The Surya Kirans (Poem)

People congregated big and small 
To view the spectacle over the bay,
An act to entertain one and all
And mark the twin cities’ tourism day.


Commentary began amid loud applause,
Making heads look up, to the sky,
At the jets that flew without a flaw,
Motionless-not even a wink of the eye.


The crowd roared with claps and cries
Greeting the Kirans as they flew by
Coming from nowhere- in three and threes,
Nine red air-crafts, up above were seen.


They formed a neat square that turned
To a diamond- a wine glass and to a letter ‘T’.
They looped and rolled and painted 
The Heaven - saffron white and green.


The ladies were completely elated,
When two from them-shaped a heart,
And when the third darted a cupid
Dumbstruck- we all could only applaud.


Criss-crossing and signing off
The flights ended their show.
But the heads still looked upward
With words that wouldn't flow….

The Surya Kiran Acrobatic Team (SKAT) was disbanded in 2011, they are likely to fly back into the skies in 2014 with the Hawks air crafts. The only other military acrobatic teams that fly a nine aircraft formation are UK Royal Air Force (Red Arrows) and Royal Canadian Air Force (Snowbirds). 

This poem was written after witnessing the air show, conducted over the Hussain Sagar Lake, Tank Bund, Hyderabad in 2003 to commemorate the State tourism week. In spite of seeing the airshow about a dozen times (at AFA, Hyderadad) it is something I would love to watch again. Hoping they come back soon to 'Touch the sky with Glory' in their safer machines.