Wednesday, June 22, 2016

130. My wanderlust has been quenched!!



Thousand Moon: Shri. Sharad Moreshwar Phatak 82+
Contributed By: Rohini

I met Shri. Sharad Phatak on a pre-monsoon hot summer afternoon in Mumbai. The grandchildren were summoned by their mother to listen and learn from their grandpa’s musings. Shri. Shard Phatak, generally a man of few words with a ravishing smile was quite pleased to share his experiences with me.

Shri. Sharad Phatak an electrical aircraft maintenance expert, a voracious reader and a skilled swimmer hails from the small town of Dahanu about 90 KMs from Mumbai. He was raised along with his four brothers and a sister by his father who was an art teacher. Early demise of his mother taught all his siblings dignity of labor and value of doing all the household chores. Upon his mother’s insistence his eldest brother was enrolled in medical school but all other children did not have the luxury of higher education.

After passing high school Shri. Sharad Phatak joined the Indian Air Force in the Technical Apprentice program where he received Aircraft Electrical maintenance training in return for 15 years of service. He chuckled when he mentioned that he has been a pensioner for much longer than the actual service he rendered to the AF. He fondly reminisced over the two years of training with the AF in Bangalore and stopped short of saying that that was the best period of his life. He credits the AF for making him a disciplined, organized, and meticulous individual. During the initial training phase there was an outbreak of measles on the campus which proved to be a boon in disguisesince his entire class was sent to Mysore for sightseeing.
He mentioned that there never is peace on the border. AF wives have to deal with many a difficulties and that is the primary reason why few people want to marry their daughters to AF men. When he married Kumud, his wife he told her that he would be done with the AF in six years and would take up a civilian job. Another important reason why she agreed to marry him was because an astrologer once had told her that her future husband would work on aircrafts!
He got an opportunity to travel to Russia for training where he learned to ski. Also was posted at Pangong Lake for a while. He vividly recollects his flight to Russia which extended to three days rather than the usual one.On the first leg a child got sick and the aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Lahore. When they took off again one of the engines failed and they had to return to Delhi. The third try was successful and the reached Russia!

Retirement from Airforce lead to a job with Indian Airlines that enabled him to travel extensively within the country and outside. He has visited Bangkok, Singapore, Delhi, Gwalior, Agra, Bhopal Ujjain, Hyderabad, and Andaman. 

His last remark as we wrapped up our conversation was, “My wanderlust has been quenched!!”

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