You have missed out on something if you haven’t been to the Air Force Museum till now. With a museum like this, I couldn’t have begun this week’s column any other way. Since in a city like Delhi, the quality of a museum in no way ensures footfall, one can’t say if the museum receives decent numbers. However, on the sticky afternoon that I visited, the few people around were enough to console me. There were youngsters and families with kids — the two segments the museum would most likely appeal to.
Dedicated to the history of aviation in the country and Indian Air Force heroes, it is a treasure trove of photographs, weapons, uniforms, war-related objects, specimens of historic and latest aircraft. As I start my tour, my eyes fall on officer I.L. Roy’s detailed sketches of different aircraft in the section devoted to Heroes of World War I. Roy had shot down nine enemy planes. A realistic painting of the officers’ restroom at the Burma Front (1944) features in the World War II section. Photographs from the Indo-China War, Jammu and Kashmir Operations (1948), handcrafted models of the Sukhoi SU-30 MK 1 (made of moulded paper) follow.
I particularly like the begul (bugle) captured from a Portuguese soldier during the Goa operation of 1961, which was presented to the museum by Squadron Leader D.S. Jog. The museum largely comprises objects that have been presented by retired Air Force officers.
Just don’t miss out on The Prisoners of War section which features some remarkable exhibits like a painting by Group Captain Tejwant Singh made in the Lyalpur Jail Camp. What makes it a rare work of art is that it is painted on an ordinary cloth coated with zinc oxide and amla hair oil. The wooden frame of this painting was constructed by a Pakistani death row convict. Linseed and turpentine oil being expensive, amla hair oil sent by the Indian Red Cross was used. There is a hand-stitched gown made by him “while he was getting ready to spend the second winter of 1972 in Pakistan jail”. Tejwant was captured as prisoner of war by Pakistan during the 1971 war.
Gifts from Pakistani authorities to Flight Lieutenant Vikram Pethia, another POW, like cigarettes, toothpaste can also be seen here. A portrait of Squadron Leader Mehar Singh, the first and only person to be awarded the Distinguished Service Order, is also there.
But what will have everyone freak out is the display of Air Force aircraft. There is Wapiti, which took active part in World War II, and the Kanpur 2, a very cute indigenously built light communication aircraft. You can spot a rare MiG-25 (Garuda) used extensively in the Kargil War and Operation Parakram. It is a reconnaissance aircraft which flies at a really high altitude. A tail section of a Sukhoi 7, named Mangat, also occupies a place of pride in the space. The aircraft was flown back safely by Wing Commander H.S. Mangat from his successful mission in the 1971 war. It was badly damaged in a ground fire. Such incredible things deserve to be seen and not just read about.
(The Air Force Museum is located at the Air Force Palam Station. It is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry is free. There is a lovely souvenir shop as well.)
