For this couple, love is in the air

A married pair are part of the elite crew flying the Sarang helicopters.

Squadron leaders Sneha Kulkarni and Raveesh Kumar are defence personnel, teammates, aviation enthusiasts and a married couple.

Based in Coimbatore, they are a part of the exclusive Sarang helicopter display team of the Indian Air Force that is dazzling visitors at the ongoing Aero India show.

Rajitha Menon caught up with them to talk about a match made in the skies – literally.

How did you two meet?

Sneha: We are friends for 20 years, though we married just one year ago. We were posted together in Tezpur, Assam, and that is where our friendship grew.

Do you get to spend a lot of time together, since both of you are in the same team?

Raveesh: No, we don’t. We spend time together like this, in uniform (laughs).

Sneha: In the one year of our marriage, we have spent just one month together.

Why is that?

Sneha: He was posted somewhere else, I was in another place. We finally got together some time ago but he will be moving out again. Getting some time to stay together in one house is the biggest challenge we face. We do get holidays but we don’t get it together, because of unit requirements. Somehow we try to fix slots and at least go home together.

How do your families feel about your job?

Raveesh: Obviously they are concerned, particularly after recent events. But we tell them it’s okay; we have been in this setup for 13-14 years now. They are also used to this and the biggest consoling factor for them is that we are together.

With both of you in the forces, what is the advantage?

Sneha: We understand our job profiles. I don’t ask him questions and he doesn’t ask me either.

When you do get some time, what do you do?

Raveesh: We prefer to drive around, watch movies, cook together – anything that helps us relax.

Brother inspired Sneha to join armed forces

Squadron Leader Sneha Kulkarni, with 2,000-plus flying hours in helicopters, joined the armed forces for the passion of uniform and discipline; and flying happened by chance.

“My elder brother is the first in the family to join the armed forces; he is in the army. He joined the NDA and after that I saw the change in him as a human being. His personality changed -- from a boy he became a gentleman. That was my push to join the armed forces,” she says.

It was a pretty tough time after that. “Training is hard but you are all in it together so you help each other get through it. You are not used to so much physical exertion, or eating in one minute, or sleeping just for three hours a day. These were initial challenges but you get used to them and now it all seems worth it,” she says.

When asked about her favourite aircraft among the ones that flew at Aero India, Sneha says with a laugh, “Everything is nice but my favourite is my aircraft which is the Sarang helicopter. If I say anything else, she will get angry and I have to fly her now.”

Being a helicopter pilot requires a lot of dedication and concentration, she says. “For a display of 12-13 minutes, we put in hundreds of hours of preparation. You can’t be relaxed for one sortie or say you haven’t slept well,” she explains.

A helicopter, with its ability to land in restricted spaces, is preferred for rescue and relief operations. Sneha and Raveesh have been part of Operation Karuna during the Kerala floods, and the rescue and firefighting efforts during the Theni forest fires.

Young girls should consider a career in the defence forces, Sneha says.

“Till you try it, you don’t know whether you can do it or not. Patriotism is one part of it but purely as a profession, it gives you respect and a good lifestyle. I would ask all young girls to try this. Maybe you will fly the Sarang like me one day,” she says.