I took the first flight of my life in an Ilyushin Il-76 on 3 July 1993. It was the biggest transport aircraft the Indian Air Force had then. I was part of the first batch of women officers for the IAF, posted at Air Force Station Guwahati. Those days, IAF had a weekly flight between Delhi and the Air Force stations in the Northeast—Guwahati and Bagdogra. This was when a train took two to three days to reach Guwahati and there was no direct flight from Delhi. Even indirect flights from Kolkata were very expensive and out of reach for defence professionals.
I was both excited and nervous that day. Not only was I starting my career as the first woman officer with a 61-year-old all-male organisation, but I was also the first officer in my family and the first to go on an air journey.
IL-76 was a cargo aircraft. Unlike a commercial aircraft, it didn’t have cushioned seats and fancy service. Instead, it had hard, foldable seats on the sides and all luggage was kept in the centre of the aircraft, held tight with nets and belts. And this was monsoon season, which meant high turbulence. All this meant a bumpy three-hour ride—I puked throughout. But the experience of looking at the clouds below when the aircraft climbs up, and watching the majestic Himalayas from the window was out of the world.
After landing, I was picked up and driven to the Air Force Mess where unmarried officers lived. This residential area was divided into two sections—Madhuban for senior officers and Bhairavi for junior officers.
I was assigned a room in the senior block. Since I was the only woman, the administration decided against putting me up at the bachelors’ block. I was nicknamed Radhika by the young officers. I realised later that this was a reference to the song Madhuban me Radhika Nache re. Some also felt that giving a bigger room to a lady officer in the senior’s block was an undue advantage, not realising how lonely it was.
Finally, after six months I was shifted to the bachelors’ block and what a relief it was.
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Breaking the ice
I spent most of the first two days in my room. On Monday, I reported for work at the office. Over the course of the week, I was taken around the huge campus, assigned responsibilities and introduced to my team. Work started at 7am sharp and was over at 3pm, as it would get dark by 5:30pm.
The area was very quiet. All it had was the Air Force Mess, residential quarters for single officers, and a couple of small villages. There was nothing else for the next 7 km. Then there were the living quarters for married officers and their families, at a place called Mountain Shadow.
In the evening, all one could hear were crickets and frogs. For someone from Delhi, who was away from family for the first time, it was a shock to not hear the sounds of people and traffic. And it was depressing—imagine no TV, no phones, not even landlines, and no one to talk to.
A couple of young officers must have realised my plight. They approached me one day, offering to take me to the shopping area nearby, called Kahikuchi. They said it had fancy shops and restaurants and a Delhiwali like me would certainly enjoy it. I was happy to hear that and grateful to them for the offer. Off we went on our bikes, me riding pillion. We drove for around 3 km before the bikes stopped near a shack that was selling soft drinks and chips. They went to buy chips, but I was getting restless. I suggested we go to Kahikuchi instead of wasting our time here. They burst out laughing and said we were in Kahikuchi.
They had made a fool out of me. I was angry, but this prank broke the ice. The two officers became my first friends in the Air Force. They introduced me to other officers and their families.
Later, I was part of many such pranks that were planned for the wives of newly married officers.
I soon got to know that Guwahati was 35 km away from the airport. I stayed at the station for three years, visiting Guwahati multiple times, especially during Bihu, the biggest festival of Assam. I enjoyed the greenery, boat rides in the gigantic Brahmaputra, bowed my head at Kamakhya temple, and fell in love with Assam.
Squadron leader Deepa Nailwal is first batch women officer, Indian Air Force currently working in the area of leadership development as assessor & coach. Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)