Flying the good & not-so-good...

Col PS Sangha (retd)

IN our lives we, unexpectedly, meet people who are either famous, infamous or become famous/infamous in later years. These meetings are chance encounters. In my 29 years of service in the Army, it never happened because life was so regulated that you always knew where you are going to be and who you would be meeting. After leaving the Army, I started flying helicopters and during the 17 years that I flew, I had a few such encounters.

In 1997, I was under contract to fly the BJP in UP for poll campaigning. I used to fly Kalraj Mishra, the top state honcho of the party. Every day, we flew out to different parts of the state and after a few election meetings, we would return to Lucknow. One such day, we landed in Agra and Mishra left for a meeting. I had to wait for a few hours, and so, headed for the VIP room to wait. I saw a gentleman sitting there. Though I faintly remembered seeing his picture somewhere, I could not place him. He got up and walked up to me. ‘I am Narendra Modi and I am waiting to meet Kalraj Mishra.’ We shook hands and I introduced myself, telling him that I too was waiting for the same gentleman. Could I have ever guessed that I was in the presence of a man who would go on to become the most powerful man in India, and who would have Mishra work under him as a minister! 

A few years later, I was flying for the Congress in Punjab, ahead of the Assembly polls. Every day, I picked up some leader or the other. Many times, I was not told the name of the person. One day, I was told to be at Amritsar and was given a route which ended in Bathinda. I waited at the airfield and soon I saw a slightly built Sikh gentleman walking towards me. I recognised him as the competent Finance Minister of Narsimha Rao when the Congress was in power. He was unassuming and I took him to three places before landing at Bathinda. There was no one to receive him, but he told me that I could return. I offered to wait till someone came along. Soon, I bade him goodbye. I had just flown a simple man who would be a two-time Prime Minister! 

An interesting chance encounter took place in New Delhi one day. I got a call that I had to fly a passenger to Sirsa at 6.30 am. I went to the hangar the next morning and found armed policemen next to the helicopter. I asked them who was the passenger, but they had no clue. Soon, the airport manager called to inform me that he was bringing the passenger and I should get ready for departure. I was talking to the ATC when I felt a nudge on my arm. I looked around to find a man in a white kurta-pyjama  and a colourful clothcap on his head. I recognised him as the Baba from Sirsa, who had been in news for upsetting the Maratha community for his remarks  on Shivaji Maharaj. He made good his escape from Mumbai by flying to Bengaluru and then to Delhi. Our helicopter was hired for the last leg to Sirsa — his stronghold. He introduced himself and chatted with me for a while. I dropped him at Sirsa and forgot all about him. 

Could I have guessed I had flown a man who ended up as a criminal with a 20-year jail sentence!