In the armed forces' briefing on Sunday, a day after the ceasefire was announced, one of the most important and articulate voices was that of Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, the Director General of Air Operations. From their thatched house in his ancestral village of Jhunni Kala in Bihar's Purnia district, the Indian Air Force officer's parents, their chest swelling with pride, recalled the brilliant young student who always dreamt of joining the armed forces and went on to play a key role in one of India's most important counter-terror missions - Operation Sindoor.
The son of a clerk in the irrigation department and a housewife, Air Marshal Bharti always did well academically, and this led to him getting selected for the Sainik School in Tilaia in what is now Jharkhand. He went on to gain admission to the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, taking an important step towards realising his childhood dream.
"He was simple as a child and continues to be the same way even now. He always said he wanted to join the armed forces, even when he was a child, and he achieved that," Air Marshal Bharti's mother Urmila Devi said.
Air Marshal Bharti joined the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in 1987. He was awarded the President's Air Force Medal in the year 2008 and was promoted to Air Marshal in 2023. He has been the commanding officer of a Sukhoi-30 Squadron and, before taking over his current assignment, he was posted as the Senior Staff Officer (SASO) at the Central Air Command in Prayagraj.
Residents of Jhunni Kala said Air Marshal Bharti visited the village about a year ago and interacted with everyone like he always does.
'No Airs'
"Like his parents, he has no airs, and this has been passed on to his children as well. He meets, greets and interacts with everyone and, despite being a senior officer, does not have any security personnel with him. He touches the feet of elders in the village even now and you will not find anyone in the village who will have a bad thing to say about him. His parents are also very simple and that is the reason they are still living in a thatched house," said Anil Sharma, a resident of the village.
"We are so proud of his role in Operation Sindoor. He showed courage and Pakistan will also know that someone from Jhunni Kala, from Purnia, did something like this. He has enhanced the image of Jhunni Kala in the entire country," Mr Sharma added.
Air Marshal Bharti's father Jeevach Lal Yadav said they did not know about the part Air Marshal Bharti played in the strikes on key terror bases in Pakistan until his name started being mentioned in the papers.
"He came here about a year ago. My son does not share any confidential details with us, we only know the broad strokes of what he does. I am very happy that our country is attaining new heights - Operation Sindoor was a success and my son had a role to play in it. This makes me very happy and proud," a beaming Mr Yadav said.
Urmila Devi, the proud mother, said Air Marshal Bharti is a 'deshbhakt' (patriot) and is continuing to do patriotic acts.
"My son has shone the spotlight on Jhunni Kala and Purnia... He has done well for himself and ensured that his children have done the same. He is married to a woman from Kashmir... I don't have much to say about how proud I am, it is for the world to see. I am happy. The world knows whose son, whose grandson made the country proud," she said.
