Over the last 48 hours, the one name on all of India’s conscience is IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The man, who stood tall and proud, and seemingly remained calm even while captive in Pakistan, has won hearts all over.
Varthaman returned home from Pakistan on Friday, 1 March, to a hero's welcome. He crossed the Attari-Wagah border, almost three days after he was captured. The IAF pilot was handed over at 9.20 pm and was received by a team of the Indian Air Force.
Ahead of his release by Pakistan, a very moving poem lauding the IAF pilot’s ‘utmost grace and poise’ in the face of danger and an uncertain future is doing the rounds on social media.
Penned by Bengaluru-based Varun Ramachandran, the poem ‘My Brother With a Bloodied Nose’ celebrates the IAF pilot’s resilience. It reads:
“My brother with a bloodied nose,
An officer and gentleman.
Landed across the Line of Control today.
Ejecting after doing the best he can.
They caught him on their land and then,
Thrashed him like perhaps any of us would.
Till the army stepped in and dispersed them.
And rescued him while they could.
They asked him who he was and he said,
With poise and utmost grace.
A flying pilot of the Indian Air Force.
Battered, bruised, but with a proud face.
If only the general public could,
Muster a milligram of the same poise.
And realise that their war drum beating.
Is a ridiculous dangerous noise.
My brother with a bloodied nose,
He stood there firm and tall.
And smiled in the face of his captors.
And taught us the biggest lesson of them all.
That bravery is not ordered online,
Does not ship overnight on Amazon Prime.
Tis not the moment for jingoism and memes.
For armchair aggro tis not the time.
My brother with a bloodied nose,
Thank you for your dedication and verve.
Your class and bravery I fear though,
Is a little more than some of us deserve.
For those whose fury takes wing today,
Who have no idea what it's like.
To parachute into enemy territory,
Taking a hit in a combat strike.
My brother with a bloodied nose,
you've taught a lesson to us all.
You can bail out of an aircraft at high speed,
And yet to lows never fall.
And keep your cheer and character in times,
Of uncertainty in the face of death.
And learn again to behave as human beings,
If we only would our conscience let.
My brother with a bloodied nose.
Keep your chin up, enjoy the brew.
A salute to your sacrifice today and forever.
Hold on a while, we're coming to get you.
My brother with a bloodied nose.
The bison who took on the sun.
Here's to you and all those that stand guard for us.
Nabah Sparsam Diptam.”
What made Ramachandran write a poem on Wing Commander Abhinandan? In an interaction with The Quint, he said:
“The poise and the grace of Wing Commander Abhinandan in the face of extreme adversity struck a chord. It made me wonder if we had a collective responsibility to view an issue as grave as war through a more logical lens. The poem is an ode to him and a gentle reminder to us all (including myself) that the dignity of our opinions is non negotiable and we could all work towards a more tolerant expression of our views, however polarising they may be.”
Interestingly, the poem is also being wrongly attributed to Abhinandan’s sister ‘Aditi’ on social media. However, while several people have called this out, Ramachandran is not too worried. All he is really concerned about is that the family is not “hounded for a quote/byte on this.”
“They deserve our respect and the issue the piece talks about is more important than claiming credit for it. I'm happy if it made a small contribution towards shaping tolerant, constructive and empathetic talk and discussion,” he said.
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