Nikhil Bhardw,jTribune News Service,Jalandhar, December 23

Making Jalandhar proud, a city youth, 23-year-old Jai Deep Singh, has been commissioned in the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a flying officer in the fighter stream. Jai is one of the four selected from Punjab and as many as 209 from across the country selected for flying the fighter plane in the Air Force.A resident of Defence Colony and son of Tajinder Singh, a local businessman dealing in medicines, Jai was commissioned in the IAF on December 19 by the Chief of the Army Staff in Hyderabad. Jai is set to join on January 3, 2016 as a flying officer in the ‘Hawk Aircraft Base’ based in Bidar, Karnataka.Jai, a student of St. Joseph’s School and Police DAV School, had cleared the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam in 2011 after class XII following which he joined the NDA the same year. After undergoing three years of intensive training in Pune and one year of rigorous training in flying all kinds of aircraft, including transport planes, helicopter and fighter jets, he was commissioned in the IAF in the fighter stream.Jai was ranked 113th in the NDA of the 350 candidates selected. Jai had also scored merit positions in class X and class XII exams.Jai, whose grandfather Mahinder Singh was the caretaker, Parliament House, credited his family for the success. He said after rigorous training, 48, including him, were commissioned in the IAF as a fighter plane pilot while the rest were given other assignments in the IAF including flying transport aircraft, helicopters or ground duties.He also credited Squadron leader Rahul Basoya for training him in the fighter stream.Jail, who received the inspiration to join the Army from a Hollywood blockbuster ‘Top Gun’, said he had been nurturing a dream to join the Air Force since childhood and now his dream had come true.An elated grand-father Mahinder Singh and grand-mother Satwant Kaur said, “We had been wishing for Jai to join the Army and we had motivated him but Jai had something else in mind. He wanted to join the IAF, that too in fighter stream. We are feeling proud as our son would serve the country and bring fame to the family as well as the nation”.Jai’s father Tajinder and mother Harjit Kaur said, “It is a proud moment for us as our son made it to the IAF”.