The Air Force will miss him.

Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd) salutes Amar Preet Singh, his NDA coursemate, as he retires as chief of the air staff.

IMAGE: Amar Preet Singh with his wife Sarita Singh during the NDA course meet at Air House, New Delhi. Photographs: Kind courtesy Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd)

Key Points

• Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh became one of only two officers from his 1984 NDA batch to reach the top of the pyramid.
• Operation Sindoor brought air power into public focus and highlighted the Indian Air Force's role in defending the country.
• ACM Singh's approachable demeanour and media interactions helped him become a familiar face beyond military circles.
• Despite his high office, ACM Singh remained grounded, maintaining personal interests and connections with family, colleagues and the younger generation.

AP is the last man standing.

The last of the 300-odd of us who joined the profession of arms in 1984. Many rose to high ranks in the armed forces, but only two of them reached the top of the pyramid.

Two years ago, I wrote about how proud we all were to have one of our own lead the fourth largest, and perhaps the most professional air forces in the world.

Much of AP's career has been spent in the cockpit, flying fighters at high speeds. It is something he loves to do and is exceptionally good at.

"Whenever we fly for his various visits to units, he leaves me alone in the cabin and goes and straps up in the cockpit -- to be with his first love!" says Dolly, his effervescent wife.

Life outside the cockpit, in his office at Vayu Bhavan, has been just as eventful. The Indian Air Force has been in the news for all the right reasons.

Operation Sindoor brought the importance of air power into the public domain in a way few operations have done before. The decisive role played by the Indian Air Force reminded us of the importance of air power in providing the country with a strong and secure shield. It also brought its Chief into the limelight.

The Man Behind The Uniform

People wanted to see the man who had played such an important role in India's military response. And as AP came into the public eye, the media and social media highlighted AP's human and humane side; much to the delight of the public.

His manner of speaking, his demeanour and his responses to the media made him a familiar and popular face well beyond military circles.

Google Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh and see the interest he generates. Even his press conference on the eve of Air Force Day, which might otherwise have been a routine interaction with the media, attracted considerable attention across news and social media.

While writing this feature, I asked my daughter, who works in the corporate world, what AP uncle meant to her and her generation.

"He is the man who has saved our country," was her simple, one-line answer.

Perhaps that is how many people outside the armed forces have come to see him.

But there is more to AP than the man we see on television dressed immaculately in his uniform or his signature matching shirt and turban.

Be it paying respect to his mother on assuming office, running the marathon, playing squash, speaking to children or attending the many seminars and conferences that come with the job, AP has remained grounded.

I remember visiting his parents at their ancestral home in the heart of Delhi when we were young officers. Seeing the modest background he comes from, one can perhaps understand where this quality emanates from.

The Air Force Will Miss Him

Very recently, our NDA course gathered in Delhi to bid him farewell. We spent some wonderful moments together, reminiscing about our days at the National Defence Academy, talking about our journeys through the skies and how the air force had evolved in our lifetime.

AP and his wife, whom we all call Dolly, were as bubbling as ever and excellent hosts at the lunch they hosted for us at their beautiful home in Lutyens's Delhi prior to our departure.

In all the song, dance and banter, there was a touch of nostalgia. We realised that this could well be the last time we would meet as a course at Air House, surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of the Indian Air Force. We discussed where we would have our next reunion -- when none of us would be left in uniform.

For AP, retirement will bring a change of uniform. For the rest of us, it will be another reminder of how far we have travelled since those days at the Academy.

The IAF will miss him.

The way wars are fought is changing rapidly. Technology, new threats and the changing character of warfare have forced air forces across the world to rethink how they operate and prepare for the future. During his tenure, AP has had to lead the IAF through a period of significant change, while ensuring that it remains ready to defend the country's skies.

Future wars will be fought remotely, with long range munitions and other non-lethal vectors taking centre stage. The armed forces have now woken up to this reality; buying equipment and expertise, and training for such conflicts of the future.

Change is always not an easy task, and the Chief has managed this transformation with finesse.

IMAGE: Air Commodore Nitin Sathe, left, with Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh.

As AP prepares to hang up his uniform, I cannot help thinking of the young officers who joined the armed forces with us in 1984. We began our careers together, went our separate ways, took on different responsibilities and watched some of our own reach the highest appointments in the services.

AP is now our last man standing in uniform.

Retirement may bring an end to his life in uniform, but it need not be the end of his service to our country. The government may well continue to draw upon his experience as India plans for the future.

A helicopter pilot who served the Indian Air Force for 35 years, IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe is a frequent contributor to Rediff.
You can read his earlier articles here.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff