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Remembering Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee: Father of the Indian Air Force

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Remembering Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee: Father of the Indian Air Force

While the nation is trying to slowly overcome through the tragic Pulwama terror attack and simultaneously applauding Indian Air Force Pilot Abhinandan Arthaman on his return to India after being held captive by Pakistan, we recall another hero from Indian Air Force without whom nation cant’s imagine Aviation sector.

Some men are born to greatness. Others carve their part to it. Subroto Mukerjee was one of the latter category who paved the way to his own tryst with destiny and laid the foundations of Indian Air Force in the process.

On Subroto Mukerjee’s Birth Anniversary, here are some facts to now about him

* The distinction of becoming the first Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, after India gained independence; goes to Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee. Having joined earlier the Royal Air Force, he later became the first officers of the Indian Air Force.

* Born in a Bengali family of repute, he was educated in India as well as England.

* He joined the Royal Air Force and later was one of the first recruits of the Indian Air Force.

* Subroto was one of the six Indians selected for training as pilots at the RAF College, Cranwell.

* April 1, 1954 was a red-letter day in the history of Indian Air Force. On this day, the only surviving officer of the first batch of six Indian cadets trained at Royal Air Force Flying College, Cranwell, London, commissioned in 1932, Subroto Mukerjee took over the reins of Indian Air Force.

* He had a long distinguished career of three decades during which he was honored with many awards. He earned the moniker of the “Father of the Indian Air Force”.

* Subroto Mukerjee was one of the passengers in Air India’s first ever flight – to Tokyo – in November 1960. On November 8, 1960, Mukerjee was having a meal in a restaurant in Tokyo with a friend, an officer in the Indian Navy. A piece of food lodged in his windpipe, choking him to death.

* The next day his body was flown to Palam Airport, New Delhi, and on November 10, 1960 he was cremated with full military honours. He was paid a final tribute with a fly-past of forty nine aircraft, one for each of his forty nine years.

Here are some of the awards and honors facilitated to Subroto Mukerjee

  • India General Service Medal (1936)
  • King George VI Coronation Medal (1937)
  • Order of the British Empire (1945)
  • India Service Medal (1945)
  • Indian Independence Medal (1948)
  • Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953)

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