It was Agartala in the 70's, no jhamelas, no processions. In office, workers worked, no “Amra ora khaijia”, no deputations demanding condemnation of the US president. I got a call from the Private Secretary of the Secretary of Health, " Sir, Maharaja kotha bolben”. The voice boomed, "Datta shono -- tomar Athens jete hobe". It was alias Mr R.K. Debvarman alias Nani Karta.

I remembered that GOI had published an ad for training in Sports Medicine, a three weeks course in Athens, Greece, which would be run by the FIMS. I had applied, as I fulfilled the requirement., having  worked as assistant to the surgeon  of two first division club of English league,  also played in the senior Hockey league  of the Lancashire league. So preparation for the trip started. Govt gave me the papers for an official  (white) passport. Dada (my elder brother) from Shillong informed that he would fly from Guwahati to meet me in Calcutta, he would see me off before returning to Shillong (not surprising as we were very close).

The IA staff were all my friends - the Bhattacharjees, Das Biswas, Das and all my  good friends. We were gossiping in the staffroom when the two pilots dropped in. They were young and looking rather tense, for the DC-3 (popularly known as Dakota) was a World War II plane with primitive radar, ancient wireless system, no air conditioning and hence had to fly below the clouds. In view of the recent crash of the Agartala-Calcutta  Fokker-Friendship crash; even experienced pilot like Capt. Ghosh in Khulna (in East Pakitan)  after it was hit by a  cyclone, they had every right to be scared. I joked that they should not to worry as I knew the route like the back of my hand, and if we got lost, I could guide them. Little did I know that my innocent joke would come true in scary fashion!

We boarded, and I was given my usual front left seat, near the entrance gate. Next to me was a newly married girl returning to in-laws house. She said, "Kaku I am scared to fly."  The Dakota flew very low, given its lack of air-conditioning. I could identify the topography, as we reached the Comilla cantonment, crossed it and sighted the Padma. Then, without warning, we were hit by a massive sledge-hammer -  a monster of a Norwester. The plane turned turtle many times. The Airhostesses who had emerged in the isle with glasses of cold drinks were instantly on thefloor and were throwing up. All twenty eight  odd passenger were hanging by the seatbelts and vomiting. My neighbouring seat passenger clung to me, screaming, "Kaku go”, and vomited all over me.

After an eternity (though later we learnt it was only 12 minutes) the plane suddenly straightened and was flying smoothly. I recovered and after sometimes went to the cockpit.  The two pilots looked devastated but were settling down. There was also bad news! The radar was broken and has been rendered useless. The wireless connection was broken as was the communication with the ground control. The pilots did not know which way to fly. They asked me in.

I looked carefully at the topography down below. It looked very different from what one would have expected at this stage of the Agartala-Calcutta flight. Sun should have been behind us, but it was in our front of us. Then, there was high hills/mountains on the left; the normal route should have vast plains of Bengal and the river mouths. It was obvious to me that we were flying southeast, rather than due west. My sense of geography told me we were over Arakan mountain range, in Burma. The pilots agreed, and turned 180 degrees, starting to fly away from the sun and the mountain wall. Sea was sighted on left and the shoreline with short trees on the shore. To me, they looked to be Sundari trees, implying we were near the Sundarbans, so I asked them to fly west, keeping just north of the Bay of Bengal.

Soon we crossed the very wide river mouth of the Padma and after another half an hour the mouth of Ganga (Hoogly). We then followed Hoogly and reached Dum Dum Airport, Calcutta. When we landed there was about 10 minutes of fuel left. We had flown a total of three and half hours, traveling radar-less and with out any help from the ground.

My Dada was there to receive me. Other passengers were unable to disembark and were brought out in stretchers. Even the pilots required help to reach the terminal building. I was fit, did not lose my body balance, all due to the blessing of Mr. Hill.  Mr Hill was our sports teacher in school. In his younger days he was a famous footballer & hockey player in Calcutta league, which was class by itself in British India. He was an Anglo-Indian and because of his Calcutta connections he loved the Bengali boys, which included me. He used to speak to us in broken Bengali. Hill sir believed that to play any field game one needs a good training in the basics of gymnastics. In the missionary college that I went to next same philosophy prevailed. In UK the club that i played hockey for had a well-equipped gym, which I fully utilized to maintain supreme fitness. The above info explains what factors played when my own life, and the life of twenty other passengers and six cabin crew including that of the two pilots were saved.

I returned with the Fellowship degree of FFIMS after a month. When I reached home in Agartala after a month, there was a neat little note waiting for me. It was from the two pilots thanking me for saving their plane and the lives of 28 passengers and six crew members. I wrote back saying that thanks should go to my late teacher Mr Hill who gave me the will to develop the strong body and mind.

It is 44 years now, I still wake up at night sweaty and restless, with nightmares of the incident. Nobody even in nightmares, likes the thought of dying in a crash and getting burnt in gasoline. The recent MH370 incident reminded me how close we came to be a missing plane.

P.S. It is nearly 44yrs since the episode occurred;  factual mistakes are inevitable--my apology.

Rathin Datta, FRCS (England, Edinburgh & Glasgow).FFIMS (Athens) 

Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist

Padmashree Awardee, winner of the Bangladesh liberation war honour 

To send your appreciation and comments pl. send email to editor@tripurainfoway.com or tripurainfoway@gmail.com  or Post Online