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'There cannot be anyone like Air Marshal Keelor -- he was so difficult to emulate.'
Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd) salutes War Hero Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, KC, AVSM, VrC who passed into the ages last month.
Gwalior, summer of 1986.
With two years of flying experience on helicopters, I was commandeering my helicopter from my parent base at Bareilly to Gwalior located a few hundred kilometres southwest.
Gwalior was teeming with activity with many types of aircraft parked on the tarmac.
As I came to hover and moved towards the parking area, I wondered whether they would have adequate place to park this little helicopter.
Gwalior was hosting one of its biggest events of the year. The annual large-scale flying exercise involving many types of fighters was about to begin and many different types of aircraft had flown into the base in support of the same.
As I hovered near the link taxiway to the tarmac, I saw a blue Ambassador whizzing across, its flag fluttering in the breeze and the single star on the front bumper catching the bright sun of the summer morning.
It was the Air Officer Commanding (AoC) of the base about who I knew nothing about till then.
The driver, in his flying overalls, got out and approached the airman who was still deciding how and where to marshal me in the confined space.
Taking the table tennis bat like a marshalling wand from him, he walked briskly to a spot at the edge of the tarmac, indicating to me to move in his direction.
I was soon on ground tucked away at the edge of the hard concrete with my helicopter tail over the grassy area lining the tarmac.
My rotors came to a stop, and as I got out, I was greeted by then Air Commodore Denzil Keelor, the AoC of the base with a warm handshake and a smile.
I was intrigued as to why the senior-most officer of the base had to come down to meet a flying officer landing at his base; something that I had never experienced in my little time in the IAF till then.
Post exchange of pleasantries, he handed me an envelope containing ten hundred rupee notes -- again something that I wasn't expecting at all.
"Welcome to Gwalior," he said, and, and looking at the bewildered me in the eye, continued, 'that money is for looking after the chai-paani of your ground crew, see that they are well looked after; and... happy landings and have a happy stay!"
He was out of sight before I could even say thank you. The other airmen on the tarmac told me later that the AoC was going around the tarmac all morning welcoming in every aircraft that had landed at the base.
I think I was witness to one of the finest examples in leadership that summer morning.
Gwalior had recently become home to one of the newest fighter aircraft -- the French Mirage 2000 inducted into the IAF in end 1984, the time that our course received our wings and stripes.
The entire base looked fresh and new and the exuberance and energy of the AoC seemed to have percolated right down to the last man -- which was evident in the flawless conduct of the exercise and the way each one of us participants was made to feel at home at the base.
I moved on in life in the IAF and so did the AoC; and sadly, I did not get an opportunity to either meet him or serve under the man who went on to become an Air Marshal, retiring from the IAF in end 1991 as the Inspector General Inspection and Flight Safety.
Much has been written in the media about his acts of bravery in the 1965 War, when he and his brother, Wing Commander Trevor Keelor, VrC, VM, flying the indigenously built Gnat aircraft, shot down the much superior F-86 Sabre fighters of the Pakistan air force.
The Gnat aircraft got its nickname 'Sabre-Killer', thanks to the heroics of the two Keelor brothers.
As a commanding officer of the Tactics and Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), Denzil Keelor was awarded the Kirti Chakra in 1978.
While flying a high-altitude sortie, his canopy flew off, injuring him severely.
Able to see with only one eye, his face swollen and one hand injured, he skillfully managed to land his crippled aircraft.
In another air-to-air gun firing trial the same year from the MiG-21 FL aircraft, his gun barrel exploded, the shrapnel causing extensive damage to the aircraft.
Without electricals, radio and his engine not behaving, he should have chosen to eject; but using his superior handling skills, he was able to save the aircraft from certain destruction.
Much later, for his overall display of impeccable leadership and distinguished contribution to service, he was also awarded the AVSM and PVSM prior to his retirement.
"I was known as 'Charlie' in the No. 4 squadron, and we called ourselves 'The OOrials'. My Commanding Officer Wing Commander D J Keelor insisted on calling me 'Char-Les' right through my career!" says Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne (retd), the former IAF chief who served in the unit as a young flying officer and flight lieutenant.
