Our Sad Air Force
by Collin Remegius Noronha

I once aspired to join the Indian Air Force as a Pilot. My attempts at getting in were in vain. At first, I did regret, but ultimately realised that maybe it was my good fate that I didn\'t. We were using the great MIGs till they became a memory to their own manufacturers, and when we decided to buy planes from abroad, we got faulty ones, and the daily news makes it look like the air force is making a habit of crashing planes on routine exercises. WHAT\'s HAPPENING? Just when I thought a technical snag or a bad pilot could result in a crash, I read that the fuel tank of an Indian Air Force jet managed to FALL off during a flight. My mind was so lost on reading that, that I couldn\'t decide whether to laugh or cry! Now, apparently there is a very huge sum of money set apart for the Armed Forces each year, and this would certainly include a substantial amount for the Air Force too. This money, in any Indian Tax Payer’s opinion could be best used to improve the chances of safety of our Air Force Pilots in any way possible. If in reality this was the case, we wouldn’t have our planes aiming for the ground rather than for the sky. So where is all this money going? We have heard reports in the past of a certain amount of money being allegedly set aside for the armed forces, but only a small amount of this sum has actually been spent on the improvement of the army. This certainly sets you guessing on where the rest of the money is gone. As citizens of this country, we are entitled to an army to protect our skies, our waters and our borders. And our people who are willing to put their lives on the line to keep the country safe are, without a doubt entitled to nothing short of the best in technology. Having come to terms with the situation and the most like cause of the problem, which is mis-appropriation of funds, what do we do to curb this injustice. Well, for starters we could exercise our right to information, but what is the guarantee that we’re going to get the right information? With the current skepticism that most Indians share it has now all boiled down to this. I have begun to think that being a foot soldier in the Indian Armed Forces is the safest and most full filling way to contribute to National Security. I'm sure most of you agree.