R.I.P. Braveheart Leave a comment This past Sunday, the 30th of June, 2013, I went for the funeral mass of my uncle and mother’s cousin, Wing Commander Darryl Castellino at Vakola’s St. Anthony’s Church. To put things into better context, for those of you who are unaware, the north-Indian state of Uttarakhand suffered from severe flash floods in which thousands lost their lives and millions more lost their livelihood. The state of the people was worse than you can imagine. No food, no water, no electricity and no roads to provide relief. Everyday, all you could see on the news was tales of people’s suffering and troubles. And while most of us were enjoying the safety and comfort of our homes, the Air-Force was busy using helicopters to provide boxes and boxes of food, water and medical supplies to all the stranded and evacuating as many people as possible. The harsh irony is that the most affected areas were the holy locations of Kedarnath and Uttarkashi (thus effectively giving rise to thousands of atheists). While politicians were busy playing the blame game, the tireless and selfless Indian Army and Air-Force were hard at work conducting rescue operations. Now my uncle was the commander of an Mi-17 chopper, a man who loved to fly, who had full faith in God and who placed service to fellow humans on top of his list of priorities. As Wing Commander, he led many many operations which resulted in his saving over 3000 people from the disaster-stricken area. But alas, cruel irony of fate again, that in one of his operations, his chopper crashed due to heavy fog in the dangerous valley, resulting in him and 19 others losing their lives. The whole nation mourned his sacrifice and he was hailed a hero and martyr. So now, at the funeral I see the real thing. The first 10 rows in the Church are filled with Air-Force personnel in uniform, all the way from the lowest trooper to the highest ranking Air Marshalls. His comrades provided shoulders for his coffin, adourned with the Tri-color and following was his wife, Jyoti aunty who kept herself strong for the sake of her young children, Ethan and Angelina. In the church, there were probably over a thousand people, all here to pay tribute to this hero. On the streets outside, there were hundreds of banners paying tribute to the martyr. Oh it was a sight to behold! The Priest used the best words to describe his sacrifice, that uncle Darryl “died in the service of man and hence in the service of God till the end”. I looked on as his coffin was carried into a military truck to the cemetery, with people placing hundreds of flowers in the truck as well. While on the way to the cemetery, I learned what were his last words. He had had a fight with his wife since he was over-working, and all he said to her was, “I am going to serve my nation, please take care of the children”. Even more astonishing was the fact that he made his final flight on the day he was off-duty, simply because he didn’t want the rescue operations to stop or slow down. At the cemetery, the procession was absolutely beautiful. A marching troupe with bugles playing lead the coffin to the burial ground, where the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the Air-Marshall expressed their heartfelt sympathies. The Air-Marshall even added that the Indian Air Force was proud of uncle Darryl since every year they swear an oath to perform their duties even if it cost them their lives, and uncle Darryl lived up to his oath. As his body was brought to the grave by the Air-Force soldiers, he was given the honorary gun salute and while his body was laid to rest, the bugles played their final piece and we all saluted this great man. On my way back, while I felt the loss of his family and relatives, since the final salute all I was feeling was a sense of pride. To save one human is a huge thing, he saved 3000! He answered the call of duty even though it took his life. At a time when my country is in such turmoil due to scandals, border issues, disasters and politics, it was heartening to see that some men still lived with honor and conviction. And I am honored that I am related to a hero and patriot such as him. You have restored my faith in Indians and India, Wing Commander Darryl Castellino, Service No. 25107-A. I salute you, oh Braveheart. May your soul forever rest in peace. Wing Commander Darryl Castellino’s coffin. Spr
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:08:04 +0000
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