Their willingness to pay any price to uphold the honour and integrity of
their Air Force meant an uphill battle against bigotry, difficult
conditions of work and outdated equipment. However, showing tremendous
fortitude, Harjinder and his men took the fight to the enemy and rose
splendidly to the occasion. Be it the formidable Japanese, the mighty
Germans or the resolute tribal warriors none could break the spirit of
these airborne Indians.
It is a story of relentless adventure, journeying from the scrublands of
the North Western Frontier, to the jungles of Burma, to the UK on the
eve of D Day and to the corridors of power in an independent India. The
resourcefulness of the Indians and their sheer skill and determination
meant that they could overcome the myriad of challenges thrown at them,
much to the surprise and dismay of some officers of the Raj.
It is a story of mutual respect forged and strengthened across lines of
religion, caste, creed and race, as the Indian's undeniable courage and
resilience won even the hearts and minds of their British counterparts
and one man was the center of it all.
Harjinder's is a life of intense friendship, of great ingenuity and of
hard-work and dedication, interspersed with the humor and merriment that
is ever present in the military environment. It was a bottom to top
career for the lowly Hawai Sepoy who went on to become one of the top
officers of the IAF. He is credited with the endeavor to make the Indian
Air force self-reliant and designed, built and test flew two different
aircraft to prove his point. He was one of the driving forces behind
making the Indian Air Force the 4th largest in the world, an astonishing
feat given the twin challenges of nation building and partition.
Thus the only 'disgrace' to emerge from this book is how Harjinder's
story could remain untold for so long.
