SOLVE CROSSWORD PUZZLES EASILY LIKE A CHAMPION

 HOW TO SOLVE A CROSSWORD WITH EASE

Got stuck while solving a Crossword Puzzle? And then feel insecure watching others apparently run through the cryptic clues without breaking into a sweat…Relax, here is a guide to solving all crossword puzzles like a literate Don!

Cryptic crosswords originated in the UK ~1923. A cryptic crossword is a crossword puzzle in which each clue is a word puzzle in and of itself. Cryptic crosswords are particularly popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, and in several Commonwealth nations, including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, and South Africa. In the United States, cryptic puzzles are sometimes known as "British-style" crosswords. Enough of this intro. 

We all know what a puzzle looks like. It is usually set on a scrabble board, with certain provisos. The top first quarter must be the mirror image of the bottom fourth quarter. It is the same with the top 2nd quarter and the lower 3rd quarter.  I have included 8 Down as an example of a clue is a word puzzle in and of itself. A quick glance at the package of clues below reveals: Members of the family are out, I stress (7). The solution will be a 7-letter word that means 'members of a family'; 'are out' indicates that there is an anagram or reworking of 'I stress.' SISTERS is an easy solution.

You do not need to be a wizard at vocabulary, nor do you need to be a spelling Bee. The crossword will add one word to your vocab every time you solve one and improve your spelling immeasurably. But you do have to think out of the box. The setters are devious people and you need to approach them with devious intent.

1		2		3			4	5		6		7		8 S
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9							10							S
						11								T
12									13					E
								14						R
15					16							17		S
				18
19											20			21
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23		24					25
						26
27									28
29									30

 Now for the clues:

 

Start  with the anagrams. You may recognise many others as you glance over them, but let them be for Round 2.

Abbreviations: Certain words have abbreviations in jargon or slang. Some examples are as follows:   Doctor: md/dr; Sailor: ab; American soldier: gi; silent/soft: p or b; very silent or very soft: pp or bb; time: era/eon/age;Shakespeare:bard; owe: iou; ?/!: something unusual.  We'll keep learning as we go along. Remember, each clue is a word puzzle in and of itself. In effect, there will be two clues in what you first see as a single clue.

Across: 12,23,25,29; Down: 8,14,17.

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12.It’s eaten as an aperitif(8). An eight letter word, as seen (8). ANISETTE is close to an aperitif. 

23.Drunken RAF ace holds it for a drink.(6) Drunken is a clue for anagram. The solution is something from the words RAF & ACE that can hold a drink: CARAFE

25.I covered for one who may have deserted her husband.(8) may have is a clue for anagram. There you go: DIVORCEE

29. It’s a tree used in a composition(8) Composition is both tip-off and solution. TREATISE

Down

8. Members of a family are out, I stress.  SISTERS --Please see the 1st diagram. This square is missing.

14. He takes little pleasure from organising ice acts.(7) ASCETIC

17. A rich man’s form of lawlessness(9). ANARCHISM

You do get some letters slotted. They will help later.

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 Across --4: Scanning the books for money owing on the horses. Whenever ‘owe’ features, rest assured that IOU will form part of the solution. The solution is an adjective, so expect an S. IOUS. Horses/ scanning give you stud farm and studying. So: STUDIOUS.

13. Disinclined to write an article on poetry(6) , ending in E. The only articles possible are A/AN.

Poetry: VERSES  Soln: AVERSE

30. Let pass(6). Soln is a synonym for BOTH let and pass, with an M as 4^th letter. PERMIT.

Down—6. Labour in a manner of speaking. Here, labour is a part clue. Manner of speaking= delivery. Women’s labour, when about to deliver. DELIVERY

7. Do come up with our bouquet. DO come up=OD, add OUR, ODOUR. 

Now for the next lot:

11. Surprise opening by the French. Opening-synonym is start. French ‘the’ is always le. So, STARTLE a synonym of surprise.

21. Is tense (7) Tense can be anxious or present/past/future. PRESENT.

22. In a European, it is courteous. We have O & E. IT goes into some European and we get a synonym of courteous. Polite? POLE is a Polish citizen. Put IT in and get POLITE.

