He loved model planes and aero modeling

Here is the fifteenth unforgettable character in my life …

The young man was an Engineer, his hobby was aero-modeling which got him a huge fan following. He was also a Management Trainee and took the initiative to organize cultural programs of the Officers club. But, behind his outward appearances, there lurked a hesitant attitude. He was one of the privileged classes and, in the seventies there were a limited number of such individuals - unlike today when one takes pride in announcing that he belongs to so-and-so-community; he was uncomfortable in any group. He always felt that since he was a branded person; everyone was passing unkind remarks behind his back. He suffered from a complex of sorts.

His hobby was flying remote controlled aircraft models on Sunday mornings in the Stadium complex. This made him a darling of young girls – they would keep him company and watch wonder eyed as he readied the model, placed it on the ground and withdraw to a distance with his control box. Once the model got airborne, he would use the hand held controls to perform wonderful aerobatics. It was thus that he got involved with a school girl.
When the girl’s brothers learnt of this (they were three toughies!), they seized the opportunity to force the boy into marriage. They knew that he had a bright future in the organization and the brothers loved the catch for their sister. But, the young man found the going tough.
He longed for an escape route. He took a transfer to another unit to be away from the circle of known persons. Once there, he cut off all past links and built up new ones. The last I heard of him, he had settled down in Australia. He must have found the Australian society down South more accommodative than the Indian one.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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