=========================================================== WHAT'S ON IN GOA: * Oct 12: Goa State Strings Orchestra performs at Kala Academy (Corelli, Bach) * Nov 29-Dec 1: Plant Utsav 2k2 at Panjim (demo, contest, sale of plants) ===========================================================
Pilot's family leaves for cremation in Goa Sridhar Kumaraswami, New Delhi * Oct 1 HT LUNCH WAS about to be laid out at the Dutta household when the news of the mid-air collision of the two IL38 reconnaisance aircraft of the Indian Navy in Goa flashed across television screens. At first, there was no reaction. But as the flickering images of the debris came into focus, Saroj Dutta just sank into the nearest chair while her husband KK Dutta moved closer to the television. "Arre, that is Sonu's plaine," she cried. Just then the phone rang. It was a long-distance call from Goa. It confirmed the worst fears of the retired couple. Their elder son Lt Cdr Sanjeev Kumar Dutta was flying one of the ill-fated aircraft. Saroj had remembered the aircraft that her naval aviator son used to fly. Even as relatives and friends kept pouring in to console the couple, they recalled the last time they had seen him on television. "Those were happier times. Sanjeev was leading the Indian Navy contingent at the Republic Day parade," recalled his younger brother Rohit. Lt Cdr Sanjeev Dutta had last visited Delhi in April this year. "The Naval authorities are planning to do the cremation in Goa tomorrow. So we are leaving right away in a special defence aircraft," Rohit said. Meanwhile, in Goa, Lt Cdr Dutta's three-month pregnant wife, Supriya, has reportedly been put on sedatives as she has not yet been able to accept the news of the tragedy. The Dutta household in Mayur Vihar was full of neighbours and relatives by the end of the day. "He had always wanted to become a Naval Aviator and when he got his commission in 1991, it was a long-standing dream come true for him," said Rohit, a businessman. He had been posted to Goa about two years ago. (ENDS) =================================================================== To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e-mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead! ===================================================================