Memories: First dance after my fainting parade

A dance to remember

The Air Force is a good place and one of the services that has an aura and glamor of its own. Despite having a college degree in Nuclear Physics, I joined the Air Force and trained hard to pass the course and become a Pilot Officer. That was the first rank in the hierarchy at the time (now this rank is abolished). The culmination of a rigorous training period was a dinner dance after the blackout parade. I remember the fainting parade as a nostalgic moment in my life when we went from being cadets to becoming officers of the band that played “Auld Lang Syne,” a Latin tune. For a long time, the forces kept the Anglo-Saxon melodies like “Colonel Bogey” and it was only much later that some Indian melodies were incorporated, but the western melodies still prevail.

The fainting parade (I’ll write about it later) is followed by a dinner dance for the cadets (now officers), their relatives, and guests. Also invited are some guest girls whom we had gotten to know during the hours we were allowed to book on mufti. The final training and dancing were in Coimbatore.

I remember the first dance I attended was as a cadet. We were all very concerned since none of us had ever been to a formal dance. We confess our fears to our Flight Commander, a guy named Aminuddin Ahmed. He laughed a lot and told us not to worry as you have the Air Force crest in your pocket and that in itself is an invitation. We were not allowed to book outside of camp without our blue jacket with the Air Force crest in the pocket and the cadet tie as well.

The flight commander was right, since at the dance we had no problems finding a partner and most of the girls preferred to meet us. I approached an Anglo-Indian girl and it was the beginning of a wonderful time. I invited her to the fainting parade (POP) as well as the dinner dance. I can tell my mother was horrified and didn’t like it at all, but she came and we foxtrotted to Louis Armstrong’s soul music. It was also the first time I had tasted whiskey. This dance remains a memorable moment to remember.

After the dance, I left her at home on a borrowed bike (my flight commanders) and we promised to meet forever. But before that, we drove miles and miles to Siruvani, the dense jungles around Coimbatore. It was a heady time in the woods with the cool breeze enveloping us. I stopped the bike under a tree in the dense forest. I carried her, cradled her in my arms, and laid her on the soft grass. A cool breeze was blowing and stars were shining in the sky. I undressed her and in a moment I buried my face in the most esoteric part of her body. the result was anector … I will never forget more since it was the first time.

I left her at home in the early hours of the morning. But our affair, if I may call it that, did not flourish as it later emigrated to Australia. I have an old photo of the dance with me in a messy dress along with Mrs. Victor Srihari, who was the wife of the Commander-in-Chief at the time. Well, times and events happen and I believe what Lord Krishna says: “Not a leaf moves without my will.”