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Who was the first Indian to head the Indian Air Force as Chief of the Air Staff?
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Answer: Option C — Subroto Mukerjee
Detailed Solution
Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee (1911-1960) became the first Indian Chief of the Air Staff (and Commander-in-Chief) of the Indian Air Force on 1 April 1954, taking over from the last British chief, Air Marshal Sir Gerald Gibbs.
About Subroto Mukerjee:
- He was born on 5 March 1911 in Calcutta, into a distinguished Bengali family.
- He studied in India and in England, and was one of the first six Indian cadets selected to train at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, UK.
He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force when it was formed on 8 October 1932. He was one of its first officers.
He led No. 1 Squadron of the Indian Air Force during operations in the North-West Frontier Province.
He was known for his professionalism and is called the "Father of the Indian Air Force".
He died on 8 November 1960 in Tokyo, Japan, after choking on food at a restaurant, while still in office as Air Chief.
Remembering him:
The "Subroto Cup", an international inter-school football tournament, was started by the Indian Air Force in 1960 in his memory.
About the Indian Air Force:
- It was established on 8 October 1932; this date is celebrated as Air Force Day.
- It received the prefix "Royal" in 1945 for its service in World War II; the prefix was dropped in 1950 when India became a republic.
- Its motto, "Nabhah Sprisham Diptam" ("Touch the sky with glory"), is taken from the Bhagavad Gita.
- Arjan Singh (Chief of the Air Staff 1964-69, during the 1965 war) was made Marshal of the Indian Air Force in 2002, the only IAF officer to hold the five-star rank.
Other Air Chiefs:
- Aspy Engineer: second Indian Chief of the Air Staff (1960-64).
- Idris Hasan Latif: Chief of the Air Staff (1978-81); first Muslim to hold the post.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Arjan Singh was the only Marshal of the IAF.
- ✗Aspy Engineer succeeded Subroto Mukerjee in 1960.
- ✗Idris Hasan Latif was Chief from 1978 to 1981.
Quick tip
Remember: first Indian Chief of the Air Staff = Subroto Mukerjee (1 April 1954; "Father of the IAF"; Subroto Cup); IAF founded 8 October 1932; only Marshal of the IAF = Arjan Singh.
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Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.