By Ananya Sharma 
Kangra, November 23: By mid morning, the narrow road leading into Patialkar had filled with people who barely spoke above a whisper. They stood in clusters outside verandas and shopfronts, waiting for the convoy carrying Wing Commander Namansh Syal, the Indian Air Force pilot who died when his HAL Tejas crashed during an aerobatic sequence at the Dubai Air Show 2025. The crowd kept growing, even though no one had asked them to gather. Word had travelled faster than any announcement.
According to The Statesman, his mortal remains reached the village on Sunday, two days after the crash. The moment the tricolour draped coffin appeared, the quiet broke. Some of the older men removed their caps. Women standing behind the barricade wept softly. A few children, unaware of protocol, tried to peer over the shoulders of the adults.
And then Wing Commander Afshan, his wife, stepped forward in her blues. She walked with the kind of composure that almost looks unreal in grief. As the coffin was lowered, she straightened, lifted her hand in a salute and held it there longer than the IAF officers beside her. Republic World reported that she wiped her face only after the guard of honour moved aside. Many in the crowd later said that was the moment they understood the scale of the family’s loss.
The Pilot Who Carried A Nation’s Ambition Into The Sky
The crash at Dubai happened during a manoeuvre meant to show the agility of the Tejas, a jet the IAF has worked for years to bring to global attention. Hindustan Times noted that it was part of a high visibility display sequence, the sort of routine only pilots with deep hours and steady hands are cleared to perform.
Friends say Wing Commander Syal was proud of the aircraft. He had spent years with the squadron, learning its temperament, helping younger pilots understand how it responded at low speed or high G turns. In the IAF’s statement, quoted by India Today, he was remembered as a dedicated professional, someone who took preparation as seriously as flying itself.
The cause of the crash is still unknown. A court of inquiry is underway, and the Air Force has avoided speculation. For the pilots who flew with him, that silence is necessary. Demonstration flying is unforgiving work, they say. One small deviation, one technical issue, one misread in the split second, and the entire flight path changes.
A Family Hit By Tragedy Without Warning
The cruelty of the moment, for the Syal family, came in stages. The Times of India reported that his father first heard murmurs about the crash while searching online for videos of his son’s performance. Someone had uploaded a short clip from Dubai. He watched it hoping to catch a glimpse of the manoeuvre. Instead, the footage circulated with confused comments. The official call from his son’s squadron came only later.
Back home, relatives tried to keep the house calm for Syal’s six year old daughter. She moved between her grandmother and a cousin, asking why so many shoes were lying outside the door. Her mother stayed mostly with the officers accompanying the body, stepping inside only when needed. People who visited said she barely spoke but listened closely to every instruction, marking each ritual with a kind of instinct that comes from living within military discipline.
At the cremation ground, the crowd pressed closer as the IAF detail prepared the ceremonial area. The volleys of the gun salute echoed off the surrounding hills. When the tricolour was folded and handed to Afshan, several in the crowd bowed their heads. The Statesman reported that even villagers who had never met the family stayed until the final rites were completed.
A Career Built Quietly, Without Fuss
Those who knew Wing Commander Syal describe a pilot who never made much noise about his achievements. He joined the Tejas squadron after years of steady flying and instructor duties. Junior pilots often sought him out because he explained things without making them feel inexperienced. Seniors relied on him because he was consistent. You could hand him a complex brief and expect it to be followed exactly as written.
He took pride in representing India abroad, especially because the Tejas project carried so much emotional weight for the armed forces and the aerospace community. Every public display was not just a flight but a statement. That responsibility mattered to him.
A Village Mourns And Wonders What Comes Next
By late afternoon, once the pyre burned low and the officers departed, Patialkar slowly returned to its usual rhythm. Yet people continued stopping by the family home. Some brought food, others offered to help with visitors, and many simply sat in silence with the relatives.
There is a quiet worry in the conversations here. Villagers hope the Air Force will stand by the family in the long run, especially for the daughter who is still too young to understand the ceremony she witnessed from a distance. Officers present at the funeral assured them the family would not be alone.
In defence circles, the focus now shifts to the inquiry in Dubai. The incident has triggered renewed attention on demonstration flying, the stress placed on aircraft during aerobatic displays and what safeguards need revisiting. But inside Patialkar, the questions are more personal. They revolve around memory, duty, and the price a family pays when someone chooses to serve in uniform.
For now, the image most people carry home is of Wing Commander Afshan, standing straight in her uniform, saluting her husband as the final rituals began. It is a picture that residents say they will not forget. A symbol of strength, love and the harshness of life in the forces, all held together in a single moment.
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- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
