Dharamshala, Nov. 24 -- Kangra stood still on Sunday with only the sound of prayers mingled with tears filling the air as the mortal remains of Wing Commander Namansh Syal, 37, killed in the Tejas crash at the Dubai air show, arrived in his native village Patialkar. The area was filled with pride and grief.

Grief-stricken family, friends and villagers bid a tearful adieu to him. From colleagues to friends, hundreds joined the IAF pilot's last journey in Patialkar. Sobbing inconsolably, wife of the IAF officer, Wing Commander Afshan Akhtar, managed a farewell salute. After this his mortal remains were consigned to flames in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on Sunday.

On Sunday, the mortal remains were brought to Sulur Air Force Base in...