24. Loot includes stock (5), starting with R and ending with E. RIFLE.

26. Examination success for soft headed dunce. Soft is B/P. Dunce=Ass. P on ASS=PASS.

2. Blooming good example of self interest (9) The I-S-S give us a clue. And Trump has often been described so. NARCISSUS. It is also a rather rare flower.

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 Now for the tricky ones.

Across:

10. Sore times for ships(8). Times could be ERAS, AGES, etc. The one we want is EONS. One synonym for sore is GALL. GALLEONS, ships of times gone by.

9. One hundred  in  a capital city said to be poor. This is a brilliant brain teaser. One hundred is 1C or IC. Capital city is York or New York. IC can fit only as YORICK. Yorick is the famous skull in Hamlet, which the prince takes from a gravedigger and says: “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well.”

Kiss is good.

Down:

1.  A heavenly spree?(7) The ? suggests some jiggery pokery. SKY suggests itself as heavenly. LARK is the closest one gets to a spree. So, SKYLARK.

3. Firework lecture (6) Only ROCKET fits this one. Lecture would then mean a disciplinary talk.

18. Invite trouble because of appearance in a satirical show(3,3,2). Invite=ASK; Satirical show = SKIT. There is an overlap here, because we know inviting trouble is asking for it. ASK FOR IT.

19. Simple: BACK OUT

Across:

1.We have SENTRY. Apparently, half of us is S, on door =entry, so SENTRY. A default soln.

20. Doctor is DR/MB/MD/GP. We already have _A_P. Here we have morning AM in GP, GAMP. Gamp is an acronym related to the medical world.

Down:

I know the soln is TEAR, but can’t reason why. Looks like A drops into TER, where TER is an abbreviation for total expense ratio. 

 

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 There you go, the crossword done and dusted.

Let’s look at another. Here are the clues:

Let’s first look at the anagrams.

Yellow highlighting for the letters, Green for the hint, Blue for the clue.

Across: 18,27,28

Down: 1,3,7,8,14,

Across: 18. Sort of roll, A-E, etc? (9) ELECTORAL (roll)

27. Cast in a very bad shape (7) SATANIC

28. Organise a gay reel with zest (7) EAGERLY

Down 1. Sweet courses prepared (7) SUCROSE

3. Spider natural at spinning (9) TARANTULA

7. Add to the confusion of the general (7) ENLARGE

8. Rude tot has to be made to be taught. (7) TUTORED

14. Act I lines sadly lacking in flexibility (9) INELASTIC

 

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 A quick look shows that there was little to gain.

Now for some others:

Across: 15,16,24,26

15. Consented to give up a vice (5) Consented=Agreed. Remove A: leaves GREED  the vice!

16. Where men fought in an era that was backward. Where men fought? Ring-no; field? No; theatre? No; arena? Possibly. So read backwards, get ARENA

24. There’s pure chaos starting a tunnel to break out (5) ERUPT

26. Daughter of Minos gives a song with close backing(7) Daughter of Minos was Ariadne.

Song-ARIA. Close=end, backing, i.e. reverse END to DNE. ARIADNE.

Down: 16,17,20

16. Charming things to wear(7) Plural. Amulet is a charm. AMULETS

17. Make the most of an adventure(7) EXPLOIT

20. Gamble a great deal on a patched up tyre. A great deal=LOT; tyre=TERY; LOTTERY. Plenty of hints with blanks filled.

 

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 So much easier now, with letters in place. Take 1 Across.

Wreck that's broken up, with little hesitation (7). Little hesitation is 'ER'. That's broken up=SHATT. So, SHATTER.

9 Across: Made provisional arrangements(7). Past tense, so ending is D. C_ _ _ _

R_D. Arranged provisions(food, etc.) 

11. Giant group of stars (5) O_ _ _ N = ORION. The book says:"Orion is one of the most conspicuous constellations and contains many bright stars."

23. Advantage of having a superior worker (5,4). Superior =higher/better/upper/ Only UPPER fits 5 letter word. Worker=ANT/HAND/ Logically, UPPER HAND. The U,P & A fit in.

Down: 

2. A great step forward in equestrian posture, A_T_I_ _  Step forward=STRIDE. ASTRIDE.

4. Added recommendation for a jockey (5) Remember theorems in Geometry? They usually had a rider. Meets requirement for a Jockey.

