When news, videos and images of the Indian MiG pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan started appearing online, we realised we had met this brave young man several years ago. We had shot with him back in 2009 as part of the series Jai Hind with Rocky and Mayur when he was a young flight lieutenant in his twenties.

We decided not to put any video or piece out on him at the time for obvious reasons of propriety. It’s the same reason Rocky and Mayur turned down calls from TV studios to appear on prime time and hold forth on the captured Indian fighter pilot.  

We are thrilled with his return.

While making Jai Hind With Rocky and Mayur, we spent much time with officers, jawans and soldiers from Gunners, Garudas, Para Commandos, Naval officers, engineers and Air Force personnel among many others. It was an exciting and rewarding series that stands out among the most amazing experiences of our lives.

Three of us—Rocky, Mayur and Abhinandan Sekhri (not to be confused with the brave warrior Abhinandan Varthaman who has made the nation proud)—are fauji kids. Rocky’s father, Major Amarjit Singh, gave the ultimate sacrifice in the Indo-Pak war of 1971 when Rocky was two years old. For us, it was not just another show.

It was an honour and a privilege for us to be allowed access into the hallowed grounds of the Indian Armed Forces and share with them conversations, moments and meals, and get an insight into what drives them. Being from Forces backgrounds ourselves, we grew up with stories of bravery, valour, determination and, above all, the impeccable characters and dignity of our men and women in uniform.

We met the then Flight Lieutenant Abhinandan Varthaman while we were shooting our show showcasing the Sukhois of the Indian Air Force. More than the machines, it was the steel in the character of the men who flew them that left a lasting impression. Abhinandan has a quiet strength, a dignity that well represents his unit and his force. When he spoke, it was measured and soft but with a certainty and clarity that was unmissable. His laugh is uninhibited and unapologetic. His smile, infectious and gentle. We remember many retakes were required due to the good humour and constant jokes all around the room by him and his flying buddies.

We discussed many things during this series with the officers we met. Many of them had seen action at close quarters. We vividly remember one instance of a young officer telling us of his first encounter with action when he was in his early twenties and was in the middle of bursts of gunfire, explosions and people getting shot around him, and how the mind and body react. The incident he recounted happened in Kashmir. While these encounters were narrated (not for the cameras) with a nonchalance of doing a job one has been trained for, there was always that air of seriousness of the implications and gravity of battle—that it means more than headlines and TV shows.

While our conversations with the pilots during the shoot with Abhinandan’s unit was full of ribbing and humour, there was also the acknowledgement of the seriousness and importance of what they do. At no point did any of the pilots cross the line from professionalism and discipline to jingoism and bravado. They came across as serious young men fully aware of the enormous responsibility on their shoulders, as men who understood and appreciated the dignity and sobriety that was expected of them as Abhinandan demonstrated even in captivity. Much for us in the media to take lessons from.

Abhinandan had explained at length (not all of it made it to the edited episode) why eating too much or too little for a pilot is not a good idea, especially before you go up in the air, zipping around at supersonic speeds, exposing yourself to several Gs of force and upside-down manoeuvres. I still remember Abhinandan commenting, “Thank god I don’t have to do what you guys do, I wouldn’t fit in the cockpit in a month.”

These young men left a lasting impression in our minds. Years later, when we saw a glimpse of our captured pilot and realised who it was, our hearts sank seeing his face covered in blood. The one we remember was smiling, indulging us, laughing and explaining things about aircraft like we were a decade-and-a-half younger than him rather than the other way around. But what had not changed was the unwavering clarity and gentleness of voice in the face of a danger that most of us will never experience. It filled us with gratitude and affection that even as blindfolded and bleeding with his hands tied behind his back, he maintained complete composure and held himself upright, ramrod straight.

You make us proud, Abhinandan. You make your flying buddies proud, you make the nation proud. You demonstrate what a warrior and a gentleman is. You are trained to destroy enemies for the nation and are highly effective with your machine, but your softer gentlemanly side did not escape us then and has not escaped the nation now. Warriors like you don’t boast or thump your chests. You walk with a quiet grace and dignity that comes from the assurance that you belong to an honourable force, a force that stands and gets counted every time it’s called upon.

Men and women of the forces are soldiers but also daughter and sons, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, and their families deserve to cherish them even as a nation expects them to defend us whatever the cost. And we know they will not flinch. We feel safe knowing men and women like you stand between us and harm.

Welcome back, Abhinandan. We are proud to have shaken your hand and shared a meal with you. A grateful nation is thrilled you are home. Jai Hind.