"Our squadron was always full of josh thanks to the amazing leadership skills of Keelor sir. I have served under so many COs, but there cannot be anyone like Air Marshal Keelor -- he was so difficult to emulate," recalls the former air chief.
"That man was so full of energy all the time -- whether it was going for a sortie or playing chess!" adds Browne sir.
Being a keen sportsperson, his theory was that if a man played chess and hockey, he wouldn't do no wrong!
He was always in such a hurry to get moving off the blocks for a sortie that he often left his formation members behind!
Even when he played chess, he would make his five moves in advance and ask his opponent to play his!
Be it a squadron picnic or a planned excursion, he would be up early and go to the bachelor's quarters to wake the officers up and get them ready for the event.
"In fighter flying, when your number two cannot keep up with you, he radios 'Request RPM', which literally means to slow down. In one combat sortie, his number two requested him for RPM, and pat came the reply from the witty leader -- 'Use your own!'," remembers Air Chief Marshal Browne.'
Another pilot of the 'OOrials' reveals a squadron secret which brings out another remarkable quality of the man.
In a low-level sortie of four aircraft, the formation descended to almost tree-top heights due to bad weather.
A decision was taken to abandon the mission and return go base by climbing through the clouds.
When the aircraft landed, one aircraft had a few bamboo shoots and foliage sticking out of its wing which also bore dent marks.
Obviously, the aircraft had hit the top of the trees during low flying.
The CO was told of the incident, and expectedly, he did not say a word to the pilots.
The next day was a Sunday, and the squadron was on a picnic with the AoC in attendance.
It was here that Denzil sir broke the news to the boss about the incident, and that too, in his amicable style.
"Sir, one of the boys managed to brush some trees during a low-level sortie -- nothing serious sir, I have already asked for the repair team from Guwahati, and the machine will be on flight-line in a couple of days... nothing to worry!"
The AoC, of course, had nothing more to ask or say in the happy moments of the picnic!
Air Vice Marshal A K Shyam was another pilot in the squadron who also doubled as the unit adjutant.
Keelor Sir had asked him to learn his signature (which he can even reproduce today!) and use it to dish out the routine correspondence within the unit and station.
Strapped up in the aircraft to go for a mission one day, an airman came running to the cockpit to tell him that an important letter had to go, and his signatures were required.
Shyam Sir, in all sincerity, signed at the bottom of the paper without even going through it.
A few days later, the staff from the Commander in Chief's office at Shillong rang up to say that a letter to the chief had arrived with a lot of mistakes and was being returned, since the boss didn't take kindly to errors.
Denzil Sir was quick to take this in his stride and had just this to say to Shyam Sir, 'Arre baccha! At least ask me to sign letters to higher formations yaar! Be careful from next time!'
Air Chief Marshal Browne describes the saddest time in 4 Squadron during Keelor Sir's tenure.
During a mission, while he and his formation had just got airborne, Keelor Sir's aircraft engine ceased, forcing him to eject close to the airfield.
"I was the first one to reach the paddy field where he had parachuted down. The boss was more than waist deep in slush and we had to literally pull him out to save him from sinking further. I still remember how he was shivering due to the cold when we got him out."
Pending inquiry, then Wing Commander Keelor was ordered to be attached to the Station HQ, temporarily out of the commanding officer's chair.
It was during those few months that the squadron missed him most, their morale plummeting to their boots.
Thankfully, he was reinstated under orders from Air HQ.
"During a welfare meeting chaired by Keelor Sir soon after, the happy men lifted him on their shoulders and took him around the squadron in celebration; such was their attachment and love of their CO," remembers the former air chief.
Denzil Keelor was truly a people's person and understood the requirements of his men.
It was not as if he just looked after their welfare; he was a hard task master at work and a humane person rolled into one.
"Often men had to rush on emergency leave. Even if they had expended their leave quota, they were allowed to go home to tend to their problems," recalls Air Chief Marshal Browne, "he would give them money for their travel and emergent expenditure, and not one man ever faulted giving back the loan amount on arrival back from leave."
"In fact, on the first of every month, when we officers received our frugal pay, he would check with all of us if we had enough cash to pay our bills. Even at the cost of personal financial strain, he would readily pay up for us. He was truly our father figure and a demi-god for us," says the former air chief.