15. Swelling body of people(9) G_T_R_I_G =GATHERING

19. Nearer the circle or up beneath (7) R_U_D_R = ROUNDER

23. D_A_E, Bowler. DRAKE

Across:

12. Official record holder (9) Begins with R. ends with R. Hence human person, a records keeper, or REGISTRAR.

13. Performance of capital detachment(9) Here Capital =Head. Hence EXECUTION, which also means performance. And detachment of the head. 

25. I am uppermost in his thoughts(7) E_O_ _ _T  =EGOTIST

22 DOWN becomes REIGN.

Almost there!

6 Down should be SNAPS: It means both breaks up and photos.  

That gives us 5 Across: French currency included cents. DESCENT

Which leads to 5 Down, DILIGENCE

which takes us to 10 Across: LEAFLET

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QED.

DO THE DEFENCE FORCES RUN INDIAN DEMOCRACY?

 SOLDIERS TO THE RESCUE

Response of Mr Sugandha Thakran to an article in the Print Media.

Mr Hansraj Bhat remarked recently in the Economic Times of Mumbai that India is probably the first nation to be democratically run by an army. This was no satirical or spoof piece. “This army has taken over the nation without a coup” he says, “They ensure that elections are held without fear. They are fighting on the borders, fighting insurgency (police work) within the borders, handling floods, earthquakes, tsunamis (all civil work), finishing stadiums and even winning medals. They run some of the best schools, and medical and engineering colleges.” He adds, “Indian troops are always in demand for UN operations. Their cantonments are like Singapore and Shanghai. Last but not least, their ‘betis’ dominate Bollywood and beauty contests.” This gush of adulation is not an isolated instance. In the recent past, the Indian citizen has awoken anew to the realisation of the worth of its Armed Forces. The triggering factor this time was the ‘dance of death’ of the river Mandakini at Kedarnath.

With graphic images flashing horror from every media, it is out there to see how much soldiers on foot and the angels of mercy from the skies are doing to alleviate the suffering of the distressed people of Kedarnath. Strong men in olive green fashion bridges and pulleys and stretchers from available resources and carry victims to safer ground, where other teams in the same uniform perform first aid and more, under makeshift tents. Constant sorties by the men in blue bring in vital supplies and carry out evacuation of the critically injured and deceased. Several pictures brought out of the calamity-struck region show army men carrying out two or even three survivors on their shoulders and in their arms. The common feature in each of these pictures is the expression of utter gratitude in the faces of those being rescued. It is an infectious gratitude which transmits through the media to every man in every part of the country…….for each of them shudders to think of a time when he might need the help of these heroes. But then the boss calls or the child’s teacher sends a note and the daily mundane pushes out thoughts of the troubles and bravery of fellow men hundreds of kilometers away.

“I have participated in three rescue operations in my service career” says a young army major, “but the limelight goes off like a fused bulb the moment the crisis is over. I feel like a fool quoting any of those missions to anyone outside the establishment. Civilians think I’m trying to curry favours by telling them what a hero I am. So we just keep our stories to ourselves to swap over drinks some evening.” While the more vulnerable states in the north of the country seem more sensitive to the value of the defense services, there does seem to be a more cool reaction in the south. “I was on temporary duty in Bangalore” says an officer posted in the city, “and I got lost in their infernal one ways. When I was stopped by a policeman and told him that I’m from the army and on TD, he fined me anyway saying I should be an example to the civilians. That would never have happened in any city in the north. Not that I’m asking for any rules to be broken for me, but it’s just the attitude which conveys so much.”

This mood swing of the common man does not seem to dampen the zeal of these men and women in uniform, though. A lady doctor in the army revealed, “It’s not practical to expect undying gratitude from everyone we serve. The career I have chosen is a demanding one on many levels. I’m a doctor, which in itself is a calling of a lifetime. To top it, I’m in the military, which has its own demands and pressures. If I torture myself over why everyone doesn’t extend constant affirmation to me, I’ll go over the edge. I do my little bit in my own little way and carry on. I’m just a speck in a giant structure which does more good than anyone realises.” Her sentiments are echoed by a senior officer in the Air Force. He says “We have carried out countless rescue and relief operations in the years since India’s independence. Unlike the Army, the Air Force does not have much direct contact with civilians during operations. Yet we are aware that it is for the man in the streets that we exist. We are here to keep them safe, in peace time as well as in war. That they don’t give two hoots doesn’t change our job or our passion for it. That’s what makes being in the military so noble….almost religious.”

