As Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy serves out the last couple of days of his distinguished career, he must wish its final chapter had been less tragic. One of his officers, Squadron Leader Celson Rodrigues from Pune, is now confirmed dead while five other officers are feared to have perished when Sunday’s tsunami overwhelmed Car Nicobar. Friday’s change of guard, when Air Marshal S P Tyagi takes over as new air chief, will be a sombre affair. In taking stock of the tragedy, the current air chief will know that once the waves struck the island, escape for many of his personnel was impossible. Apart from the officers, some 25 others have perished and another 75 are feared dead. They had nowhere to run as the base was already on the highest ground on the island. Recounting the tragedy, Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy told The Indian Express that the tremors began around 6.30 am on Sunday. The IAF officers and personnel immediately rushed out of their quarters. They gathered near the air strip. Then someone shouted that water was coming in and people took shelter behind the base’s seven-foot perimeter wall. ‘‘When the first tidal wave came, it destroyed the wall to which the personnel were clinging,’’ said Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy. ‘‘The wave also destroyed some buildings. The second tidal wave took care of everything else.’’ Among those swept away were Squadron Leader Celson Rodrigues, a logistics officer. Since then, Ldr Garima Sharma from Agra, Flt Lt Shekhawat, Sq Ldr Kadam, Sq Ldr Dihot and Sq Ldr Rajshekhar have not been found. ‘‘The magnitude of the devastation is still unfolding and the count is not yet over. It has been a testing time for us,’’ said Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy. When he visited the base he was said to have been especially moved by the sight of V V Bandhopadhyaya, the station commander, greeting him in his vest and pyjamas—the only pieces of clothing he had left. The outgoing air chief also said the destroyed base would be up and running within six months, and operate fighters in a year. He also declared Car Nicobar a non-family station, and said it would now be fitted with temporary accommodation, amid concerns of recurring tremors. This assumes significance as Squadron Leader Garima Sharma is missing along with her parents and sister, who were visiting her. While the rest of her family in Agra was inconsolable, a colleague remembered Squadron Leader Rodrigues, a star footballer and a lively officer. ‘‘He owned a racing bike because he said it kept him fit. He never lost his cool, and my strongest memory is of him by a campfire playing his guitar.’’ As a logistics officer, Rodrigues apparently lived by a statement: ‘‘If the IAF has a need, the logistics officer should have the answer.’’ But no one could have had an answer to the tragedy that overwhelmed the base. (With Siraj Qureshi/Agra)
