China honours hero India didn’t give Rs 40

The Kashmir Princess had been chartered by the Chinese government to carry a Chinese delegation and two foreign journalists to the first Non-Aligned Movement summit at Bandung, Indonesia. On April 11, 1955, it took off from Hong Kong for Jakarta but plunged 10,000 ft down into the South China Sea. Investigations revealed that a time bomb planted in the wheel base had downed the airliner. Only three of the 19 people on board survived, including Karnik.

It was widely presumed that the bomb was planted by either the CIA, MI-6 or some other Western intelligence agency to stop Communist China from participating in a non-aligned conference. Chinese Premier Enlai was also expected to be on the flight but a last-minute intelligence tip-off made him cancel his plan.

Along with the two other crew members who survived, Karnik swam for nine hours in the sea, praying that the sharks don’t get to him, before he reached an island that was uninhabited. A chance rescue by fishermen and a lift by a British warship to Singapore finally ended his ordeal.

Karnik—who has published two books on the incident, Kashmir Princess in 1958 and Drama of Air Sabotages: Kashmir Princess to Makalu in 1991—was named for the Ashok Chakra and promised an allowance from 1972.

Four years later, when not a single paisa reached him, Karnik approached the authorities, only to be told that his file had been ‘‘misplaced’’.

Karnik says he wrote many letters, including to the Ministry of Home Affairs, but did not even get an acknowledgement. He finally gave up and moved to Pune in 2004.

Here he met V V Kulkarni, secretary of the Senior Air Indians’ Forum. Moved by Karnik’s story, Kulkarni sent letters in July 2005 to the Home Ministry, Civil Aviation Ministry and the Chairman of Air-India. Again, there was no reply or even an acknowledgement.

Finally, Kulkarni decided to send a letter to the Chinese Embassy. Within a few months, the Chinese Political Attache got in touch with Kulkarni to cross-check details and authenticate Karnik’s claim.

‘‘Mr Yang from the Embassy was in constant touch with me over the phone. He told me to announce a citation of Rs 50,000 for Karnik at a function on January 15 while a formal function would take place when the Consulate General from Mumbai comes here,’’ says Kulkarni.

In addition to the citation, Karnik received a letter from Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi dated January 16. ‘‘I am deeply moved after learning about your heroic deeds and extraordinary experience,’’ he wrote.

Karnik says he will give the money to his brother-in-law, who is suffering from cancer. He insists he bears no grudges. ‘‘At this age who all do you fight against?’’ he shrugs. ‘‘I have made enough money on my own and have no grievance against anyone.’’

Pointing out that the calls he made for getting the allowance cost much more than the money he might ever get, Karnik underlines what saddens him: ‘‘It was a small amount but it was rightfully mine.’’