City lad follows in his Flying Officer sister’s footsteps

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 18

Shahbaaz Singh Mann (23) brought laurels to the city as he was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot during a function held at the Air force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad, today.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and IAF chief Air Marshal Arup Raha attended the event.

Shahbaaz, who did his schooling at St Kabir Public School in Sector 26 here and Yadavindra Public School in Mohali, had got inspired to join the IAF as he watched the ceremony in which his elder sister Flying Officer Ripudaman Kaur Mann got commissioned into the force in 2014. He gives credit for his success to his parents and sister.

“I was overwhelmed by the Air Force when I attended the commissioning ceremony of my sister at the Air force Academy, Dundigal, and decided to join the defence force,” said Shahbaaz after the passing-out parade.

An icing on the cake was that he secured the second position on the transport merit of his course.

Shahbaaz’s sister is presently posted as an officer in the Administration branch of the Indian Air Force.

The joy of his parents, Sukhjit Singh Mann and Charanjit Kaur Mann, was inexplicable as they attended the IAF passing-out parade for the second time.

While his father is working in the Military Engineering Services, his mother is a Punjab National Bank employee.

Flying Officer Ripudaman Kaur Mann said she was inspired by Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, the only IAF officer to be promoted to the five-star rank, adding that he was her role model.