India, Oct. 28 -- The Gnat fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force first tasted blood and the pilots were declared heroes of the Battle of Boyra, much before the formal declaration of war by India on Pakistan in December 1971. The opportunity to sit in the Gnat aircraft at Dum Dum airport at Calcutta left a lifelong impression on a lad of eight. These memories never fade but kindle a spark, maybe after a decade, when I had the opportunity to see and photograph military aircraft at the Air Force Day Parade at Palam for the first time in 1985. No opportunity was missed to shoot images as a freelance 16mm film cameraman, attached to Lucknow and later Delhi Doordarshan. The assignment came as a bonus to travel in the VIP Boeing with the CAS to...