"At work, he let us work independently; and due to this, we learnt to take decisions right from the beginning of our careers."
The ultimate quality of the man was that he trusted everyone 500 percent; and never did anyone ever betray his faith.
"Keelor sir took this trust factor to a different level. Even when he had to fly an aircraft, he never ever did his external checks on the machine, he just walked to the aircraft and hopped into the cockpit!" exclaims Air Chief Marshal Browne
He believed that his men had done their work as required of them.
"This forced the men to be thorough with their jobs, for, if something went wrong because of them, they would betray the faith that was reposed in them by their boss. And even if things went wrong sometimes, the men were bold enough to own up, since they knew that their boss would not let harm come to them."
Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani (retd), former vice chief of the air staff, served as the CO of No 7 Squadron located at the Gwalior base with Air Commodore Keelor at the helm of affairs.
"Gwalior was chosen to receive the Mirage 2000 aircraft from France and Keelor sir selected by Air HQ to get the base in order for receiving the state-of-the-art modern aircraft," says Air Marshal Bhavnani.
Gwalior was a ramshackle base when Keelor Sir took over. It just had barbed wire fencing which created the boundary with the many villages around Maharajpur, where the airfield was located.
Additional land was needed to be acquired and the modern technical and administrative infrastructure had to come up in quick time.
"Air Commodore Keelor sir seemed to have enormous amount of energy and josh to get the work done. He was in constant liaison with the local authorities and the royals of Gwalior to get his base to the standards required," says Air Marshal Bhavnani.
"The locals, who had resisted initially to part with their land, were convinced by Keelor sir's charm and reassurances. On his regular visits to the villages around the airfield, he assured the heads that more than adequate compensation would be paid to them when they let go of their pieces of land."
And true to his word, once the land was acquired, he made put in all kinds of pressure on the local government to ensure that the villagers were well remunerated.
An army aviation unit was based at Gwalior in those times. Colonel Dilip Ranade, a veteran now, and then a captain, remembers the dynamic AoC.
"We found Keelor sir dropping in to our squadron quite often; especially when flying was going on. He would hop into any one of the choppers taxying out and go for a quick round of the airfield before being dropped back."
The AoC obviously wanted a birds-eye-view of how his base was developing to become the best in the IAF.
The so-called security fencing of the base was broken at many places leading to cattle straying into the technical area and often getting on to the runway.
This needed to be stopped since it would be dangerous for fighter operations which were to commence soon.
"He adopted a smart scheme to get rid of the cattle. We had many ex-army men deployed for guard duties as part of the Defence Security Corps. These guards were motivated to round up the cattle. For catching every two animals, they would get a bottle of rum, an offer that the guards found lucrative," Colonel Ranade recalls.
"He also let the villagers know that he would get rid of their cattle in his own way if they allowed them to stray across into his territory. With these two actions, the cattle menace on the base was reduced to zero!"
Gwalior air base was soon abuzz with fighter flying, thanks to Keelor Sir's untiring efforts of winning the hearts and minds of people and making them work hard, happily.
Visiting him in his Delhi office one day, Browne Sir saw that there were many people from the services and the civilian community waiting to meet him. There was hardly any place to sit.
Seeing him, he broke into a smile and said, 'Char-Les! What are you doing here? Please find yourself a place to sit!'
"His office resembled a PWD office, and I remarked to him in jest that there was no place to even stand," Browne sir adds.
"His reply has remained ingrained in memory, 'You are my OOrial, you can even lie down anywhere you feel!'"
"He was way ahead of everybody, in every thought and action, all the time," The former air chief adds. "When once questioned as to why he was in a hurry, he said, 'I have set the pace for myself, you better learn to keep pace with me; I will not slow down!'"
On the 28th of August, the legend flew away into yonder beyond the blue skies; and it will take some doing to catch up with him.
"Much later, when I became the air chief, I put something that I learnt from Air Marshal Denzil Keelor into practice," says Browne sir.
"We articulated the vision statement of the Indian Air Force which aptly sums up the man -- 'People First - Mission Always'."
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com