Arjan Singh had an imposing personality, coupled with a genial and relaxed demeanour toward both juniors and colleagues.
How do you write about a legend who almost scored a century – not in runs, but in the number of years as the vanguard of the Indian Air Force?
Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh was an aviator who started his operational flying career in the stark and rough terrain of the North-West Frontier Province in the 1930s. In the early 1940s, he daringly commanded a squadron of Hurricanes in the Burma theatre; led the IAF through the 1965 war with Pakistan; retired at 50 and then assumed the role of a mentor for three generations of IAF officers.
Along the way, he donned the garb of a diplomat, turned into a philanthropist by setting up a fund for the needy in the service by selling his ancestral land, and was one of the earliest supporters of the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS).
I first met him when I was commanding Air Force Station Hindan in 2008. He would come there to play golf, and typically wave off the golf cart that attempted to follow him. As we negotiated nine holes, I would pepper him with questions about his aviation career with the keenness and enthusiasm of a school boy. And he would often scratch his well-manicured beard and say, “Now young man, I can either play golf or answer your questions,” and then pause and add, “No, your questions are more important than golf.”
He would recall the tremendous seat-of-the-pants flying skills that were required in those days; the instinct and situational awareness that would often get him and his buddies out of trouble.
It was sheer daredevilry that inspired Arjan Singh, Jumbo Majumdar, Baba Mehar Singh, among others, to make deep forays into German and Japanese territory on bombing and reconnaissance missions. He would often say how immensely proud he was of his ‘boys’ who courageously fought back and turned the tables on the Pakistani Air Force during the 1965 war.
Photographs that I gathered during my research clearly show that he was an immensely popular chief of air staff, with an imposing personality coupled with a genial and relaxed demeanour toward both juniors and colleagues.
In the sweltering May heat of 2016, he consented to release my book ‘India’s Wars: A Military History 1947-1971’ at the India International Centre. My wife and I called on him to present him a copy of the book and invite him personally for the event.
As he leafed through the pages, his eyes lit up when he saw the photograph of the six Indian squadron commanders in the Burma theatre during World War II. He recognised each one of them and their key traits: ‘Hem Chaudhri (extreme right), yes, he was the youngest and the most dashing; that is Baba Mehar Singh (third from left), he was the best flyer among us and the most outspoken, and yes, he lost out because of that.”
These recollections made him emotional, and his staff officer stepped in to indicate that it was time for us to end the discussion. Before we left, he promised: “I will come for your book release and I will speak there too.”
As we left his house, his staff officer asked us not to nurse high hopes of his attendance because the heat was likely to sap his energy. But on 16 May, as we waited expectantly at the venue, my day was made when I saw a blue car with five stars enter ten minutes early. As he sipped a cup of tea in the foyer with two of his fellow chiefs, Nimmi Suri and Tippy Tipnis, I marvelled at his stamina, alertness and panache, even at the age of 97.
The plan for the evening was for Arjan Singh to sit through my presentation, release the book and then excuse himself. But he stayed on to speak about the campaigns I had written about and sat a while through the panel discussion. Then he reluctantly acceded to the request from his staff officer to slip away before he got too tired.
What else can I say, except that the last of the legends of the Indian Air Force has passed on to join his fellow pioneers like Jumbo Majumdar, Subroto Mukerjee, Mehar Singh and P.C. Lal up in the blue yonder.
He leaves behind a tough legacy to emulate, but if ever there was a beacon of integrity, excellence and courage, one needs to look no further than Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, D.F.C.
Fly in peace, Sir!
We lost one of the most decorated soldier of Indian Air Force. The life span of Marshal Arjan Singh has been an inspiration for the youngsters. He was the last five-star and most decorated soldier of the Indian Defense Forces. Even after being so old, his decision making was always praised. He will always live in our heart and will remain an inspiration for many defense lovers.
Read about his complete life: http://www.ssbtosuccess.com/iaf-marshal-arjan-singh/
Fly in peace, Sir….
Great Son of India….. saadar charan sparsh