The Government of India conferred Arjan Singh with the rank of the Marshal of the Air
Force in January 2002 making him the first and the
only 'Five Star' officer of the Indian Air Force
(Photo: Sondeep Shankar)
(Retired) Marshal of the Air Force
Arjan Singh at 83, displays an amazing zest for life more seen in
men less than half his age.
Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh too has a
similar formula for success.
"I’ve followed four simple rules. Firstly
you should be thorough in your profession; secondly you should
complete the job at hand to the satisfaction of everyone; thirdly
you must have implicit faith in your subordinates and fourthly
your efforts should be honest and sincere. If you follow these
four principals you can never go wrong."
"He was Chief of Air Staff when the IAF saw
action in its first combat of the modern age in 1965. He was hardly
44 years of age when entrusted with the responsibility of leading
the Indian Air Force, a responsibility he carried with
considerable flamboyance and élan. born on 15 April 1919, in
Lyalpur, completing his education at Montgomery. He was still
in college in 1938, nineteen years of age when he was selected for
the Empire Pilot training course at RAF Cranwell. Having flown over
60 different types of aircraft from Pre-WW-2 era Biplanes to the
more contemporary, Gnats and Vampires, he also had flown in
transports like the Super Constellation. in September 1965, when the
subcontinent was plunged into war he was
summoned into the Defence Minister's office with a request for air
support. With a characteristic nonchalance, he
replied "...in an hour." And true enough, the air force
struck the Pakistani offensive in an hour.
Arjan Sigh and Noor Khan in Peshawar 1966
Source: www.bharat-rakshak.com
Arjan Singh was awarded the Padma
Vibhushan for his leadership of the air force, and
subsequently in recognition of the air force's contribution in the
war, the rank of the CAS was upgraded to that of Air Chief Marshal
and Arjan Singh became the first Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air
Force. He retired in August 1969, thereupon accepting ambassador
ship to Switzerland. He remained a flyer to the end of his tenure in
the IAF, visiting forward squadrons & units and flying with
them. Arjan Singh was a source of inspiration to a generation of
Indians and Officers.
In recognition of his services,
the Government of India conferred Arjan Singh with the rank of the Marshal of the Air
Force in January 2002 making him the first and the
only 'Five Star' officer in the Indian Air Force." -
excerpted from www.bharat-rakshak.com
At a felicitation ceremony on the Marshal's 83rd
birthday on April 15, George Fernandes, the Minister of Defence,
remarked, "We all fade with age; the Marshal blooms with
age."
His Hero
Field Marshal Arjan Singh looked up to a
colleague in his flying days, Wing Commander Majumdar. " He was
a very daring officer. He taught us to be cool in this high pressure
job."
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