Death wasn't painful : stories of Indian fighter pilots from the 1971 war / Dhirendra S. Jafa.

Death wasn't painful -- Compassion and cruelty -- Secrets and sleuths -- The hospital interlude -- Myths and misconceptions -- Compatriots and colleagues -- An yankee comes calling -- Some fun, some frolic -- Courage and cowardice -- Daring and devilry -- Kala Sandhu -- The times, they were bad -- Tigers in the cage: the escape story: I -- Freedom beckons: the escape story: II -- Preparations and doubts: the escape story: III -- The breakout: the escape story: IV -- The aftermath: the escape story: V -- Wages of sin -- Ayesha -- The great homecoming.

This book offers a true account of the experiences of a former Indian fighter pilot, who was taken prisoner during the 1971 Indo-Pak/Bangladesh Liberation War.While depicting the intrepid life of fighter pilots in active combat, the book also has an introspective side where it portrays the soldier's reactions to the terrifying realities of war. The experiences of prisoners of war are finely drawn, as we share the emotions of war-death, alienation, loneliness and grief. Through heart-warming anecdotes and conversational passages of interactions with Pakistani interrogators, attendants, jailors and civilians, the book juxtaposes the metaphor of physical battles in the sky with the conflict of minds between two nations.