Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM
(Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi —an ex Naval Officer, possesses a multifaceted personality. He served as a Senior Advisor in prestigious Supercomputer organisation C-DAC, Pune. He was involved in various Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing projects of national and international repute. He has got a long experience in the field of ‘Natural Language Processing’, especially, in the domain of Machine Translation. He has taken the mantle of translating the timeless beauties of Indian literature upon himself so that it reaches across the globe. He has also undertaken translation work for Shri Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, which was highly appreciated by him. He is also a member of ‘Bombay Film Writer Association’.
~A Front Row Seat to Modern Warfare… ~ 
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35,000 Feet Above the Ground… and a Front Row Seat to Modern Warfare
A friend and coursemate, Captain PM Joshi, NM (Bar), a highly decorated military pilot and twice recipient of Gallantry Awards from the President of India, recently had an experience that few civilians can even imagine.
Flying over the Middle East, somewhere close to Jordan, he happened to be looking out of the aircraft window during sunset. What first appeared to be unusual lights on the horizon quickly developed into something far more significant.
Bright streaks in the sky. A rapidly expanding high-altitude plume. Multiple interceptors climbing towards their target.
Years of military flying teach us to notice details that others might overlook.
He instinctively captured a few photographs.
Five minutes later, the captain made an announcement confirming missile activity in the area.
The irony was hard to miss.
Inside the aircraft, passengers were engrossed in movies, conversations, and the beauty of the sunset.
Outside, beyond the horizon, an air defence battle was unfolding.
For military professionals, the photographs are a stark reminder of the changing character of warfare.
Today’s battles are not always fought by soldiers facing each other across a battlefield. They are fought through missiles, drones, sensors, satellites, electronic warfare, and layered air-defence networks spanning hundreds of kilometres.
The engagement may have lasted only a few moments.
The technology behind it took decades to develop.
The professionals operating those systems took years to train.
And the strategic consequences may be felt for generations.
To the untrained eye, these are merely beautiful photographs of a colourful evening sky.
But to those who have worn the uniform, they represent vigilance, preparedness, deterrence, and the unforgiving realities of modern conflict.
A sunset.
A civilian airliner.
Missiles in the sky.
A reminder that peace is never accidental.
It is protected every day by men and women who stand watch, often unseen, often unacknowledged, but never unimportant.
The sky may look peaceful. It does not always mean that it is.
🫡🇮🇳
☆
~Pravin Raghuvanshi
© Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM
≈ Founder Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈
