Veer Gatha Season 4 - 2026 | Independence Day Special

Om, Greetings and salutations to everyone. Thank you Amrita ma'am, Sugandha ji and the entire team for giving me this honor and privilege. Seeing the person for whom I wrote this poem right here with me, I am feeling a bit emotional too. And dedicating a small poem to all of you: Just like ordinary girls get married, so did I. Life sowed many dreams in the raw soil of my heart. Everything happened just as it does in every wedding; haldi, mehndi, fun, guests, rituals, and auspicious songs. We took all the vows that are meant to be taken. But when it came to the vow of being together for a lifetime. Both our tongues faltered. Our parents 'eyes welled up with tears. Because we could be life partners. But there was no guarantee we would be companions for life. Yes, I am an army wife. I know that every soldier is passionate and unconventional. For them , their duty to the nation comes before home and family. I have no complaints because I have accepted this life wholeheartedly. It has moments of strong currents and sometimes a calm shore. I know that joining the army was not just a career or profession for him . It was simply his obsession. He believes that joining the army is an opportunity to do something for the country. To repay the debt of the motherland. When he took charge of the post, I took charge of the kitchen. He handled the enemy's attack. I handled the family. He guarded the borders. I guarded the boundaries of our home. The medals on his uniform shine with the sacrifice of his parents and my dedication. The wives of brave martyrs have offered their own happiness as a sacrifice in the country's sacrificial fire. The army wife has performed her duty while staying in the background. In the true sense, she is a soldier without a uniform. In the true sense, she is indeed a soldier without a uniform. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat, and Jai to the Indian Army. So, I will say that one line again. I have not seen God, but I have seen a human being like God. This was the line by Shri G.L. Batra, father of Captain Vikram Batra. So, I will say the same thing to all of you. We too have not seen God. But today, there are two such God-like humans among us. We invite them to the stage. We are very fortunate. That scene we saw of a fighter, we see something from a distance. So, these two must also look the same way. That overall, as we call it, and the things they put on their faces. We wouldn't know. So, this session will be very light. We will just learn what they do, how they do it , what happens, and I would like to know when you felt that I should become a fighter pilot and how you prepared for it. How easy or difficult is it to become a fighter pilot, and a little bit about your journey to becoming one. Thank you, sir, for the opportunity. I am very grateful to the school administration. For giving us this chance, and the position that sir has given us, I can say with great honor that the respect we have been given... Perhaps for that......the family members of our martyrs are more deserving than us. And these are families of true warriors and heroes. I thank you. I thank you all for being here, and I got the opportunity to attend this event and be in your hallowed presence. With regard to sir’s question, sir has asked when I wanted to become a fighter pilot? So, back in my childhood when I lived in my village in Punjab......it is regularly called the Majha area. Fighter aircraft used to regularly fly overhead. I would watch them and run after them. And while running, it started crossing my mind that maybe one day I will also fly these aircraft, and gradually my interest kept growing. I had the opportunity to have good mentors, good teachers, and good friends who guided me, and because of them, I had the opportunity to serve the nation. If that answers your question, sir. Let's come to that, then. So, to become a fighter pilot, as there are school children here and some parents who would want their children to become fighter pilots. So, how does one prepare for it? What is it like? And what kind of mindset should a child have and maintain? Please answer keeping 10th and 12 th-grade students in mind. Sir, for a 10th or 12 th-class student, the more focus is towards science and math. Sir, for NDA, if you want to join with Air Force service, then B.Tech is required, for which a background in PCM is necessary. And we have other entries too, such as CDS and AFCAT, through which you can also join. The same background, you can...the background required is of Physics and Math, because the calculations and studies are more related to it. If you have a strong hold or good basics of math and physics, it will provide good support as you navigate the vast ocean of difficulties in learning things and acquiring the knowledge to fly an aircraft. So, what do you fly first? Like, on day one, you wouldn't go straight into fighters, right? So, when you are on day one at the academy, in the NDA, what are you put into? What are you made to fly? And what is that experience like when you are going into it for the first time as a trainee pilot? Sir, first we are given training at the NDA, which