THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The extraordinary life of late M P Anil Kumar, the fighter pilot whose life and fledgling career were wrecked in a freak road accident, has now been captured in a documentary.
Anil, aged 50, passed away last May battling cancer, and the 30-minute film is part of several projects undertaken by his batchmates at Sainik School, Kazhakootam, to ensure that his legacy lives on. ‘and The Fight goes on’ is directed by Socrates Valath and produced by ‘Kazak-81,’ the alumni forum, in association with Cosmos Institute of Information Technology. Anil’s friends hope to use the documentary to introduce their remarkable classmate to the younger generation and motivate them.
‘’It was shot when he was alive. He didn’t like the idea much, but we insisted and he eventually agreed. Anil was diagnosed with cancer a week after we had showed him the proofs,’’ K S Haridas, Anil’s batchmate, said. Much of the work was shot at the military’s Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre in Pune, Anil’s second home.
Hailing from Chirayinkeezh in Thiruvananthapuram district, the young MiG-21 pilot had lived at the centre for 19 years, ever since the accident at the Pathankot Air Base left him paralysed neck-down. He was only 24. But the incident failed to kill his spirit. He learned to write with his mouth, gripping his pen with his teeth, and ‘From Airborne to Chairborne,’ an article in which he related his chilling story, shot him to fame. His incisive articles soon amassed him friends and admirers from all over the world. ‘From Airborne to Chairborne’ also found a place in school text books in Maharashtra and Kerala.
For his friends, this man had been a constant source of wonder. ‘’He was such an inspirational figure. Everyone should see the documentary,’’ said classmate S D Prins.
Kazak-81 is also bringing out a book on Anil Kumar and a collection of his articles. Sreekumar, another batch mate, is heading the first project while Haridas is handling the second.