the first meeting at Air Head Quarters set the rend for an uncertain future. The problem was a technical one and it pertained to the engine but, the officer who had come from HAL Korput preferred not to intervene. His Russian specialist also played dumb kept looking towards for a solution – and I had not the faintest idea about engines.
It was all a blame game. While Air Force blamed HAL, the manufacturers, I along with my Service Engineer took the stand that the problem was not that great and was being exaggerated.

The Air Force officers did not appreciate my insinuations and, one of them even threatened that he would complain to my Managing Director about my attitude.
We broke for lunch and the Russians went to their hotel. This hotel in Delhi catered mostly to Russians and they felt comfortable to dine with Russian music floating in the air and Russian cuisine on the table.
As to me I went to our Guest House and was lucky to get my General Manager on the line at the first attempt. I debriefed him on the meeting at Air Head Quarters and he smiled off the threat. He assure me that he would keep our MD informed and ended by saying – Ghose, you are now the GM of Nashik in Delhi. Take your decisions, we will stand by you.
That sort of an assurance does great things to one’s morale and boosts his confidence sky high and I felt I could really pull off this mission with success. (to be continued …)


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TD in Delhi of three days turned out to be one of 30-days

This was one TD that I would never want to be repeated. It was supposed to be a TD of three days in New Delhi in the month of June – and it turned out to be one of 30-days!!
The work was related to the induction of a new variant of MiGs by the Indian Air Force – the aircraft had been supplied by HAL Nashik and the engines mounted on them were supplied by HAL Koraput. Since Nashik supplied the aircrafts mounted with the Koraput engine, and since the problem pertained to engine, a team was sent to the Air Head Quarters in New Delhi to discuss with them and resolve the issue.

I had to go along with a Russian specialist and it was a TD of three day’s duration. Air passage was authorized from Nashik to Delhi and back and I left with a change of clothes packed in an attaché case.
The outward journey was uneventful. The fight from Nashik to Mumbai took around 45-minutes. We got down at Mumbai, had some snacks and boarded the flight to Delhi. At Delhi airport, there was a vehicle and the driver held aloft a placard with HAL Nashik written on it. Locating him was no problem and we went to a hotel where my Russian specialist would stay.
As for me, I took the vehicle to our Guest House in Asian Games village. From there I rang up our Service Engineer who stayed in Hindon. He was expecting me and our Russian specialist and we decided to meet next morning at Air Head Quarters. I asked the driver to report to me next morning by 8.30am.
But the interaction with the Air Force officers did not turn out as I had expected. A Russian specialist had come from Koraput along with a senior officer of Koraput and they remained silent spectators. I had to take the leading part and knowing that Air Force were our customers and the customer is always right, I had to play a crucial role. I had to ensure that things did not go out of hand. (to be continued …)


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A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


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