Almost a year back, when I spoke to Air Marshal Randhir Singh (retired) informing him about the death of Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, at the age of 98, he reacted by saying, “I thought he would turn 100”. On Tuesday, when Air Marshal Singh (retd) passed away at 96, the same thought crossed my mind.
Having interacted with him for close to 20 years, one word that comes to mind to describe the veteran aviator well in and out of uniform is tenacious. He was one of the few retired defence officers, settled in Chandigarh, who chose to fight for civic amenities and take the administration head-on. His almost unending stint as the chairman of Federation of Sector Welfare Associations of Chandigarh (FOSWAC) saw him lead several battles against Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and Chandigarh Administration and usually emerging as the victor.
Even after moving on from the FOSWAC, he continued to take on the…