Today India is celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Marshal of Indian Air Force (IAF) Arjan Singh. He is remembered for his distinguished service in commanding the IAF during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. He was promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal on January 15, 1966, and the first Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force.


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Singh has remained a source of inspiration to several IAF officers for his formula of success:


Firstly, you should be thorough in your satisfaction of everyone; Secondly, complete the job at hand to the satisfaction of everyone; Thirdly, you must have implicit faith in your subordinates; And fourthly, your efforts should always be honest and sincere.


Born on April 15, 1919, in Faisalabad (then known as Lyallpur), in Pakistan, he was commissioned as a pilot at the age of 19 at the RAF College Cranwell in 1938. He was an ace swimmer and held an all-India record in freestyle swimming in one mile and half mile events. At RAF Cranwell, He topped the course among his batch of Indian Cadets. He was the vice-captain of swimming, athletics and hockey teams during his training.


Five years later, in 1943, he was promoted to acting Squadron Leader and became the commander of No. 1 Squadron. 



He led No. 1 Squadron, IAF into combat during World War II's Arakan Campaign in 1944, for which, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).



On Independence Day (August 15, 1947), Singh led the first fly-past of RIAF aircraft over the Red Fort in Delhi, as a Wing Commander and acting Group Captain.



He was Chief of the Air Staff for five years - 1964 to 1969. Singh was 45 when he was appointed as Chief of the Air Staff of the IAF. He has been the only Chief of the Air Staff to have headed the Air Force for five years. He was promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal for his contribution in the 1965 war. In the same year, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.



Singh retired from his services in 1969 at the age of 50. After retirement, he served as a diplomat, politician and an advisor to the Indian government. He was the Lt. Governor of Delhi from 1989 to 1990 and was made Marshal of the Air Force in January 2002. He died at the age of 89 in Delhi. 


To commemorate his birth centenary, a seminar was conducted at the Air Force Auditorium at Subroto Park in Delhi. 



As part of the celebrations, half marathons were also planned on Sunday at 100 IAF stations across where more than 10,000 air-warriors participated in the run.