A Year Since Flt. Lt. Manu Akhouri left... Pay Homage to the FlyBoy

An year ago, a lean, dark, 24 year old Flight Lieutenant of the Indian Air Force – with wise eyes and a mischievous smile climbed into the cockpit of his Mig-21 for a routine sortie at the Air Force Station Bhisiana,Punjab. Little did anyone know that minutes later, he would transcend from being another gifted flyer of the Air Force to becoming an angel for the village of Bhaliana, which he saved from the crash of his MIG-21 and lost his life in the process.

His story was brought to the fore by his close friends and family, who pushing aside their own pain, worked to make his name known among people. Since then, his profiles on social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook have been regularly visited by friends, admirers and his fellow countrymen, who leave to him their sincerest tributes in words. This blog alone has about 240 followers, and more than 4000 visits. This says something about the popularity of Flt. Lt. Manu Akhouri.

A loss is a loss, nevertheless. All we say to pay homage cannot fill the void he left in the lives of his dear ones. His parents, for whom he had always remained the youngest and the most adored in the house. His siblings who cracked jokes about his dancing style, and ability to fall asleep almost everywhere- And an amazing young girl with whom he had woven rainbow-coloured dreams for their future.

Flt. Lt. Manu Akhouri’s father Col. Sanjay Akhouri has decided to serve the govt. school that his son saved by providing scholarships in his name. These scholarships shall be given to meritorious students of the school who would like to pursue a career with the Armed Forces. Over the bus stand near which his plane finally succumbed to the damages, Flt. Lt. Manu Akhouri has his name painted in large letters. It may be a small achievement to some, but it does not emerge from a paperwork regime that listlessly ordered the bus stand to be named so. It is the sincerest gratitude paid by the villagers who know what bargain Manu Akhouri made with his life on September 10, 2009. The Govt. School shall be named after him by the request of the grateful villagers of Bhaliana.

This tribute is to Manu Akhouri, the man who did not waver in the face of death. He who followed suite of the courageous Officers before him and set an example for those who shall follow. A heartfelt salute to him..

PS: We are working on making a video collage for the blog. The idea is to publish on the blog video messages of people saying a few words to pay tribute to Manu Akhouri. Just a few seconds, a few heartfelt words. The clip need not be too heavy, just pick up your mobile phones, shoot a short video message and send it to us at formanuakhouri@gmail.com. Please send in your comments, and suggestions to us as well.

Please share your stories. There are many courageous officers in Flt. Lt. Akhouri’s league whose stories need to be told. Share a story. Mail them to us at formanuakhouri@gmail.com.

A broadcast on Star News about Flt. Lt. Manu Akhouri

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N32MvJvXeA

The Hero's Birthday.. Please pay tribute..

Dear friends,

Flt. Lt. Manu Akhouri turns 26 on 21st february..

Heroes don't die. Remember Manu Akhouri for what he was- A dear son, a caring brother, a loyal lover and a man of honor.

Please pay tribute to him on his birthday. Leave your comments..

Pilot son lost to MiG-21 crash, father turns to help school he saved

Wednesday, Dec 30, 2009 at 0424 hrs Chandigarh:

Flight Lieutenant Manu Akhouri’s greatest passion was flying. As a child, his only toys were planes and helicopters and he would rush out to see aircraft flying past. His father, Colonel Sanjay Akhouri, doesn’t know whether the students in a government school at Bhisiana village of Gidderbaha did the same when Manu’s plane went down nearby on September 10, reportedly as the 24-year-old made his best to ensure he didn’t crash into the building.

Three months later, he has decided to help students at the Government Senior Secondary School who may want to become pilots like Manu. He has announced monetary help for those wanting to join the defence services, provided three classes with desks and benches and will give Rs-10,000 scholarships to meritorious students of Classes X and XII.

“Eyewitnesses recount that my son took a left turn to save the school, which is when the incident happened. He chose to steer his MiG-21 aircraft away from habitation, depriving himself precious seconds in ejecting. Though a second Court of Enquiry by the Air Force has now been instituted to conclude the reasons for the crash, I would like to believe that my son sacrificed his life to save that of many others,” Akhouri says.

Manu was returning to the Bhatinda air base after a routine sortie when the accident happened. A first-year engineering student, he had left before the final exams to join the National Defence Academy (NDA). Born in Daltonganj in Jharkhand, he later underwent training on Advanced Jet Trainer Hawks in Britain and was posted to the Golden Arrows, Squadron 17 of Bhatinda, to fly MiG-21s

The Punjab government also wants to name the Gidderbaha school after Manu. “We would like to believe that the young pilot saved the school. He lost his life in line of duty and the least we can do is honour the family’s wish to name the school after him. The Deputy Commissioner of Gidderbaha has been asked to move an application to the Education Department to change the school’s name,” says Gidderbaha MLA and Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal.

Akhouri will be visiting the school early next year to hand out the scholarship and awards. While the question marks over MiG-21 safety haunt him, he says he has no regrets. “Manu was born to fly. Most of his toys were aircraft or helicopters or other flying objects. He used to known even aircraft timings and could identify them by the signs on their tailboards,” he says.

With their son’s next birthday approaching on February 21, he fondly recalls his last one. “I was posted at Aizawl in Mizoram. Manu decided to celebrate his birthday with the tiny-tots of a school where his mother was teaching. Though he did not understand the Mizo language, they all had a ball of a time. He later told his mother that it was one of his most memorable birthdays.”

(Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pilot-son-lost-to-mig21-crash-father-turns-to-help-school-he-saved/561317/2)