The story of Flt Lt Parikshit Hastekar- MUST WATCH

[Abingdonboy]

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Salute to you sir!

 

[third eye]

Thank You for sharing this.

I hope this young flyer gets back on his feet again soon. Kudos to his family.

God Bless him.

 

[danish_vij]

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Salute to you sir!

True Fighter Flt Parikshit Hastekar
Life can be very uncertain & brutal to anyone but it’s the spirit of a fighter in you which life cannot defeat.

2010 Nov 8, 10:30PM.
Some where near Dharamshala.

I was travelling from Dharamshala to Delhi after visiting a dear friend. The bus halted somewhere for dinner break. I could hardly sleep on the bumpy ride of Himachal roads so felt relaxed when I could sit back & sip a cup of hot coffee in the restra where others were busy checking out the dinner menu. As usual I was travelling alone. My only sort of entertainment was an old color TV which was transmitting the picture with great difficulty. A young lady was reading news with an expressionless face line after line.

The conductor of the bus gave us all a time up yell after 20 minutes. People started getting into the bus. I asked for the bill, left a tip to the old guy who served me the coffee. He grinned back when he noticed the extra bucks. While I was about to leave, something in the voice of the newsreader caught my attention. I replayed it in my head, did I just hear about a crash??? Our bus driver has called up again for the passengers as he started. I signaled to hang on for a moment in hope of hearing the news again & praying that it shouldn’t be a bad news. The lady read the complete news about the tragic chopper crash in Siachen, both the pilots rescued but severely injured but no details about the name & ranks. Conductor yelled out a little louder now. A quick prayer for the safety of the pilots & with ears still attentive in hope to hear something more about the details I got in.

Reached Delhi next day, got busy with office & forgot about the incident completely. After a couple of days I got a phone call. I was happy & excited to see the flashing name of the caller… ‘Smitha Bhabhi ’. She was about to get engaged to one of my good friend Ashutosh Das.

“Hi bhabhi, how are you? After a long time , How are you guys? aaj hamari yaad kaise aa gai ? Shaadi ki dates fix ho gai kya?”
“I’m fine Nitha..” is all I could hear. There was a little hesitance in her voice who otherwise was a very peppy, lively girl. I thought there might be any stress about wedding or that sort but what I heard next was the most unexpected & shocking news.
“Ashu met with an accident sometime back.”

She told me about the Crash which happened on 8th Dec, the same incident which I heard while travelling back & prayed for the safety of the pilots. Chill went down my spine. I knew it & yet I was unaware that its none other than my friend then Flt Lt now Sqn Ldr Ashutosh Dash. He is one carefree soul, full of verve , enthusiasm & someone whose is already ready to pick up a war of words with me just like kinder garden kids. I couldn't even imagine him in such a condition.

Smita both pilots were operated. Ashu was operated for 8 long hours and was stable but the other pilot was still in coma. The immediate thing on my mind was, "whose is the other pilot"? she said Flt Lt Parikshit Hastekar. This was the first time I heard that name, though he is not from common friends but still there was a sense of concern for him after all he wass in worse condition.

Nov 8, 2010
Somewhere in Siachen

Indian Air Force chopper crashed in the Siachen glacier-Saltoro Ridge region in the morning about 8. The rescue team could only pick them up by evening... (I don't exactly remember the reason of delay). Both the pilots were in critical condition when they were rescued. Two pilots on the sortie were Flt Lt Parikshit Hastekar & Flt Lt Ashutosh Das. Parikshit was already in coma & Ashutosh was severely injured with dislocated backbone, multiple fracture, in other words no hopes of proper recovery. They have been flown to Delhi RR, Where Ashutosh was operated for 8 hrs & he survived. When I went to visit Ashu.. I asked him 'how is the other guy?" He said with a sad face... "he is still in coma". I couldn’t see him at that point of time. Didn't knew what happened to Parikshit after that. Last heard was he was recovering.

I still remember when I used to visit RR to see Ashu he was all strapped up in bed, couldn’t move without help because of the major surgery still we used to crack jokes as if nothing happened about his upcoming wedding “ yaara jaldi teek hole warna mandap mai bhi stretcher pe le jayenge. I'm sure bhabhi aur ni wait karne wali He used to manage a weak laugh. Everybody was scared deep inside about his recovery & the major insecurity was "Will he be able to ever Fly back again?".

After an year things were back to normal & slowly we all forgot about that unfortunate incident. Untill I came across this video on facebook after almost 2 and a half years. A friend shared it in my community. I clicked on the link only to discover it’s the same unfortunate crash. Back then I didn’t know anything about Flt Lt Parikshit. Now I do know how severe was his condition & more than happy to see him recovering.

The quick prayer made for their safety while on the move even without knowing who they were makes me realize how people could be connected to each other.



Source: Excerpts from My Life
Author: Nirliptha Reddy
Flt Parikshit Hastekar you truly are a fighter. Kudos to your strength & will power. May God bless you & wish you a total recovery soon.

 

[Parul]

I salute the Flight Lieutenant for his will to survive and thrive.

 

[danish_vij]

Share guys and post on the YT comments- they are read by him and his family.



Salute to you sir!

It v\brought tears in my eyes!!

 

[SirHatesALot]

Thanks for sharing this.
God bless him and his family.

 

[kbd-raaf]

Heart wrenching video, a story of a true soldier.

 

[soumya1989]

god bless him. he is the real fighter.

 

[Darth Vader]

Our Soldiers gave thr lives thr families thr every thing just for us Hope one they their will be no need of soldiers no war

 

[Nair saab]

He is a Maratha ... Its Difficult for even Death to score a Victory over a Maratha...

Respect

 

[Abingdonboy]

Guys, if you can- post positive comments on YT, the comments are read and well received by the FT LT and his family. I'm sure they'd appreciate any support they get!

 

[Indo-guy]

Hi all ,
Our Braveheart Flt Lt Parikshit continues his fight ....

This is the follow up video - tracing his struggle and indomitable spirit ...just uploaded last week .

Salute to Flt Lt Parikshit Hastekar

 

[kenyannoobie]

Spinal injuries are typical of chopper crashes-since it can't glide it can only come down fast. Your only option is to use residual blade speed and autorotate to reduce the impact in an engine failure. Its never a perfect solution even if you walk away. I know an ex KAF guy whose spine nearly fused from the impact when his Puma went down in the late 80s.
Nowadays he walks with a strange straight legged semi squat! His upper body can't support a fully upright stance. IIRC latest safety innovations in chopper design now include giant airbags.