Eightieth birth anniversary of Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is celebrated by Indian Air Force & his Ludhiana village.

Time of India

4 days ago

Issewal (Ludhiana): In the quiet morning light of this Punjab village, an old school whispers Nirmal's name — telling village children the story of his Gnat's wild thunder. Eighty years, and still he answers — in every fighter jet that splits the dawn.
Medals, memories, memorials stand testimony: he is not gone.
In a moving tribute to one of its bravest sons, the
Indian Air Force
is marking the 80th birth anniversary of Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, the only IAF officer ever awarded the Param Vir Chakra, country's highest military honour. His nephew Amardeep Singh, the custodian of the late officer's medal, has been invited to attend the commemorative function in Srinagar.
Sekhon's story is the stuff of legend. On Dec 14, 1971, during the war against Pakistan, he took on six enemy aircraft singlehandedly in a desperate bid to defend the Srinagar airbase. He downed two Pakistani F-86 Sabres — shooting down the first and damaging the second in a dogfight at tree-top height — and engaged two more of these superior jets before his Gnat fighter took a fatal hit. He never returned, but his courage left a mark on the nation's soul.
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His 42-year-old nephew, Amardeep Singh, who lives with his mother Jagnandan Kaur in Ludhiana, said the family was honoured to be part of the celebrations. "It is a great honour for us that the IAF is remembering my uncle in such a grand way," he told The TOI on way to Srinagar. "The IAF chief is expected to attend. We are proud that my uncle is the only Air Force officer to receive the Param Vir Chakra."
Even though Sekhon left no children, his memory is alive in the lives of those he touched — and the village he left behind.
Amardeep's father, Sukhminder Singh, who died in 2011, and Nirmal Jit had married on the same day in 1970. A year later, Nirmal laid down his life in battle. The wife of the late officer later remarried, but the legacy lived on — in medals, memorials, and memory.
Back in Issewal village, pride mingles with grief. Villagers speak of Sekhon with reverence. "What he did was unthinkable," said Avtar Singh, 68. "He took down enemy jets alone.
Such bravery is rare. We all remember him." His cousin, 77-year-old Daljit Singh Sekhon, still recalls the ride they shared in July 1971 on a Jawa motorcycle. Daljit said: "He told me, 'If there is a war, I'm going to snatch the medal.'" That war came just months later, and so did the medal — posthumously.
Daljit also welcomed the growing recognition of Sekhon's sacrifice. "The IAF and state govt honour him every year, and that matters," he said.
In recent years, a flurry of initiatives have sought to preserve Sekhon's memory. An island in the Andaman and Nicobar group was named after him in 2023. Issewal's school, village gate, and govt dairy bear his name. Principal Bhupinder Kaur of the local govt school said they held a commemorative function every Dec 14.
Locals take pride in being from a village that has sent more than 65 men into the armed forces. Nachhatar Singh claims there's even talk of a film on Sekhon's life, with Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh linked reportedly to the project. But even as the nation pays tributes to its hero, villagers point to basic needs left unmet. Daljit Singh said waterlogged village ponds, incomplete sewerage lines, and a lack of recreational space for children remain unresolved issues.
"We want a park where our children can play, and we want our hero's village to be as proud in its upkeep as we are in his sacrifice."
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