is an initial introduction to flying. During the last year of our training there, in the initial six months, we are taught the theory. Where physics related to flying, aerodynamics , calculations, navigation—all these things are taught. Meteorology, and subsequently, in the last six months, we get about 10 sorties on the Super Dimona, which is a piston aircraft at the NDA. And I still remember when I flew for the first time, Wing Commander Kale was there. He was my instructor; I remember it quite clearly, and I sat with him. I was a bit of a slacker. I was barely average in studies, but Sir supported me with his whole heart and soul. And as soon as we took off, we were taking off towards the east. It was early morning. It was 6:00 in the morning. And the sun had not yet risen. As soon as we took off, fortunately, the sun touched the horizon at that exact moment. And as we took off, the speed—because the horizon expands. When you become airborne. Then the sun suddenly came up like that; I still remember it to this day, and that is probably why I became a fighter pilot. Sir, when we reach the AFA, there is the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II aircraft. Before this, there were old ones like the HPT, etc. Now we are flying the PC- 7 Mark II. So, after the initial 10 to 12 sorties, you are called for your solo check. After the solo check, you do your sorties. Thereafter, you are cleared for solo. So, for that solo, that feeling, that confidence might not be fully in you, but once you’ve done that sortie, you’re airborne, and now you’re aware that there’s no one else inside the cockpit and the confidence that the instructor shows in you, that is really, I mean, the feeling I share is that maybe I wasn't confident in myself until that time, but once you land back, that joy of satisfaction of coming back on your own , the first touchdown is, it’s still a memory. The approach you make, carrying out all the checks, and landing all alone. The thought comes to mind, should I fly around a bit longer? Now that I'm here, and since it’s my first time, I’ll say,' Sir, I didn't even realize it, ' or,' Should I land quickly? How was it? What was it? Or should I fly around a bit more? ' The first time you go alone, there’s some nervousness too because the instructor is by your side...I was trained in Kiran, at that time there were no PC-7s in the Air Force, so it’s a jet trainer and the instructor , it’s not a tandem seat, they don’t sit front and back, they sit side-by-side. So the instructor is always there to encourage us, they are always there saying,' Yes son, no worries, do it like this, do it like that. 'If we make a mistake, they are there to help us, guide us. And when you go alone, there is a nervousness about what might happen. But once your training, the way you’ve been trained , kicks in, then it’s all automated. You are trained so rigorously that the thought of trying something else doesn't even cross your mind. Because we are trained even for doing something else. Nothing can be done without training. So when you took your first solo sortie, you must have talked to someone at home, so what was the excitement and who did you talk to? For me, I called my mother to inform her that, as I said, for a pilot, the biggest achievement is your single, I mean, going solo and coming back to land. So that joy of happiness you want to share with your family, of course. So in AFA and during training, we are not allowed mobile phones or any kind of phone. So there are PCOs and STD booths. You have to go, stand in a line for like half an hour, and thereafter within a period of one to one and a half hours when you have free time, you will pick up the phone, call home for two or three minutes to inform that I went solo today and I am flying, and I have gone and done a sortie alone, because informing your family too much will also give them some tension. So that’s why that limited knowledge and sharing your joy with them is enough. So that was, according to my mother, enough. What did Mom say in response, what was her reaction? The same, that it's good, keep moving forward, meaning those blessings and joy, that keep on doing good and work hard. Yes, so now let's move a little further ahead. Now these must be those trainee aircraft you mentioned with some technical names. We aren't educated enough to remember them. Right? So the aim was fighters. So when did you see a fighter for the first time, thinking that now we are going, sitting in it, what was that feeling and experience like, and how long after this training do you get to see the fighters? As soon as we are commissioned, after our initial training, we have our fighter training in the Hawk aircraft, which lasts for one year, which is a fighter. The feeling is out of the world, it is such a beautiful aircraft. And I would like to say, quote: "For once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward , for there you have been and there you will long to return." The meaning is that flying Yes, please explain. is that experience, that feeling, it is out of the world. I would say there is nothing more beautiful than that in the world. In the world, if you—Whether it's a city, a forest, or slums, as soon as you go up, you achieve a certain height and look down, everything looks beautiful. But the planes we travel in go very slowly. We —you can look down at such high speeds. Actually, that feeling when we go up, what happens is, you might have noticed when you sit in a train, in childhood we used to look down at the tracks and see how fast the tracks were going by. Then we would look a bit further, and there were trees in the distance. They would be a bit, a bit slower. And when looking far away, if there were mountains or the sun or the moon behind, they would seem even slower. Basically, my point is that as you go higher from the ground, the appreciation of speed decreases because you are very far above the ground. Many times you might even be supersonic, but in the cockpit, you won't get that distinct feeling that "now I am supersonic." You only get the feeling of speed when you are very close to the ground, or during takeoff, or when you are doing low-level flying. So I am sure, because in civil flights when we look to the side, first of all, during takeoff everyone sits gripping their seats like this. So they don't look outside that much. But I am sure if you look a little lower and closer, you will see the world passing by quite rapidly. But as you go higher, it looks just as slow even in fighters. The world goes into slow motion and becomes beautiful. Of course, sir used the word supersonic. Supersonic speed. Could you explain what that is? Supersonic is an aviation term. Like, the speed of sound is 300 meters per second. When you cross that speed, it is referred to as sonic in terms of Mach number. The sonic boom, if you have heard of it, is like if someone accidentally crosses at a low altitude, building glass can shatter, so that is called supersonic, meaning you are above the speed of sound. So now your aircraft will travel faster than the boom that will hit behind you. So he was saying the same thing, that the higher you go, the more the feeling of speed disappears. You get that feeling only when you look at the instruments and see you have crossed that speed. So we have something that gives your speed compared to sound. Like we call it Mach One. Mach One is the speed of sound. So the moment we cross Mach One, we call that speed supersonic. So that speed can cause quite a bit of damage on the ground. So it has a height limitation, and for Pune or areas that are populated, to avoid that sonic boom, you will leave it behind. You will be ahead of the speed of sound. Your sound will follow you. For all of us to understand, you now have to explain it this way: when I board a flight from Pune to Delhi, that is one speed of mine. Okay? And the speed you mentioned , it probably takes me about two to two and a half hours to get there, right? So, how much time do you take to reach Delhi from Pune at your speed? So that one Mach is 1300 kilometers per hour. And we can achieve a total of two Mach, that is 2600 kilometers per hour. So for comparison, I have provided it in kilometers instead of travel time. So within an hour, you can travel around 1300 to 1400 kilometers if you are traveling at one Mach or that speed . Now, some math teacher should understand this and explain it to everyone. Right? Everything is calculated per hour, and you can find the Delhi-Pune distance on Google as well. So, to become a pilot, do you just fly the plane, or is there some studying involved as well? What is that about? Tell the kids a little bit about that too. To become a pilot, first of all, you need to have good knowledge of mathematics and physics in school; your basics must be very strong. There are many things; I mean, in the Air Force, your instructors are so good that if there is any shortfall, they cover it up. But your effort should be to have a good grasp of the basics of math and physics, and you should have some knowledge of aerodynamics and physics. Besides that, to be a pilot, your hand-eye coordination must be good. If you are into sports and are physically fit, it certainly helps. Even if you are not fit, you are made fit during the training. But if you are already fit, it will help you out. Your hand-eye coordination will be good. If you play sports that require good hand-eye coordination, like for example football, squash, or tennis, it will certainly help you. Test. Adding on to this. Like for parents, computer games aren't that bad after all. Of course, they will teach you hand coordination if you are operating a task that can train your mind, and that will certainly be helpful once you are in this kind of profession. We have extra things to study; just like if you are learning to drive a car, you should know about the car. So for us, we also look into the engine, like how big the engine is. How long can it sustain? How much fuel will it consume? How much fuel do you have, and where can you go with it? Thereafter, all the interior features, like if you go to buy a new car, where will what appear on the odometer? Where will the speed be visible? Where will the altitude be visible? When will the fuel be visible, or what are its limitations? There are new instrument panels, so how do you play music? How do you play videos? The same thing