Taking Wing
By Seerat Chauhan (OS2008)
A glimpse to my childhood is I am a ward of an army personal. I travelled every 3 years from one station to another. Little did I know that eventually it would become travelling every 3 days, courtesy my profession as a Commercial Pilot.
Flying is in my blood, my Grandfather Late Maj.R.L.Chauhan was a fighter pilot with the Royal British Air force and participated in the World War II. He was also the first recipient of the prestigious Veer Chakra of Independent India while serving the Indian Army. Taking the legacy forward my cousin is presently flying the Sukhoi with the Indian Air force. From being little girls who blossom into young ladies, Sanawar played a pivotal role. I was fortunate enough to be a Vindhyian. Hailing from a family, who studied in various boarding schools (Sanawar, Welhams, Sacredheart Dalhousie, BCS, Doon, RIMC etc.). The decision to become a pilot played to my advantage as they all supported me for the unconventional career I chose for myself. All this while in school, having only read in books so much about gender stereotype, never could I imagine that one day I would face it myself
I landed in Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Karnal, my flying school, it gave me jitters to stand amidst 30 men in a totally male dominated profession. ‘This is where the real resistance had begun’!
Being a Sanawarian i quickly proved my iron by taking my first solo flight in just about 11 hours of practice, being the first amongst the rest. The next I had to prove myself when I cleared the DGCA exam (navigation). I was amongst the 4% who cleared across the country.
I flew, time flew and soon came a day as I got the license of my dreams (Commercial Pilot License) leaving me with a same sense of accomplishment as one feels qualifying the Hodson run. I could barely bask in the glory of my license, as major airlines like Deccan and Kingfisher were closing down. Thus rendering a temporary but intense set back to my job seeking in aviation sector. ‘When the going gets tough the tough get going ’, so was the aviator in me persevered and I continued to make required efforts, studied religiously and cleared ATPL(Airline Transport Pilot License) exams ,which are usually attempted by captains who are transiting to become commanders, and simultaneously I bagged degrees of Bachelors and Masters.
I soon reaped the benefit of being positive and the hard work that I constantly put over these months, positioning myself in the first few 100 of pilots in Indigo Selection Program of Trainee First Officer’s.
However as destiny would prevail Spicejet also conducted an exam and recruited 25 pilots across the country, I was the only female to have made it to the list. I went to Jordan for further training on the Boeing 737.With in no time I started flying as a first officer with Spicejet.
When I fly, I listen to the sounds and rhythm of the engines and maneuver her accordingly. Its exciting to undertand the relation between man and machine. Being a Sanawarian is a way of life, a thought process. It is not about touching the sky, it is about the values that help you get there. Sanawar has made and molded me into the whole person that I am today- a person who appreciates life and understands the need to Never Give In.
Taranjit Singh Sandhu (OS79) will be the next Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka succeeding Y.K.Sinha who has completed his term. An old Sri Lanka hand, Sandhu was Political Counselor in the Indian High Commission in Colombo between 2000 and 2004. Prior to his new assignment he was posted as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India, Washington D.C from July 2013.
Congratulations from the OS Fraternity
Yashish Dahiya (OS 9O) IIT Delhi alumnus, CEO of PolicyBazaar.com swam 3.86km, cycled 180km and ran 42km in less than 12 hours to complete the Ironman triathlon, held in Kalmar in Sweden recently. read more....
Congratulations from the OS fraternity.
Dear OS
Class of 64 celebrated their Golden Jubilee in 2014 , and have come out with a Coffee Table Book of their batch.
The author and coordinator of the class - Sanjaya Varma along with Col NS Pannu and Champa Rani Mukherjee have put this together.
A soft copy is attached for your viewing. (View)
Happy Reading!
Brinda (OS 80)
Founder's programme (Click here to view)
Dear Madam,
Please find enclosed herewith detail of FOSS contribution as on 15.9.2016. You are requested to kindly upload the detail on the OS net.
Click here to View
Silver Fiesta-2016
On 30th July a team of four girls went to Kasiga School, Dehradun to participate in Silver Fiesta-2016.
After a Movie Curation and Appreciation Session by an eminent cinema critic, Mr. Chandrashekhar Joshi, an Italian Classic, Life is Beautiful, was screened. All the contestants were given 30 minutes to prepare Critique of the movie based on Storyline/ characters /location/ script/ techniques/ photography /choreography/ art/ direction and music. It was followed by a five minute presentation by each team.
The following twelve schools took part in the competition:
Our team comprising of Sukhrit Kaur, Zainab Samshi, Atishya Nayak and Srijani Sankar Barik was adjudicated the best.
They were awarded Certificates, prizes and the Winning Trophy.
Iqbal J Oberoi (VBJ, class XII) and Abhimanyu J Oberoi (VBD, X) attempted Friendship Peak 17,400 feet in the Pir Panjal area. Iqbal Reached the summit on the 22nd June along with 5 other children ( friends and family ). Abhimanyu reached 15,500 feet and had to come down due to high altitude sickness.
Kanwar Suryaveer Singh. Shorty. Sanawar, Himalaya House, 1969 - 1980.
Rakish charm and winning smile.
Consummate Sportsman.
Boxer. Contended for Best Boxer even as an Atom weight.
Cricketer. Captained the First XI. Wicked left arm spinner.
Hockey and Soccer. Always front and center.
Bugler and Trumpeter. His Rouser and Fall In reveille's still echo.
Loyal Friend.
Loving Husband and Caring Father.
Kanwar Suryaveer Singh, Shorty to all, passed gently into the night on September 5, 2016.
He is survived by his wife, Rita and two daughters, Avani & Ashima.
And a legion of devastated friends.
Who have been graced by his inimitable wit, disarming irreverence, and boundless joie de vivre.
They say good things come in small packages.
He was the quintessential little big man.
Rest in Peace friend.
You Fought the Good Fight.
You Never Gave In.
The last bugle call is truly yours.
Jalo, Rahul, Sukhu, Chehal , Ash (Class of 80)
Copyright ©2011 THE OLD SANAWARIAN SOCIETY Site credit NZTechnologies