So does the common man really care about the men in uniform in times of peace? Or is he more influenced by the many allegations and taints that have marred the image of the defense services recently? Does he think (heroic rescues aside) that he is entitled to the ‘truth’? In response to that quest, the words of Col. Nathan R. Jessup from the movie ‘A Few Good Men’ seem apt… “We live in a world that has walls and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You?!.....I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom…..You curse the Army. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That a man in my command’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives, and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives……You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about in parties, you want me on that wall. You NEED me on that wall. We use words like honour, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch-line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said ‘Thank you’ and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”

 

INDIAN AIR FORCE TO THE FORE AGAIN: OPERATION KABUL

SUPERB EVACUATION PROCESS FROM AFGHANISTAN:
BOUQUETS FOR THE IAF

THE TALE OF SHIRIN PATHARE, AGM SECURITY, AIR INDIA KABUL, EVACUEE

'When I stepped on Indian soil, I lay down on the ground and kissed my homeland.'

PRELUDE

For the last one week since 18 August, we are seeing the Indian Air Force planes bringing Indians out from Kabul, stranded in Afghanistan.  It sounds very easy to see people arriving in India and hear stories, but we should also understand how much hard work is done by the IAF and the diplomacy of the Indian government that is going into this task. 

We do not have any direct air-route to go to Afghanistan. The shortest route is through Pakistan, but, as always, Pakistan is a big hurdle in this.  That's why Indian planes have to take a longer route and go via Iran and one has pay heavy costs for flying over any country and using their Airport. Each sortie runs into lakhs of rupees.

For this, GoI first obtained approval from Iran for using its airspace for IAF aircraft.  Getting this approval was not such an easy task because no country allows its airspace to another country and that too for a military aircraft.  But the Indian government was successful in getting this permission from Iran at very steep charges. Even after obtaining this permission, there was another issue that Indian planes could not land directly at  Kabul Airport.  This is because India's relations with Taliban have never been good. Therefore, the Indian government could not rely on the Taliban enough to keep the IAF plane safe while parked there for a long time.  Moreover, in view of the chaos and huge crowds at Kabul Airport, it was not possible for Indian planes to remain there for long.  To solve this problem, the Government of India found another way.  For this, it made arrangements with the airport of Kazakhstan, Afghanistan’s neighbour on its north-east.  Once again Indian diplomacy was successful and the IAF got permission to use Kazakhstan airport, again involving huge costs.

GOI also had another problem at hand, of how to transport Indians to Kabul airport because after its capture by the Taliban fighters, they had set up numerous check posts & barricades at many places and they not only searched every person minutely but also harassed them on the way to  Kabul airport. It was not possible for Indians officials to gather evacuees at Kabul airport for long duration due to the chaos at Kabul airport.

Eventually the Indian authorities found a solution for this too.  They arranged a large garage near the Kabul airport, where they could assemble and house around 150-200 Indians at one time.

Now, Indians are first gathered in the garage everyday and this work of gathering Indians goes on day and night.  For this, the Indian officers themselves take their cars and reach the place where the Indians are staying and bring the evacuees along with them to the garage adjacent to the Kabul airport, while struggling & bearing the heckling of the Talibanis at the numerous check posts on the way.  When enough Indians have been gathered in the garage, the information is passed on to the Indian Air Force officers stationed in Kazakhstan and the US officials stationed at Kabul Airport.  It is noteworthy that the ATS control and security control of Kabul Airport is still in the hands of the US Army. After this, clearance is given by the US Army to land the IAF aircraft at Kabul; it flies from Kazakhstan to Kabul Airport. By the time IAF plane reaches Kabul, all the Indians from the garage reach inside the airport in the US Army vehicles. They are immediately taken into the IAF plane and within 15 minutes, the aircraft starts its journey back to India, again via Iran with the rescued Indians onboard.

The IAF has once again come to the rescue of stranded Indian people as well as those of numerous countries in an exemplary manner. It has shown the world why it is so highly rated. It is terrifying to think of what could have happened in Taliban controlled Afghanistan had they not evacuated people amidst extraordinary hostility. We salute them!

