The Air Force is operating in a continuum of sorties in flood-hit J&K like the one we flew in today
A group of pilots huddled on Monday morning over a map at the tarmac of the air base in Jammu. Behind them, helicopters were being loaded with supplies that will, for many families, mean the difference between life and death.
The pilots conferred with each other about wind speeds, received weather reports over the radio. Then, 15 minutes later, a helicopter took off; we were in it.
The Air Force is operating in a continuum of sorties like the one we flew in on Monday. Tireless pilots say their only limitation is time and the weather - formidable opponents as hundreds of villages wait in despair for food, blankets and medicines.
The five days of pulverising rain in Jammu and Kashmir forged treacherous landslides. Bridges have collapsed, roads have been swallowed whole. For thousands stranded in villages that are now impossible to reach, the whirring helicopters are lifelines. From the helicopter we were in, we saw families huddled on roofs.
Flying through the valleys, with mountains on both sides, the only indication that we could land somewhere was a plume of smoke. This was a signal sent by the Army that a small make-shift landing strip awaits. It looked postage stamp-sized as we descend.
As we landed at the Saad village, around 65 kilometres from Jammu, the sun vanished. Dreaded rain clouds gathered. The sky changed from ally to enemy in a matter of minutes. The precious cargo had to be unloaded quickly. Villagers rushed to help out.
"Over 60 villagers here are cut off. We have no food or medicines. The roads won't be usable for at least 10-15 days," said Paramjot Singh, a local. He said at least 60 people have died and many more are missing from here.
Five minutes later, the helicopter took off. At the Jammu base, it reloaded and then departed on another mission to assist those whose ordinary lives have been relentlessly washed away.