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 boss who went out of his way to get me promoted

I had joined HAL Nashik when I was 23-year-old and my whole life was spent in this single organization. But, I never got bored because whenever I felt boredom creeping up on me, I managed to get a change of scenario.
I had joined in the aircraft manufacturing section but, subsequent to a tiff with my boss, I was transferred to the overhaul department.
From manufacturing new aircraft, I went into repairing of old aircraft. And – with this change I landed up in a setup that was ruled by Air Force personnel. The boss was a Sardarji and, he was so impressed with my work that he gave me two promotions within a span of two years!!

Armed with the varied experience that I had gained in the overhaul department, I came to Customer Services department. Here I was rewarded by another promotion. I felt that I deserved another one but my boss, the one with the wig, retired and I felt let down. Anyway, the replacement boss arrived. He was a Squadron Leader and a South Indian. We got along well but, when the time came for promotion, I discovered that my name was not in the list of those called for interview.
Since promotion interviews were held once a year, I was disappointed and disheartened. At that time I was staying alone because my wife and child had gone to Kolkata for summer vacations. Therefore, I took my lunch in the canteen and came home. I wanted to be alone because I knew that if I was on duty, I would have to listen to sympathies of my colleagues.
I, therefore, came home, tuned the radio and lay down on the bed with a pack of cigarettes. Suddenly, the bell rang. I presumed it to be the postman and was surprised when I opened the door and saw my boss. In his hand was a file.
He entered, smiled and opened the file for me to see the contents. It contained a note sheet on which the General Manager had signed – it was an order for me to proceed to HAL Koraput for my promotion interview.
My boss had gone out of his way to originate a note sheet and get it signed by all concerned to ensure that I do not lose the chance of promotion – which I finally got. Unfortunately, this boss got transferred and another Air Force officer took over. (to be continued …)


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Indian Airlines flight from Kolkata to Tezpur

Air Force Station Tezpur was a remote location and had been created to provide an eye in the skies for the eastern regions of India. All journeys to Tezpur were by air and, in the year 1982, the only available airline was the Indian Airlines. It operated a Fokker F-27 daily and I had to go to the offices of the airlines in Central Avenue to book my seat.

As luck would have it, I had to wait only one day to get confirmed seat on the flight which took off early in the morning at around six. In those days, the check-in was simple because there we no terrorists to guard against.
When I got down from the aircraft, I was wondering how to find my way to the Air Force base when a gentleman approached me. He introduced himself and I was delighted to learn that he was a Bengali and the Service Engineer of HAL Koraput. He had come to know that I would be arriving and used to make a visit to the airport to receive me!!
He had come by scooter and I rode behind him to the Air Force Mess. He knew that I was supposed to take over the Service Engineer inventory of Nashik from the earlier incumbent who I had left behind at Bareilly.
He had promised that he would join me in Tezpur – but, he did not turn up even by 31si December. Hence, I made a list of all documents, drawings etcetera available and got it signed by the HAL Koraput engineer.
I had stayed at Tezpur for three days and, finally, boarded the return flight to Kolkata and from there to Nashik. (to be continued …)


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