PATNA: No one would have thought that a decision to establish a military airbase at Chunapur in Purnia after the 1962 India-China war would give wings to the dream of a child in the town a few years later to fly jets and oversee a successful mission like Operation Sindoor against terrorists to avenge the killings of 26 tourists at Pahalgam.Air Marshal Awadesh Kumar Bharti, who as the DG Air Operations (DGAO) played a key role in the success of Operation Sindoor, is the man who nurtured that ambition while being a student of Middle School, Parora, 10 km away from Purnia town. He not only cracked the entrance exam of Sainik School Tilaiya, now in Jharkhand, but also of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and got commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1987.A decorated officer, Air Marshal Bharti has been awarded Vayu Sena (VM) and Ati Vishisht Seva (AVSM) medals for his distinguished services.Bihar also has its reason to celebrate the country’s military might, as defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, who kept a hawk’s eye on the preparedness for the Operation Sindoor launched on May 7, hails from Muzaffarpur in the state and had his schooling from Netarhat School, now in Jharkhand. His commitment was reflected in his statement on assuming the charge of defence secretary last year when Rajesh said, “The country will forever be indebted to our brave soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the motherland.Their extraordinary courage and selflessness inspire us to work towards making India a safe and prosperous nation.”The Bharti family is proud of the achievement of its members. The eldest among the three brothers and a sister born to Jiwachh Lal Yadav and Urmila Devi from Jhunni Kalan village in Purnia district, Air Marshal Bharti had that fire since childhood to serve the country by joining the armed forces, his brother Mithilesh Bharti told this newspaper over phone from Purnia on Wednesday. His youngest brother, Dr Rajesh Kumar Bharti, who is a noted medical practitioner, told TOI, “My visionary grandfather had a dream to see his grandchild soar in the skies. My grandfather was a strict disciplinarian and used to recite stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata every evening. He would take Awadesh to all village fairs to make him aware about the rich heritage and roots and inculcated in him the Indian ‘sanskars’ and good virtues.“He started his schooling from Purnia Convent. “Our parents were living in Kosi Colony as dad was working in finance dept of Kosi Irrigation Project. He was a brilliant student. His teachers still remember him as one of the best students and my brother keeps visiting his school and interacts with the faculty and children when he visits Purnia. Then he went to the boarding school at Adarsh Madhya Vidyalaya, Parora and Sainik School, Tilaiya, followed by the NDA in Pune where he was the topper.He was awarded the prestigious ‘Sword of Honour’,” Dr Bharti said.Reading, swimming, playing golf and walking are his few hobbies, Dr Bharti added.His father is proud of his son for what he is doing for the country. Air Marshal Bharti makes it a point every year to visit his home town in Srinagar Hata where his parents have been residing for the last 35 years. Mithilesh, who works for a pharmaceutical company, said, “Whenever bhaiya visits Purnia, he meets people. He also visits the village home,” he said. Earlier, Air Marshal Amit Dev of Sitamarhi and an alumnus of Patna’s St Michael’s High School, was the DGAO during the Balakot airstrikes following the Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF convoy in 2019. He is a recipient of three Presidential awards. He was also appointed as ADC to the President of India. His subordinate and Group Captain Shashi Bhushan Sharma (retd) told TOI that his decisions were precise and timely, yet he always lent a patient ear, even to the quietest voice in the room.“To us, that was leadership in its truest form. I salute the man, the mentor, and the Marshal,” Sharma said.
