Akshay Kumar’s recent film Airlift, directed by Raja Krishna Menon, is based on the biggest evacuation of Indians based in Kuwait during the Gulf War. Kumar recently posted videos of three individuals who were there during this mass evacuation that took place from August 2, 1990 to February 28, 1991.
Michael Mascarenhas, Regional Director Gulf and Middle East, Air India
In the year 1990, Michael was in Bahrain. What should have been the end of a busy night turned out to be horrific as he was woken up by the ‘insistent ringing’ of the telephone. Once he did pick up the phone, all he heard from the upset voice on the line was ‘planes, guns, tanks’ after which, the line got disconnected. He then realised it was his manager in Kuwait.
Something had gone dreadfully wrong. And in about 48 hours time, it was established very clearly that the Iraqis had moved in, a sudden lightening of vicious attack to occupy the country.
The first empty flight that came from Bombay was filled with around 380 people and sent back to Bombay. With over 1,75,000 Indians living in Kuwait, around 1,30,000 people were carried by Air India from Oman to various parts of India.
Michael says the biggest reward was seeing the smile on the face of the relieved passengers as they boarded the flight.
Joanita Figredo, Nurse at the Jara Hospital on the Iraq-Kuwait Border
Figredo was in charge of the ICU during the night shift of the hospital where she worked, when she found out that the Iraqis have invaded. By 5 am, the Iraqi soldiers invaded the ICU and asked her to disconnect all Kuwaiti patients. The Iraqi soldiers asked to take in their fighters, who she remembers being as young as 14 years old. When recalling that dreadful night of disconnecting certain patients, she said:
It was a decision which, till today took me a long time to come to terms with.
When she landed in Bombay, she never thought she would hug strangers and kiss the land of safety, but she did.
Moortuza Borsadi, Then 15, Saw War & Terror Like No Other
Moortuza recollects the day he heard helicopters soaring over his house when he went to the terrace. Over 50 choppers were flying by with the Iraqi flag attached to them. Shocked and missing the presence of his father, who was in India at the time, he said:
Nobody had a clue that Iraq would one fine day invade Kuwait and have it shut down.
An immense loss to his family and all Indian families working in Kuwait to provide for their families, Moortuza says it took him more than a week to finally reach India.
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