Escape from Pakistan

As a young fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force, Dara Phiroze Chinoy found himself in the midst of the raging IndiaÐPakistan War of 1965. The war may have ended in a stalemate but Chinoy emerged victorious when he escaped unhurt from the enemy territory, after his fighter-bomber aircraft was shot down by the Pakistan Army. He is the only Indian officer to ever do so in India’s recorded military history. His daring and death-defying escape from the clutches of the Pakistani forces is the stuff of legend. For this courageous act, he was presented the Vishisht Seva Medal by none other than Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh. Escape from Pakistan is a chronicle of an officer and a gentleman and the various challenges he faced and overcame in the Air Force and later in the corporate sector when he was flying for the Tatas and the Ambanis. From training of Iraqi pilots in Saddam Hussein’s hometown in Tikrit, to his wife’s battle with schizophrenia, to dealing with his elder son’s drug addiction, Chinoy has seen it all. As Chinoy reflects upon his rather action-packed life, and an illustrious career of around 49 years, many facets of his personality are revealed: a devoted son, a loving husband, a doting father and an eternal crisis manager. As life threw one curveball after another his way, his never-say-die attitude, humility and sense of duty helped him to dodge all and expertly craft his destiny, and set an example for all of us to emulate.