India / IAF officer skydives with 'Tribute to Corona Warriors' banner

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on December 21 paid a unique tribute to COVID-19 warriors or the frontline fighters of the pandemic including an ‘Air Warrior’ skydiving with a banner reading “Tribute to Corona Warriors”. Sharing pictures of the gesture, the IAF posted on its official Twitter account saying “the east, the sky and an Air Warrior” on the day of Great Conjunction. Rare conjunction had occurred on Monday when two planets, Saturn and Jupiter were closer than they had ever been since the Middle Ages, that is, after more than 400 years. The “planetary dance” of both the planets, according to NASA finally resulted in the ‘Great Conjunction; on December 21. 

Netizens say ‘God bless warriors’

Following IAF sharing pictures of their tribute, netizens across the nation started hailing both the Indian Air Force as well as the COVID-19 warriors who have been tackling the global health crisis on the frontlines including medical professionals, essential workers among others. While one internet user said “God bless warriors”, another noted that gestures like this “go a long way”. From saying they are “proud” of Indian Eagles to saying ‘Jai Hind’, the spirit of fighting the pandemic was seen rejuvenated among the internet users. Many others shared their capture of the Great Conjunction.

Meanwhile, NASA also shared their capture of the ‘Great Conjunction’ on Twitter and urged users to find an open spot to do the same. Prior to the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ phenomenon, NASA had advised the onlookers to use of a tripod, which will help hold the camera steady while taking longer exposures. The US space agency had said, “The crescent Moon will pass near Jupiter and Saturn a few days before the conjunction. Take advantage of it in your composition!” In the aftermath of the solar system’s largest planet aligning close to Saturn, many pictures went viral that showed the two clearly based on the high-quality devices.