Professor Satya Narayan Misra* in Bhubaneswar, September 19, 2026: In a nation that has few heroes, Marshal of the Air force Arjan Singh, DFC, was a real icon. He had several firsts to his credit; the first to become Chief of Air staff at the age of 45, and first to lead the fly past of RAIF aircraft over the Red Fort on 15th August 1947.

Commissioned in to the IAF at the age of 20, he commanded the Tiger’s squadron at 24 to fight the Japanese to a grinding halt at Imphal in 1943 and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Commander, South East Asia personally pinned the Distinguished Flying Cross on the young officer’s chest on the tarmac of Imphal airfield. When asked by the Defense Minister Chavan, how long he will take to provide support the Indian army in the 1965 war, he said “One Hour” and led the Indian Air force with great distinction. Arjan Singh was honored with the Padma Vibhusan. But it’s his qualities of head and heart; he will always be remembered most fondly.

A Poignant Moment

The 96-year-old Marshal of the Air Force, who was wheel chair bound, placed a wreath at the base of the coffin carrying the mortal remains of former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. It was a poignant moment to see the aged and uniformed Singh rising out of his wheel chair and using a walking stick to slow-step march up to the podium to place a wreath of flowers and offer a smart and dignified salute in tribute.

I had the rare privilege of meeting him in an Air Force party on the Air Force Day. It was indeed an unforgettable evening for me, as several retired Service Chiefs had come to the Air Force mess to commemorate the day. Marshal of the Air was the last to arrive; and I distinctly remember how everyone jostled to shake his hands and share a few words. I found it amusing, as the Delhites are prone to throng around people who are powerful and or in active service & avoid the superannuated ones. When I asked Air Marshal Browne to solve this riddle, he told how the Marshal of the Air had given away all his landed property to get a Home for retired Airmen built in Chandigarh and stays in a modest 2 room flat in Delhi.

Arjan Singh had modest moorings in Lyallpur Punjab, where his father was a Lance Daffadar and retired as a full Risaldar in the Cavalry. His grandfather was also a Risaldar Major. He really cared for the retired service men. I recall, when it was decided by the Ministry of Defense in 2007 to give pensionary benefits to the Field Marshals and Marshal of the Air Force at par with the last pay drawn by them retrospectively, the Defense Secretary carried the handsome cheque to the Marshal’s residence.

Arjan Singh merely smiled and passed on the entire proceeds to the retired airmen fund. Like Lal Bahadur Shastri he was simplicity personified, as he drove his own car to every public function he was invited, till he was compelled to use the wheel chair. He was in many ways like the redoubtable CPM leader Mr. E.M.S. Namboodiripad who gave away all his land, and defeated the Congress party to become the first non-congress Chief Minister in Kerala in 1957.

Unlike his other comrades EMS practiced what he preached and lived a very frugal life and wrote copiously on land reforms. He was revered by all people, cutting across party lines. Similarly Air Arjan Singh never courted controversy, shunned publicity and was the darling of all the services. He was first one to suggest to the Air Force Service Chief that women should be recruited intothe IAF.

IAF’s Glorious Record

The Indian Air Force has a very proud record in defending India’s sovereignty. It supported the Army commendably during the Kashmir operation (1947) and the Goa Operation (1961). During the siege of J&K by Pakistani intruders, the IAFprovided close air support to the Indian troops.Vampires were used to provide air support to the ground forces before Portuguese surrendered to India in 1961.

The 1965 war was Arjan Singh’s crowning glory when as the Air Chief the IAF he carried out independent raids against PFA he bases situated deep inside the Pakistani territory. The nimble IAF Gnats proved effective against F-86 Sabre Jet of PAF, earning the sobriquet “Sabre Slayer”. Despite having been qualitatively inferior in regard to our fighter aircraft assets, the IAF achieved air superiority in three days in the 1965 war against Pakistan and destroyed 94 PAK aircrafts, before they surrendered.

The Air Force is the most technology savvy service, which spends close 40% of the modernization budget of the defence services. After the government decided to induct women in to flying stream, three of them were commissioned as IAF’s female combat pilots in June 2016. Avani Chaturvedi became the first Indian woman to fly a solo Mig-21 in 2018 and Lt Shivangi Singh became the first woman pilot to fly the Rafale fighter jet. In a male chauvinist environment, the lady officers can justifiably thank Arjan Singh for his foresight to induct them as pilots.

Honoring Real Heroes

Marshal of the IAF died seven years ago , on 17th of this month . As the nation pays homage to this great soldier, we seemhave made amends to the huge faux pos that was committed, when Field Marshal Manekshaw, the war hero of 1971, was given only a state funeral in Wellington (2008), without the Service Chiefs and even the then Defense Minister being present. Protocol seemed to stand in the way.

In case of Arjan Singh, this was not repeated. The top political leadership, the President, PM Modi and former PM Dr Manmohan Sigh and military attended the state funeral at Bar Square on September 18th 2017. Courtesy to our national heroes must transcend arcane protocols. Air Commodore Jasjit Singh‘s luminous biography “The ICON: Marshal of the Indian Air Force” is a must read for all; uniformed or otherwise, of someone who truly cared for the country and the hoi poloi & valued simplicity as the greatest virtue.

• The author served as Financial Advisor to the IAF