Bobby John Varkey

Consulting Editor, moneycontrol (Network18); Tone deaf, coffee freak, lives on cigarettes. Tried to quit the last two 20 years ago. Now not fighting it anymore

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@binoy_prabhakar Brilliant piece. Loved reading it

[Mountain Rats @mountain_rats]

From a known MiG pilot👇🏿
The only fighter ac I flew close to 3500 flights. Never wanted to change over. The F4, F5, F104, F16, All of them were developed with a single purpose in mind, ie, how to Counter a MiG 21.
USA formed one full squadron of stolen MiG 21 to train their pilots in Top Gun Combat school, just to get an idea how nimble, formidable and deadly a Mig 21 could be.

This is the story narrated by MiG21, as the IAF sends it into retirement in a few weeks from now.
Love and respect to my Proud Steed!

"I Am the MiG-21 – My Final Salute

I belonged to the Mikoyan-Gurevich family, but people fondly called me the MiG-21.
I was born in the erstwhile Soviet Union, but to be honest, I grew up in India. My precious youth, my maturity, my entire life — it was lived in service with the Indian Air Force. When people spoke of a steel bird that could break the sound barrier back in my day, they meant me. Even today, I say that with pride. It was the year 1963 when I landed for the first time at Ambala Air Base.
I still remember the look in the eyes of the pilots who saw me — full of awe, curiosity, disbelief. After all, even then I had earned the nickname “The Bullet That Flies.”
I was already counted among the finest fighter jets in the world.

I still recall how the young pilots — fresh out of flight school — would climb into my cockpit for the first time. Nervous, hesitant, and sweating just a little. And I would greet them gently, like an old warrior welcoming his apprentice. The moment my engine and afterburner began to roar, their anxiety turned into exhilaration. As I climbed into the sky, they were stunned by my raw power. With time, the senior, more experienced pilots became confident flying me. They learned to climb steep, bank hard, barrel roll, and perform aerobatics with finesse. And when we returned to the ground, their faces beamed like victors — proud and fulfilled. They were no longer boys. They were becoming India’s warriors of the sky. Before stepping down, they would run a gentle hand across my fuselage and whisper, “Thank you.” Then, off they'd go, eager to tell others what it felt like to fly with me.

I had just completed two years in India when my true test arrived —The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Though still new, my pilots and I rose to the task. We patrolled India’s skies like hawks. No Pakistani intruder could breach our aerial borders. I chased down and intercepted enemy aircraft at blistering speeds, and it was in this very war that my true power was first witnessed — even by me.

The outcome? India ordered more of me from Russia. And then, a new dream took shape — I was to be built in India.

From Bangalore, Nashik, and Koraput in Odisha, my family began to grow at the HAL factories. Before long, we were a family of over 800 MiG-21s — strong and proud.

What can I say about the 1971 war? I roared across the Western Front, shooting down Pakistan’s F-86 Sabres, bombing enemy airfields into silence.

As the years rolled on, new generations of aircraft arrived —The Mirage-2000, the mighty Sukhoi-30, the Rafale, and Tejas — India’s very own dream, made real.

Did I feel sidelined? Replaced? Not at all! Even with them, I flew proudly in Kargil. And after the Balakot strike, when Pakistan retaliated, it was I, with Wing Commander Abhinandan, who brought down an F-16, and became immortal once again.

I had guarded India’s skies for decades. My time was coming to an end. This was the era of the new generation.
Still, when the pilots who had first learned to fly in my cockpit grew older — became Air Commodores, Air Marshals—they’d often return to see me. Their eyes would well up. And in that moment, I too felt a sense of fulfilment.

Now, the time has come for me to take my final flight.
I leave —not in silence, but with the thunder of duty fulfilled.”

Jai Hind.
🌹���🇳🌹

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@lensviewdelhi @TheWeekLive Congratulations Sanjay. Brilliant pictures and covers.

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

Unpopular opinion, but I think the commentator is too loud, dramatic! Why, why? #indiawin #Paris2024Olympic #hockey ISL had an equally loud, dramatic Malayalam commentator :(

[Johns. @CricCrazyJohns]

THE WINNING CELEBRATION BY INDIA. ❤️

- PR SREEJESH, The main man - one win away from the medal. 🔥

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@Padmadeo @thetribunechd Great read Vinayak. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

This is hilarious. My nephew’s name is Basil Kuriakose. It has become TULSI Kuriakose in this pamphlet. #election #loksabha #namechange

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@sumantbanerji Lucky you. Enjoy the drive

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

Toxic newsrooms are taking a toll on us. It’s all about optics now

#newsrooms #toxicworkplace

Satish Nandgaonkar remained a journalist to the end, despite the toxicity of the industry around him https://t.co/vscjKLDsVf

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@theskindoctor13 Joker worked in India because 90% Indians are @&₹ers.

[Luis 🇵🇹🇦🇴 @UtdLuis00]

The football world mourns the passing of one of the greatest defenders of all time. RIP Legend 💔🙏🏾

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

A brilliant compilation of what to look forward to in #2024 by @htTweets

https://t.co/xYu47nXyKJ

Congratulations @binoy_prabhakar

[Buitengebieden @buitengebieden]

Loudest Silent Night ever.. 😂

[Binoy Prabhakar @binoy_prabhakar]

Reminds me of the uppumavu=salt mango tree translation joke.

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

Touching story and so are all the offers of help. Praying for Pallav Singh's father's health.

'My father will die': Man's SOS unites internet. AIIMS Delhi responds - https://t.co/USbrzXYXUP

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

Brilliant storytelling. This team must have had so much fun putting this together. Wow
How China is tearing down Islam https://t.co/ZL96vEmSbM via @ft

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

Yes, we will choke and poison ourselves to death just because it’s #diwali because, our #cracker must make more noise than the neighbour’s. And these same people will wake up tomorrow and complain about Delhi’s #pollution

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@sumantbanerji The point is, why are you watching this film. If you don’t have anything better to do in life, meet me. I promise it will be well-spent three hours

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@binoy_prabhakar So many voices in the copy. You surely enjoyed filing this story Binoy

[Uma Sudhir @umasudhir]

This chance video of an elderly, unassuming woman, identified as Sattamma / Satyavathi, on a journey to cover nearly 8 km on foot, from Kotthapalli to Kondaiahpalli in #Karimnagar #Telangana, to tie #rakhi to her younger brother, has won hearts on #RakshaBandhan @ndtv @ndtvindia

[Bobby John Varkey @bobbyjohnvarkey]

@g_rajaraman @WeAreTeamIndia Congratulations sir