applies; we read everything about the aircraft, from its hydraulics, brakes, and electrical wiring to the engines, before touching the aircraft. So, you have to pass a test before even touching the aircraft, and then you will be allowed to touch it. Similarly, there are ground subjects, like the aerodynamics the sir mentioned, where we study how air behaves. Like, if you ever go to a high altitude, people say that water starts boiling sooner. Why does that happen? Why is the temperature at hill stations cold? Why is there ice at the top of the mountains? If it is happening, then how much does the pressure change because of it? So, we study all of this. The same thing happens if you have ever sat in a civil aircraft and it is descending or climbing, or if you are climbing a hill station, you feel a pressure-like sensation in your ears. Why does that happen? So, you have to study all of this on the ground first, for any incident or anything, to know that, because unlike a car, you cannot just park it and check it. So, you should know everything about the aircraft before flying it. So, you will be an engineer. You should also know what effects it will have on your body. Assume you are somewhere close to 60,000 feet above ground, that is around 13-14 kilometers above the ground. And if something happens or you get exposed to the normal environment, then what effect will it have on your body as a human body? Like we say, and you must have heard, that fighter pilots pull a lot of Gs. 4G, 5G. So, that is like if your arm is 1 kg and I am pulling 9G, then that arm will become 9 kg. So, you have to put that force on your body to lift that part. So, if your body is 50 kg or 100 kg, then when you are pulling 9G, it will become 900 kg. So, that is the pressure that is on your body. So, that physical fitness, running and all, core strength . So that you are trained, and those hand-eye skills, even under that pressure, you have to move your skills, take your decisions, and maneuver the aircraft as you want. Like, you fly a Sukhoi, can you tell us a little bit about what we hear—Sukhoi, Rafale, MiGs, Jaguars—a little bit that a common man should know and what the differences are between them? Does every aircraft have a different role, or what is it? And why did you join the Su-30 specifically? Is there a specific role for it, or is it a choice, how does it work? So, starting from the first question, that is the different types of aircraft . Like, based on your country's needs, each country or designer will design a certain kind of aircraft. Like, if you have to do bombing, you will build an aircraft for bombing that can carry more bombs. If you have to do air-to-air combat, you will build an aircraft for that which can fight air-to-air. Then, as we became more modern, we said, "No, we will make one aircraft that can do all these things." Or most of these things. So that is called a multi-role aircraft, if you have heard of it, or a swing-role aircraft. So there are hardpoints where you can carry any armament depending on the fighter's role. So you can carry multiple things in it. Like the Su-30, it is called a 4.5 generation aircraft; it is not stealth. So you can carry air-to-air weapons in it and train with them. You can also attach air-to-ground weapons and train with them. So that is why it is called multi-role; if you have to do air-to-ground bombing, you can load the armament for that. If you have to do air-to-air combat, you can load plenty of armament for that as well. Then, another is a Russian-origin aircraft designed by the Russians, that is the Sukhoi Bureau. If you read a little bit about it, there is a Russian design philosophy. It is a twin-engine multi-role aircraft. The best part about the Su-30 is that it has thrust vectoring. You must have heard of it. If not, then what is thrust vectoring? It is like what we call physics, where we vary the thrust line. Instead of, say, your car has wheels, if you have forward-wheel steering, your car turns. But assume if you can change the engine , where the jet engine produces thrust through airflow—like what happens in a rocket—if you change that thrust, say you bring that thrust to 90 degrees , your aircraft will start lateral movement because of the thrust line. So that concept is there in the Su-30. So once that is used, the turn radius is 0 meters. That is, right now I am facing a direction and within seconds I can turn 180 °. So Could you explain with your hands how? Sir, like a general conventional aircraft will turn like this. You might have been on a normal civil flight, all planes turn like that and they have a certain turn radius. On the ground, you can see a bit of the terrain. So the Su -30 can turn like this. Meaning it is straight right now facing you and it will turn 180 degrees at that very spot . At the same speed. At that same point, I am talking about speed. It is like pivoting from an angle and it will turn like this. Like it defies all laws of physics because of thrust vectoring and it being fly-by-wire. So it can be turned from a single point. I am not talking about like when you take a U-turn in a car on the road, it has a certain turn radius. Right? Now assume someone picks it up from