Indian Air Force

Being based at the 112Hu within the Air Force Station Yelahanka means our daily life is governed by the sound of engines. Bangalore has grown a lot around the station, but inside the gates, things stay pretty much the same year after year. We spend a lot of our time on the tarmac or in the hangars. It is a lot of physical work, checking equipment, and making sure the various parts are where they should be. The sun can get really intense out on the runway, and there isn't much shade when you are middle-deep in a maintenance task. We have a lot of paperwork to do as well, which usually happens in small offices that are a bit cramped and filled with old filing cabinets. The people here come from every corner of India, so the mess hall is always a mix of different accents and stories. It’s not like what you see in the movies; it’s mostly just a lot of routine, cleaning, and waiting. We wear our uniforms, show up for our shifts, and try to keep everything in working order. In the evenings, things quiet down a bit, and you can actually hear the birds instead of the planes for a while. It’s a bit of a trek to get into the main city from Yelahanka, so we mostly stick to our own small community here. We just do the work that needs doing and wait for the next day to start again.