The Pilot Project

Manas Gupta

My father is a grumpy old man with an obsessive love for potted plants, cowboy films and good scotch. After over 30 years of service in the Indian Air Force as a helicopter pilot, he finds it difficult to adjust to retired life. But behind that grumpiness lies a treasure trove of colourful stories and experience. Many of these I have heard after dad, down a peg or two, decides to unleash an anecdote-filled monologue on a hapless listener. But some, I have seen first-hand. This is one such story.

It happened at 3 am in the winter of 1987, in the servant's quarter of his home in New Delhi’s cantonment area. Now my dad has done some incredible stuff. His feats included force-landing on the snow-clad Indo-Tibetan border, deep-sea diving near Car Nicobar, flying choppers near the Pakistan border or even landing in treacherous terrain in the Northeast. However, this was his most memorable mission ever.

That day, a pilot became a midwife. You see, our maid decided that the unholy hour of 3 am was the best time to go into labour. With phone lines down and no vehicle available to take her to hospital, Squadron Leader Gupta had to step in. (Surely his thousands of hours of flying should have prepared him for such emergencies? Unfortunately, they don’t train pilots to deliver babies.)

So, he sprang into action and got my mother—now in panic mode—to boil a pair of scissors. A few minutes later, dad, cool as a cucumber, had cut an umbilical cord (and expertly tied the knot), pacified the worried parents and was soon holding a crying baby in his arms. Mission accomplished. Just like that.

Later, the news spread like wildfire and he was the subject of much mirth in his office. Overnight, Squadron Leader Gupta had turned into midwife Gupta.

Some years after the midwife incident, dad made a stopover at Jodhpur. The maid's husband, who had since joined the IAF as an NC (non-combatant), heard of his arrival and brought his son over. The boy touched dad's feet. It was a poignant moment. 

And dad had a great story to regale his guests.