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 Tamil Nadu, and they were received with full military honours. Later, the body arrived at Kangra airport and then was taken to his ancestral village for final rites in an army truck bedecked with flowers and followed by a convoy of armed forces and civilian vehicles. Upon the arrival of the martyr's body in the village, the entire area was filled with grief and pride. Present officials, public representatives, and military officers expressed their deepest condolences to the family. They stated that the nation will always remember the sacrifice of martyred pilot NamanshSyal. Wing Commander Namansh, who died on November 21 while flying a Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1) in Dubai, is survived by his wife, a six-year-old daughter, and his parents. As Wing Commander Namansh Syal's last rites were performed on Sunday, his father, Jagan Nath Syal, said that it is not only his personal but nation's loss too. "I have lost my son, but the country has lost a promising pilot. It is not just my personal loss; it is the nation's loss. Not many get the honour of serving the country," he said, as hundreds gathered to bid farewell to Namansh. Jagan Nath Syal, who also has served in the Indian Army and later worked in the education department, before retiring as a principal, said, "He was outstanding since childhood. He always excelled and never disappointed us. In every competition he participated in, he emerged at the top. The last time I spoke to him, I had asked him to share photos, and he told me to watch it on YouTube." Namansh was fondly remembered among his colleagues and friends. He was known for his flying skills and a calm personality. Wing Commander, JK Sharma (retd), said, "I knew him since 2005. He was a wonderful pilot. From the training days he was good at what he did. He was actually the best. He passed with the sword of honour from NDA. I was with him in NDA as a course-mate. We did our flying training together. He was good at flying that is why he got chosen to fly fighters from IAF. For about 8-9 years he flew the MiG-21. We all know it is kind of a tough jet to fly but he did it for nine years. He was a qualified flying instructor for three years and he trained a lot of young people who come to the Air Force. Then he was chosen to fly the LCAs and I think for the last around four years he flew the LCAs. Remembering their athletic boy, the villagers described him as simple and intelligent. "The whole village is in grief and sorrow. He was like a younger brother to us and it is our personal loss. He was very promising but a simple person and used to meet everyone cordially. He had met me a few months ago when he visited thevillage," said a villager Sandeep Kumar. AYUSH, youth services and sports minister Yadvinder Goma, Nagrota Bagwan MLA and tourism corporation chairman RS Bali, Kangra deputy commissioner Kangra Hemraj Bairwa, Dehra superintendent of police Mayank Chaudhary, former minister Vipin Singh Parmar, and senior officers of the Indian Army and Air Force paid tribute to the pilot....