Hiten Shukla
The Fifth Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon Param Vir Chakra Annual Memorial Lecture under the aegis of Air Force Association, Gujarat Branch was organized at Knowledge Consortium Auditorium of Gujarat University on 09 Feb 2020. Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon is the sole member of the Indian Air Force to be awarded Param Vir Chakra. In the honour of his courage, valour and flying skill in engaging Pakistan F-86 jets in unequal combat during the 1971 war, the memorial lectures are organized.
AFA Gujarat was established in 2007 and looks after the welfare of Ex-Air Force personnel and their families including widows and children settled in Gujarat, in the form of financial and legal assistance.
The AFA works towards building awareness in the general public about the Defence services as a career option. The Annual Memorial lecture series has, over the past five years, established itself as the event that creates awareness on the subjects of Indian Defence and the associated domains.
The lecture series cover issues of National Security with its focus on Gujarat. Each year the lecture series is also dedicated to an individual who has contributed immensely in the area of aviation OR to an event which is special in the context of the Indian Air Force. This year the event was dedicated to “IAF- COMING OF AGE – Striking beyond LOC”, the Balakot strike at the terrorist Camps. This was one of the rarest of times in which the IAF had flown across the line of control in peacetime.
Veteran Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM President AFA and former Chief of the Air Staff was the Chief Guest of the function. Air Marshal S Prabhakaran VM Senior Air Staff Officer HQ South Western Air Command was the Guest of Honour.