the middle, rotates it 180 °, and puts it back. That is the turn radius of this aircraft. At the speed that I am talking about. So this is what thrust vectoring is, which involves knowledge of physics and all that. So that is why it is very important because if you are in an air-to-air combat. Someone is behind you. Now you have suddenly turned 180 °. So now you are head-on with them. So that limitation, that extra agility which it provides. So now, Rafale is from France . The main difference right now is like if you bought a phone now and you buy a new phone 5 years later, it has new features, mostly the engine and everything remains the same, but of course, due to technological development, the size is reduced and new features have come up. That is what is in Rafale and Tejas too, like what we are making indigenously. So that difference is between the aircraft and mostly the role it is made for. So one more thing we see, we saw this in that too. Just now sir talked about turning back. Sometimes we get tilted like this , or like that, so doesn't it feel like you are completely in the air? So what is that, how does it feel, and how physically difficult is it, or is it very easy? Like once I was in a plane and I was just thinking about something . I just thought, what if it turns straight like this, what will we all do ? So how difficult is it, physically, mentally, or is it very easy and a lot of fun? And you can do all of this whenever you want. Tell us a little bit about that. It's certainly not easy. It’s not easy, but once you get the hang of it. Then it becomes easy after that. And it’s a lot of fun. If you have ever If you have ever been on a roller coaster, when it goes up and then comes down, you might get a feeling of weightlessness. Or when an elevator goes from top to bottom, initially when it lurches, as the elevator goes down, you get a certain feeling of weightlessness. If you have ever noticed, kids in childhood keep going up and down repeatedly because they are more in tune with their body. They get that feeling repeatedly, so they enjoy it. In the same way, in an aircraft, when the aircraft does this or that, you get that same feeling. For example, if the aircraft performs a maneuver, your body is thrown downwards , but there is the floor of the aircraft beneath you. So obviously, you won't go through the floor, so it pulls you back. So what happens because of that? That feeling of heaviness. You feel heavy. Just like when an elevator goes from bottom to top, you feel heavy . But that factor of heaviness is tens of times more than what you would feel in an elevator or a roller coaster. Even in a roller coaster, when it spins around like that. Those who have been on a roller coaster, you must feel that sense of heaviness there too, right? Like your head dropped or something happened. If your head accidentally drops and gets stuck there, in an aircraft, that feeling is multiplied even more. You feel so heavy in it; for example, if I am around 85-90 kilos, then pulling 9 Gs or 8 Gs. So 9*9 is 81 , my body weight becomes 800 kilos. So I have to deal with that and I also have to fly the aircraft. I also have to make decisions. And if we do negative Gs, meaning if I push the stick forward and the aircraft goes downwards, it feels like I am lifting off the seat. But of course, we wear a harness, so it keeps us held to the seat. It’s not like that in civil aviation where there is only a lap seat belt. So if you have ever felt turbulence, you get tossed around like that. That does not happen in a fighter aircraft. You are secured properly with a harness. And no matter how rough the maneuvering is or the forces acting on your body, the G-forces for which you are trained again—there is centrifuge training—so That is not easy, but once you get used to it, it’s the best feeling in the world. So, you must have also taken photos with the helmet placed here with Ray-Bans; you know, it’s very common, like keeping it here, yes, yes, yes, and those aviator glasses are worn by all aviators, no one else would wear them. It is an official part of the kit for normal transport aircraft or anyone, so you can—I mean, the problem is we think it looks like swag or cool. Otherwise, the main purpose is for snow blindness or in the desert. When you get out on the tarmac, on a concrete surface, it is very bright. So, it can damage your eyes, and that is why it is Ray-Ban and UV protected, and you get those kinds of things so that, like when we are operating in the desert or in Rajasthan. When you step out onto the tarmac, it is fully cemented white, and it is painted too. So, in full sun, that glare is very high. So, that is why it is a part of the uniform, and all pilots, of course, will use it. If I ask a hypothetical question, suppose Pakistan suddenly comes inside right now, then how much time will your colleagues take to be airborne? Sir, like you just saw in a video that a person is pressing a red button and someone is running to their aircraft and getting airborne, so just for all of your information, every time, that is 24/7, all 365 days, there is someone who is manning that thing. So, right now also, there is someone sitting close to the border and