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.