Dehradun: He had promised his sisters that
he would return home on May 8.
But this is one promise that 48-year-old pilot Capt
Tejender Singh Mamik, who died in the chopper crash in
Arunachal along with Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, could not
keep.
Since the news of his death broke, the wails of his
three sisters have engulfed the Race Course colony residence
of Mamik here.
Chanting his name repeatedly, Pinki, one of his
sisters says, "Please bring back my brave brother to me. I
want to see him just once. He had given a promise to come back
home on May 8. Please bring him."
Capt Mamik, who was divorced, was living with his
three sisters - Charanjeet, Pinky and Renu here. Capt Mamik,
who hailed from Punjab, was a Lt Col in the Indian Army and
had taken voluntary retirement. He later joined Pawan Hans.
While one of his sisters works with the Survey of
India, the other works as a teacher. The third sister is
recuperating after a leg injury.
One of his friends, Jitendra Singh said, "He had quit
the services for his sisters. But now he has left them
behind. Mamik was a brave heart and proved his mettle wherever
he went."
Remembering Capt Mamik as a cheerful person, his
neighbours said that he would spend time with relatives and
friends whenever he came to Dehradun.
The secretary of Race Course colony Devendra Pal Singh
said, "Mamik specialised in flying over glaciers. He used to
like piloting choppers over difficult terrains like Leh,
Ladakh and Siachen. After quitting the services, he had also
offered his services in Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. He
also piloted helicopters to the Vaishnodevi cave shrine."
"He was a cheerful person. His parents used to fondly
call him `Titu` - a pet name that even his neighbours used for
him later," he said.
Mamik, who had studied in St. Joseph school here, was
also a good ghazal singer, recall his friends.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
met Capt Mamik`s family members to offer his condolences and
also promised a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to his sisters.
Mamik was killed along with four others when the
single-engine EuroCopter B8 of Pawan Hans, crashed in a place
between Kyela and Lugathang in the mountainous region of
Arunachal Pradesh.
PTI