manning that aircraft with live weapons. The moment we get an order or that button is pressed, within five to seven minutes, that person is airborne with all the live weapons and everything. It would take us seven minutes just to get the car out here. Good morning, sir. My name is Anya Goyal. Part of the 11 th-grade student council. To both of you. I would like to ask that when you are in the air, when you are in the aircraft, there must be many split-second decisions you have to take. And when there are a multitude of thoughts racing through your brain, how do you manage to hold on to that one thought that will take you to your focus, to whatever decision needs to be taken at that time? How do you manage to stay calm in such situations? With regards to split-second decisions, the only thing that helps us with that is training. We are drilled thousands and thousands of times with regards to situations and scenarios. First of all, we are drilled even before we enter the cockpit. We are drilled into emergency procedures where if there is anything wrong with the system, any troubleshooting we have to do. Thereafter, with regards to mission objectives and decisions, the split-second decisions that a pilot has to take, even those decisions are not only instilled but we practice day in and day out. So, with regards to how to cope with it, There is nothing to cope with; it’s training, and at that time there are no other thoughts. At the time when you are in the cockpit in the air, There is no scope for any other thought. And you don't even have time for other thoughts. Or any stray thoughts. Just adding on to it, We have a concept from the moment we are walking towards the aircraft. Your personal life stays behind. There should be that concept, that trend, that your professional life will remain professional. Yes, good morning, sir. So my name is Aniruddh Khate. I am from Class 10, counselor. So my question is that, sir, I have heard during SSB interviews or during the academy, There is a test to see if you can be a pilot. So sir, my question is, how does the Air Force decide if we can be a pilot and what mentality should we have to be a pilot? Answering that, there is a, like, as we are still a developing country, the budget is restricted for training and all of these exercises. So you require a certain basic set of hand-eye coordination to be a pilot. I can train , like, each one of you to be a pilot. The only requirement that will change is the number of sorties. PABT and CPSS , the latest one is CPSS. That is a once-in-a-lifetime test. And it is a normal video game, like, if you play PUBG or anything. A normal video game test. The moment you are applying for a flying branch, You have to take that test; you are only allowed to take that test once. If you pass, you pass; if you failed, you failed. And once you have given that test, you are qualified for any flying duties if you pass, and if you have failed, unfortunately, there is no second option for you; you have to opt for other branches or other services. In today's time, artificial intelligence has almost integrated into every field, so if it integrates into aviation, what will be the effects on the field of aviation? Excellent question, Swara, so it is a great question considering your age. In fact, as we speak, there are many advancements which we have already achieved with regards to artificial intelligence in aviation. Nowadays, there are flying machines which do not need any intervention from humans. However, the only shortfall which I consider with regards to artificial intelligence versus a human is ethical. So there might be a certain dilemma which a human being might have while using a machine. The artificial intelligence will certainly help us. So there are certain technologies like manned-unmanned teaming, wherein a fighter pilot now has unmanned aircraft along with him. So he does not need to go directly into the line of fire. So he is sitting behind, the drones now go ahead and engage the enemy. And we have the concept of swarm drones, artificial intelligence-based drones where they do not need GPS or they do not need many of the sensors because they have trained vision. So, artificial intelligence is already quite a bit incorporated into aviation. In fact, I would say aviation is the first frontier where artificial intelligence has. Taken a step; with great reverence , I would say that Mr. Vikas has done a job worthy of a true patriot. I have a message for the young students: work hard, play harder. You study, but you also do sports, play games, have some hobbies, so that you become physically strong. Fit and also mentally capable of critical thinking. It is my honor to be invited here at the Alpro International School to share my experience, and even if I am able to motivate a single child to be part of the Indian Armed Forces, or even a smallest change to the future of this country, that is the aim. For the young generation. The message I want to give is that everything is a part of life. It is very important to channelize your energy in certain ways so that you are able to achieve what you are dreaming of. Victory to Mother India. Hail, victory to Mother India. Long live Mother India.