THE STORY

On August 15, when Kabul fell to the Taliban, Shirin Pathare was on the tarmac of the airport seeing off an Air India flight to India. Little did he know what was to follow. In his own words:

I reached Kabul for the first time in October 2020. It was chilly weather and I could see icy mountains. People were very nice and everything was so good for me because I was the security head for Air India's Kabul flights. It was a very important posting for me.

A month after my reaching Kabul the peace talks between the Afghan government, the Taliban, the US, Turkey and Qatar got derailed. Around that time news came in that all American forces will withdraw from Afghanistan from May 2021. There was not much violence in Afghanistan then except sporadic incidents. The only incident of violence I recall was when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan came to Kabul in the last week of November. After he left, there were explosions in Kabul. I was traveling on a tricycle rickshaw at that time and saw rocket launchers being used openly. I saw 24 rockets launched in front of me. I could not believe the daring of the attackers.

By February the Indian embassy in Kabul issued a no-go alert to Indians living in Afghanistan -- asking us not to travel at night or travel to unsafe locations -- due to an increase in kidnapping incidents.

The Biden administration's announcement that the US forces would leave Afghanistan by August 31, 2021 aggravated the violence from the Taliban side. The violence started in March and it was brutal. In May, the Taliban surrounded Kandahar. They surrounded the city from all sides and cut off the supply routes by road. This led to food shortages, leading to the Afghan forces' surrender.

The Taliban followed this up in Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif. When they captured Mazar-e-Sharif we realised that Kabul would be next as it is only 425 km away. On Eid I saw rocket launchers being aimed at the location where President Ashraf Ghani was attending prayers.

On July 29, I lost my father in Mumbai. After the last rites, I went back to Kabul on August 12. When I arrived in Kabul, my friends asked why I had returned. I said it was my duty to come back. If I didn't return, who would operate the Air India flights in Kabul? On August 13 and 14, the Air India flights were full. On August 15, I called my wife and children and wished them Happy Independence Day.

At 11 am, a colleague came rushing in. He said the Taliban were only 11 km away from Kabul airport. I was leaving home and till this day I wonder why I did not take my passport with me to work that day. If I had taken it along, I would have been in India on August 15 itself.

On August 15, AI 244 -- the Air India flight from Kabul to New Delhi -- had a full load of 160 passengers. I realised only 35 passengers had checked in. Slowly, more passengers started coming in and soon there were 100 more passengers. One of my colleagues showed me a video on his phone. In the video, I could see the building where I stayed under attack. The Taliban had surrounded the building.

I knew I could not show my distress to the passengers. I am the security chief and I had to put up a brave front. I asked all my staff not to see videos on their mobiles. All mobiles were to be switch off. 31 passengers could not reach Kabul airport for the flight. I told the flight commander about the situation. He told me to leave Afghanistan without my passport. I said, 'No.'

He asked, 'Why not?' I told him I had seen Kaala Pathar in my childhood. In the movie there is a scene where Amitabh Bachchan, the captain of his ship, abandons it to reach safety. When he gets up the next morning, he sees the ship is intact. He is dismissed from service and lives all his life in guilt. I told the Air India captain that I do not want to live in guilt. I told him I don't want to be called a bhagoda (coward) all my life.

'Aagey aap ki marzi (as you wish),' the flight commander said. If there is a God, I responded, then he will save me.

Qatar Airways, Pakistan International Airlines, another small PIA plane were all on the tarmac, but were not taking off as they had not got the green light. Qatar Air was a full flight and was waiting for three hours on the tarmac with 300 passengers inside the plane. I wondered what was wrong, why were these flights not taking off? Luckily, by 4.30 pm, the Air India flight got the chance to take off from Kabul airport. And this was the last flight to take off that time.

I did not leave the airport till I saw the Air India flight up in the air over Kabul. Within minutes of the Air India flight taking off, Taliban fighters reached Kabul airport. Firing started. At 5 pm, the message came that nobody could leave the airport. Worse, our driver abandoned the car and fled. All our friends at the airport too disappeared within minutes.

Luckily, I met a protocol officer of the Indian embassy at the airport. He too was stuck in the melee. He called the embassy. We managed to arrange a bullet-proof car. I told the driver not to stop anywhere and drive to the Indian embassy which was only five km from the airport. When we reached the Green Zone, which is always heavily guarded as most embassies of the world are located in Kabul, it had no guards. There was no one. It was 6.30 pm. I decided to go back home in Kabul and pick up my passport. I wanted my passport because it had American, Canadian and UK visas. To get those visas again would be a big problem. I arranged for another car with the help of an Indian friend. He arranged for a car with three Afghan locals. One was from Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif.

