That exquisite square-drive off Roberts executed going down on a knee ... timeless and heavenly ... I will take that to my grave. M P Anil Kumar on the one-man cavalry that was Kris Srikkanth.
On World Disability Day, in the presence of 150 differently abled soldiers, Lieutenant General P M Hariz, the Southern Army Commander, honoured the late Rediff.com columnist Flying Officer M P Anil Kumar.
M P Anil Kumar explains how the world could possibly resolve the Syrian crisis, and also protect oppressed peoples all over.
That Lieutenant Colonel Brahmanand Avasthy deserved a gallantry medal for his conspicuous bravery is unarguable, but his valour went unrecognised. M P Anil Kumar salutes an Indian hero on the 50th anniversary of his martyrdom.
Adapting to disability is perhaps one of the greatest triumphs of human evolution. Flight Cadet Herojit Rajkumar Singh is a living example of it, notes M P Anil Kumar.
This edition of Wimbledon is certain to serve up a treat. And like any feast, it will throw up few upsets too, says M P Anil Kumar
This edition of Wimbledon is certain to serve up a treat. And like any feast, it will throw up few upsets too, says M P Anil Kumar
Fifty years ago this day, October 23, Subedar Joginder Singh began the battle of his life. On learning that Joginder Singh was a Param Vir Chakra awardee, the People's Liberation Army, in a mark of respect for which the Chinese are not renowned, repatriated his ashes with full military honours. No tribute can be greater than an avowal of valour by the enemy. M P Anil Kumar pays tribute to one of India's brave heroes.
China declared a ceasefire on November 21 and kept Aksai Chin as its trophy. The sinews of the IAF were not muscular enough to retake Aksai Chin. What matters is what we have done since 1962. Air-minded, we are, but are we strong-minded? asks M P Anil Kumar.
With Laxman unpadding, looks like cricket has seen the last of the touch artistes, says M P Anil Kumar.
The Maldives will be the nucleus of future security order in the Indian Ocean. Patently the Maldivians will have to migrate before the portended watery grave. Given what could happen by 2100, it is imperative for India to act in good faith, and also with an eye on our national interest. India should offer Maldives statehood within our Union.
In spite of being plagued by a variety of insurgencies over six decades, India has resolutely stuck to a counterinsurgency paradigm of proportionate force. We should stick with it, and not call in the heavy artillery or warplanes, says former IAF fighter pilot M P Anil Kumar.
'The 67 sorties mounted from Jamnagar broke the Portuguese's will to fight, the army columns advanced unresisted, and the Portuguese threw in the towel. The formal surrender took place about midday on December 19.' M P Anil Kumar on the liberation of Goa, Daman and Diu 50 years ago.
Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is the only Indian Air Force warrior to be decorated with the Param Vir Chakra. 'My admiration for his gallant action remains undiminished,' says M P Anil Kumar. 'It was not his day, yet he made it his own.'
Any nation that yearns to fulfil the aspirations of its people needs two emotional nutrients: Sense of pride and sense of shame. Wonder whether the sight of military veterans protesting governmental injustice will prick the national conscience, asks M P Anil Kumar.
'Very few things have given me greater joy than watching/hearing Gavaskar take on some of the fastest bowlers the game has seen, with guts, without the now ubiquitous helmet, says M P Anil Kumar.
The ICC's decision to trim the number of contestants at the World Cup to ten says M P Anil Kumar is like a line commentators often spew forth: Brilliant shot, but straight to the fielder.
'Think big, go for it big from the beginning itself, stay focussed, dodge distractions; national interest is supreme; never forget your roots and sacrifices of your forebears. Yes, in life, be on the front foot, always.'
'Initially the ad-breaks were strictly adhered to: In between overs, during drinks-break and dismissal of a batsman. Then the ad time increased, and cricket became what you saw between ads,' says M P Anil Kumar.
One can only hope that the defence minister will goad the lazybones and will infuse much-needed urgency, energy, purpose and direction to our military space programme.
The AWACS is set to redefine battlefield surveillance, and will totally revolutionise the way IAF operates.
A young school boy is enraptured by tales of Brazilian soccer magic and falls in love with the joga bonito -- the beautiful game and the men in yellow. M P Anil Kumar travels back in time.
Will only a Kargil-like bombshell goad the languid government into reforming the defence set-up?
The ties we fostered at NDA were borne out of enduring hardship together, ours are 24-carat bonds that would easily pass the test of time and trials. This camaraderie is the most perdurable gift of NDA.
Instead of summoning President Zardari to Washington to read the Riot Act, President Obama should have visited Pakistan, conversed directly with the people of Pakistan.
Pakistan pocketed a cool $953 million cheque while the American establishment still appears to be dim-witted about perceiving the Pakistan army's skullduggery.
In a four-part series, M P Anil Kumar, a former Indian Air Force fighter pilot, looks at the lawless Afghan-Pak region.
As for the Kargil martyrs, the lives of their kith and kin were dashed to pieces for ever. The nation cannot repay the debt we owe to them, but the least we can do is to salute these valiant men for their personal sacrifice to preserve our territorial integrity, says MP Anil Kumar on the occasion of Vijay Divas
'Hoist now with its own petard, Pakistan has hopelessly snared itself in this vortex of jihad-inspired violence. You reap what you sow.'
The time is ripe for reduction of troops in a phased manner and moving the rest of the army units on internal security remit to the Line of Control.
Former fighter pilot M P Anil Kumar is a quadriplegic whose life is an inspiration to many.
On Air Force Day, a salute to a fighter pilot, who was an example in life and in death. Air Commodore Nitin Sathe pays tribute to an extraordinary officer and a gentleman.
It was Soni Somarajan's biggest dream -- to see himself as a proud member of the Indian Armed Forces. When Life brutally shattered that dream, he wove a new one.
He has driven into the Limca Book of Records twice. Tamanna Naseer finds out more about the battles Eric Paul fights despite being paraplegic.
Three Indian Air Force officers held as Prisoners of War in a jail in Rawalipindi made a heroic escape. They reached as far as the Pak-Afghan border in Pakistan's Wild West -- within sniffing distance of freedom -- only to realise that they had finally met their match. Or so it seemed. The three escapees were never feted for their audacious attempt 41 years and truly deserve official recognition. Why not honour them at least now, says MP Anil Kumar.
Three Indian Air Force officers captured as Prisoners of War by Pakistan during the '71 War made a daring escape from a Rawalpindi jail. M P Anil Kumar recounts that heroic story.
'We were firing at Patton tanks that were moving towards India.' 'Fighter aircraft are the biggest menace for tanks because they come at great speed, attack from a height and their rockets are lethal.' 'The Hunter travels at 400, 420 knots. One knot is 1.6 times a km, so it was at a speed of 700, 800 km/hr.' 'You come at great speed and when you see the tanks, you pull up because attacks are always done in a dive.' 'You go up to 3,000 to 4,000 feet and then dive on to the target and let off your rockets...'
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