who laid down his life while saving thousands of people in flood ravaged Uttarakhand.The Bombay Catholic Sabha remembers Wing Commander Daryl Castelino who lost his life while saving victims in a helicopter crash during rescue operations at flood ravaged Uttarakhand.

When the Mi-17 helicopter crashed en route from a rescue operation in Kedarnath on Tuesday, the country lost a braveheart. Wing Commander Daryl Castelino was commanding the ill-fated IAF chopper which had taken off from Gauchar, off the Rishikesh-Joshimath route, to aid rescue efforts in Guptkashi and Kedarnath. 

Hailing from Kinnigoli in Karnataka, Castelino’s family shifted to Mumbai before he was born, on November 2, 1975. He was a student of Holy Cross High School, Kurla (W), and the family resided in Vakola, Santa Cruz. He graduated from Ram Niranjanv Jhunjhunwala College. Castelino was serving the IAF as wing commander and was posted in the newly-raised helicopter unit stationed at Barrackpore in West Bengal at the time of the fatal incident. 

Darryl is survived by his mother Dina, sisters Sheryl and Meryl, wife Jyothi, and children, Ethan (7) and Angelina (4).

Here is what some of his associates have to say about him.

Ujwala Rane, who lives next door to his mother’s house, said that her fondest memories are of Christmas when Daryl dressed up as Santa Claus and distributed sweets to children at Diamond Park. The braveheart, who was part of the first team of rescuers to reach Uttarakhand saved thousands stranded in the remote corners. The couple had celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary just a month ago. 

Captain Unnikrishnan, who accompanied Castelino over the world’s highest battlefield, said, “He was a sound professional, thoroughly dedicated to his job. He was never put down by anything.”

A senior helicopter pilot, Castelino had 19 years of illustrious career behind him. “He liked to be called ‘Castro Dayawan’ for reasons best known to him, ever since he joined IAF in 1993.

Ethan and Angelina had danced away the evening when their parents, Wing Commander Darryl Castelino and wife Jyothi, threw a party on their tenth wedding anniversary just over a month ago.
His wife Jyoti said at the funeral, “It was a dream come true for me when we married 10 years ago. He made me feel like a queen and treated my children, Ethan and Angelina, like a prince and a princess. Now that I have lost him, I shall cherish every moment of my 10-year married life for the rest of my life till the time we meet again,”
On their May 24 anniversary, Jyothi had given a locket depicting Mother Mary to Darryl, her brother Libert Olivera said. Darryl didn’t like wearing rings or chains but Jyothi insisted. The locket helped identify the body.
“Darryl has made us proud and remained true to the oath we take — that we will continue to do our national duty even if we lose our lives,” said Khosla, air officer commanding of the Mumbai air force headquarters.
Verma, Castelino’s boss at Barrackpore, recalled their last meeting: “It was still dawn when he left. He was eager to participate in the rescue operations. He said, ‘Don’t worry Sir; we’ll be careful’.”
He said Castelino was the founding member of the 157 Helicopter Unit. “The Mi-17 V5 helicopter unit — or Tarkashya as we call it — was founded with seven officers and Darryl was one of them. We wear seven stars — the Saptarishi emblem — on our crest and he was one of the seven stars,” Verma said.
He added: “Darryl had a booming voice full of life and played a lot of pranks. If there was a dance (event), he would choreograph it. If it was an Air Force Day, he would be planning everything.”
Wing Commander Darryl was a live wire energetic person who joined the Indian Air Force to serve the country. He was a true patriot, a committed son of India who gave his life while trying to save thousands hit by the calamity at Uttarakhand in North India. The memory of this hero will always remain an inspiration to all of us. We pray that God grants him eternal rest and his family the courage to bear his loss.