At 7.30 pm, I entered my building. The owner of the flat told me the Taliban would enter any moment and I would have to vacate immediately. He gave me 15 minutes time to pack up and leave. I left most of my luggage behind and exited. At that time, the coordination between my heart and mind had stopped functioning. I was numb. I could see Taliban on the streets. People were running on the roads with household supplies. I asked my driver what are they taking. The Afghans told me to keep shut and not open my mouth till we reached the Indian embassy.

I prayed to God, my mother and my kuldevi. My blood pressure started shooting up. Our car was stopped by the Taliban outside the Canadian embassy. There were 15 of them. They had guns and rocket launchers. It was 8.30 pm. I took my wife and children's photograph out of my pocket. I felt perhaps this would be the last time I would see them. I was not scared of the Taliban, I was more worried about the ISI. I felt what happened to Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui could happen to me. The three Afghans whom my Indian friend had sent along with me were messengers of God for me.

They spoke to the Taliban and did some smooth talking. It was dark so the Taliban could not see our faces.Since it was dark the Taliban soldiers did not find out I was Indian. The car halted for 20 minutes and every second was a matter of life and death for all of us. I sat still. I thought each breath would be my last breath.

While talking to the Afghans, a Taliban fired in the air. I thought this is it, my life is over. The driver then got out and started speaking to the Taliban. Luckily, at that very moment, a top Taliban commander's convoy was approaching the area. All of a sudden, the Taliban uttered one word in Pashto, which I will remember all my life: 'Burro'. It means 'go away.' Without wasting a second, we left for the Indian embassy.

I ate dinner at the embassy and tried to sleep, but could not sleep. I didn't know at that time that one more huge hurdle was left for me before reaching India. On August 16, we stayed in the embassy. The Taliban created a hostage kind of situation where no one could enter the embassy and no one could leave the embassy. We thought we were going to be stuck in the embassy and there was no way we would leave Kabul until a new government was formed.

I called my family on August 16 and told them that I was alive and not to worry. There were roughly 150 Indians in the embassy on August 16. At 9.30 pm on August 16, the embassy got a message from the Taliban that they would let us travel to Kabul airport. By 10 pm, we got ready to leave. The Taliban looked at us as if we were specimens from another planet. Four vehicles with Taliban escorted us. One was a pilot vehicle, another vehicle was in between, the others were behind our convoy.

There were 20 Land Cruisers and 150 Indians had to fit in them. It is a 20 minute drive from the Indian embassy to Kabul airport, but it took us five hours to reach that night.It was the worst journey of my life. Every now and then, Afghans used to jump on our convoy and the Taliban escorting us started firing in the air to disperse the crowds. I have no idea whether they were good Taliban or bad Taliban, but they were very nice to us.

After 2 am, we reached Kabul airport. We entered through the Turkish gate and not through the normal gate where Afghans were gathered in huge numbers. They wanted to escape Kabul, but could not do so because the airport was closed. The Taliban escort handed us over to the Turkish soldiers guarding the Kabul airport. The Turks screened us and handed us over to the Americans. The Americans again screened us and took us to the tarmac. Around 3.30 am we reached the US air force base within Kabul airport.

The Indian ambassador to Afghanistan had a meeting with American military officers. The Indian Air Force plane landed at 4 am in Kabul. We started boarding the flight. The Americans told us that all Indians must leave Kabul airport by 6 am. Hats off to the Indian government and its planning on how they evacuated us from Kabul. Everything was planned to precision.

When our flight took off from Kabul, there were moist eyes all around. Everybody was very emotional because they had lived to see another day. The flight flew over Tajikistan, over Iran, before arriving at Jamnagar in Gujarat. We took off from Kabul at 5.50 am and reached Jamnagar at 11.30 am IST.

When the IAF pilot told us that we were going to land at Jamnagar, the first thought that came to my mind was astronaut Rakesh Sharma's reply to Indira Gandhi from space: 'Saare Jahan Se Accha, Hindustan Hamara'. When I stepped on Indian soil, I lay down on the ground and kissed my homeland.

'My country, my India,' I said.