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Members of Akashganga moved on to multi-tasking and become a lean mean fighting machine. Sport and military parachuting complemented each other. But, behind all of these unique achievements paradoxically, an equally important conflict raged on. The ‘sporty’ blitzkrieg led by the imaginative daring of Thapar, a veritable ‘one-man- Army’ from the House of Adventure was a frontal, daylight assault on the traditional expertise of the Dhartiputras. They believed, what was construed to be as sports parachuting was given birth to and mothered at Paratroopers Training School. She was nothing but another child of military parachuting. It was argued and not without much reason too, that it was time, for PTS to let go and focus instead on its more compelling and urgent military tasks. Thapar had removed all stops and got none too happy Army paratroopers to add grist to the intrigue mill. Sunil uncovers another layer of mystery of Akashganga, in the weekly column, exclusively for Different Truths.
Team Akashganga was busy re-inventing itself. ‘Glasnost’and openness had quickly replaced the regimented style. It was personal. It was family. Each member was carefully selected before being blooded in. A new work philosophy of “un pour tous, tous pour un” (One for all and all for one) had unconsciously become the bonding force. There were no clear targets. Yet all of these dedicated band were fully committed. As the bombast goes: beyond the call of duty!
The union of the first two HAPPS Canopies paired and pretty was quickly followed by a third one for a sensual threesome. This spectacular debut on the Indian skies was an ecstatic moment of aerial choreography more orgasmic than any coital consummation. But the lethal dangers of the complicated locking system of dive loops on risers, flapping extensions, wobbly and truncated suspension lines, a long pilot chute bridle, and the metallic rip cord of the nine cell HAPPS ram air system compelled a rethink and a divorce after a short honeymoon resulted.
Safety and not a lusty partnership was the wise choice. A new marriage of sorts with the fast and
Much needed modifications and major repairs were necessary to up the numbers of Stratos cloud parachutes and keep the development of skills in their handling improved and smart. Interestingly, the latter was done without any prior authorisation from appropriate quarters violating regulatory norms, just like Canopy Relative Work. So much so Banjo sat through with John Rix, a visiting test parachutist and accomplished rigger, on an old fashioned Singer sewing machine run by the feet for stitching dive loops on the risers for increased response in dive, turns and flexibility and reducing the length of the drogue chute to avoid entanglements and facilitate the safe use in formation flying of square parachutes. Canopies were repaired in-situ with patches of borrowed fabric, glue, suspension lines and other knick knacks through the generous help of Ajoo and his team from ADR&DE. The A-lines of the parachute were coloured with Alta (indigenous red colouring fluid) to identify the front lines to be held during parachute contact and sliding down to the plane mode from stack (from the roof of the canopy to the shoulders of the bottom man). The parachutes were preserved with Talcum or chalk powder bought out of the individual contributions.
Field packing systems were introduced. Every jumper was to be able to pack the main parachute. His confidence, self-reliance and knowledge improved dramatically. The rigger-in-charge Tripathi presided over the packing conversion training before it was completely taken over by Team Jumpers. This skill enhancement with increased workloads without any known or promised rewards called for supreme commitment. Once again this was a very private and inspired initiative of new triumvirate Banjo, Sikku and VP Sharma without the blessings of superiors. The disregard of indifferent orders extant was a radical step in a hugely regimented setup.
The daily newspapers had begun to publish stories of death-defying spectacles and hair-raising sights. Escapades were many as landed on a high rise (the State Bank Building at Esplanade, Calcutta), another almost on the lap of Jyoti Basu in the jump at Mohun Bagan and Sikku along with six others on the streets and parks surrounding the Salt Lake Stadium dodging buses, pedestrians and live high tension lines. With bouquets came the broken bones! Such was the price of sporting delights! Shadows of departmental inquiries peppered the otherwise scintillating performances. The Dhartiputras were made of stronger stuff and skydived unfazed. Mistakes were there to be made and lived with. A Jump was to die for!
Members of Akashganga moved on to multi-tasking and become a lean mean fighting machine. Sport and
Unknown to the authorities the small bunch of vigilante-like Devaputras felt orphaned, mentally challenged and left to fight a bleeding battle of attrition against clever arguments and manipulative orders. The Banjo and Kallan pair initially and then the former almost alone was hobbled by frequent summons and explanations from the higher echelons, directing them to urgently fall in line. A garrison mentality and strategy of siege was very much on the cards, thereafter!
This was the stuff of high tragedy!
©Sunil Kumar Banerjee
Photos by the author.