Ravindra Duragkar, a retired railway employee from Nagpur, is still trying to come to terms with the sudden loss of his son, Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar. Purvesh was one of two pilots who died when their Su-30 MKI fighter jet crashed in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district during a training exercise. As IAF officials tried to console him at his home in Nagpur’s New Subedar Layout, Ravindra occasionally regained his composure to share memories of his son. He recalled how Purvesh had taken immense pride in flying a fighter jet and would sometimes share stories about the speeds they could achieve. His son was deeply committed to his work and had participated in Operation Sindoor, an operation launched by India after the Pahalgam attack last year. Ravindra also remembered their family get-together ten days ago, which Purvesh attended with his sister, who is settled in the U.S. and is an IITian. The father recalled how Purvesh was proud to be part of the Indian Air Force and would often speak about his colleagues with whom he worked. The news of the accident came as a shock to Ravindra, who had spoken to his son just two days earlier. He remembered their phone call vividly and said that his son’s group captain had informed them about the accident. Purvesh is survived by his parents and sister. Ravindra shared how his son’s body was likely to reach Nagpur in the evening, but he took comfort in knowing that his son died doing what he loved – serving his country.