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Hence it was only natural for Sameer to land up at the
doors of the National Defence Academy in 1990, where
he was inducted as an Air Force Cadet. After going
through the grueling training at NDA and Air Force
Academy, Sameer was posted to Assam in 1994 for
operational training on the MiG 21 aircraft. We feel it is
no coincidence that Sameer ‘learnt the ropes’ of flying in
Chabua, an Air Force base nestled close to the place where
tea was discovered for the first time by the Englishmen in
the early nineteenth century!
Posted in the Kashmir valley in 1997, Sameer was
mesmerized by the beauty of Jammu & Kashmir and spent
four beautiful and eventful years at Srinagar. He saw action
in the 1999 Indo-Pak Kargil war, where he flew thirteen
combat missions against enemy-held positions in support
of our ground forces. He was awarded his first Chief of Air
Staff ’s commendation medal for his performance during
Operation ‘Safed Sagar’ in Kargil. He, however, considers
his chance meeting with Priyanka, his future wife, at the
Srinagar base in 2001, as the most ‘explosive’ episode of
this posting! They were married in 2001 as Sameer was
posted to Gwalior to fly the Mirage 2000 aircraft with
No. 7 Squadron,The Battleaxes, one of the most combat-
proven squadrons of the IAF.This was a transition which
in flying parlance was akin to moving from a Maruti 800
to a Mercedes AMG!
As part of the cutting edge Mirage 2000 fleet, Sameer saw
operational service in various scenarios and was part of the
first IAF deployment to South Africa and Mauritius. He
was awarded his second Chief of Air Staff ’s
commendation medal for exemplary service in the Mirage
2000 fleet. With an operational record amongst the top
echelon of his peer group, some would say that Sameer’s
career graph was on an inspiring rise!
But fate had a different set
of events planned for
Sameer. In 2005, on one of
his combat training missions on
the Mirage, the right maxillary sinus in
his forehead was damaged. He was medically boarded out
of the fighter fleet and was shifted to the less intense
transport-flying environment with a loss of all career
prospects. This was a great forfeiture for Sameer, who
fancied a life in the IAF as a fighter pilot. He took
premature retirement from the IAF in end 2007 with a
shattered dream and a pledge to reconnect the dots in the
civil flying domain.
He toyed with the idea of joining airlines like Indigo until
a chance visit to our Company’s tea estates in Assam.
Finding the Tea environment akin to the armed forces and
seeing a challenging career in the unique ‘bush flying’
operations of MRIL, he joined our Company in early 2008
and later took over the reins of the flying operations from
Captain K.K.K. Singh. Thus started Sameer’s journey in
the realm of tea.
With his open attitude and ever-friendly nature, he has
settled down with ease and élan in our Company. He
admits that the variety and challenges of flying from
unprepared company strips and the unpredictable weather
in Assam add up to a gratifying flying experience. His
flying skills are admired by one and all in the Company
and his IAF past is well reflected in his hardworking ethos.
Sameer also maintains a beautiful bungalow in the finest
Tea traditions, creatively assisting his better half whenever
he can. Many amongst us fondly remember the warm
hospitality we have received from him whenever he has
hosted us.
Sameer is a bundle of
talent. He is an
exquisite Master of
Ceremonies, who has
displayed professional
flair on many an
occasion. He is also a
meaningful artist who
has contributed towards many professional projects in the
past. He is busy painting for the Indian Air Force 1965
war commemoration calendar project at present along with
his extremely talented wife, Priyanka. We also remember
his witty real life cartoons which have added substance to
occasions such as Farewells and Golf Meets.
He also has a flair for
writing the ‘right stuff ’.
Sameer has written
expert Aerospace and
Defence articles in
many national dailies including the Times of India and
Hindustan Times, and has handled a recruitment drive
campaign called ‘Are You the One?’ for the IAF with his
wife.The IAF considers Sameer an expert on military history
and has recently commissioned him to write a book on the
1965 Air Campaign, which will be published in 2015.
A self confessed ‘tech geek’, Sameer takes pains to keep
himself updated in all domains of technology and, arguably,
has the most powerful computer this side of the
Brahmaputra! On this, Sameer works on designing the first
Indian Air Force 3D mobile air combat game called
‘Guardians of the Skies’ along with other like-minded ‘geeks’
atThreye Interactive.This game was recently released by the
IAF and has recorded more than a million downloads on
Android, iOS and Windows mobile platforms.
Sameer is also one of the founding members of ‘Team
Indus’, the Indian entry in the international Google Lunar
X Prize (GLXP) competition to execute a mission to the
moon. Both his projects in gaming and GLXP have been
featured in the print and video media and have been
acknowledged by specialists as cutting edge in their
respective domains.
“So, what is your secret to multitasking?” I ask Sameer, as
he prepares to proceed on another flying sortie to
Guwahati. He smiles and gleefully answers, “The same as
yours; the tea ecosystem which our Company so gracefully
cherishes and adds value to. Plus my loving wife, Priyanka,
who stands behind me like a rock, and my adoring kids,
Anushcka and Anikaith, who represent my future!” Saying
this, he depresses the starter motor of the Cessna and the
aircraft comes to life with a thunderous clatter. I ponder
over his statement for a while, then look understandingly
around the airfield, absorbing the aura of second flush tea
bushes – acknowledging something I have always known.
Yes, the Tea milieu gets the best out of us all!
As I see Sameer taking off in the Cessna, I see an ace pilot,
a war veteran, a tech geek, a writer, an artist, a loving
husband and father, a quasi-planter and a lot more. But
assuredly one of us... our very own Pilot Sahab!
JANUARY 2015 29
28 JANUARY 2015
The ‘Explosive’ Couple!
The Fighter Pilot
A Garden Party
The Objects of his Art
IAF 3D Mobile Air Combat Game