The 78th Independence Day was celebrated with great patriotism at St. Paul’s School. This year’s Chief Guest was Air Commodore Sameer Pradhan, an alumnus from the 1992 batch. He was accompanied by his beautiful wife Mrs Aliya Pradhan.
Air Commodore Pradhan, a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal, was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on December 21, 1996, in the flying branch.
Air Commodore Pradhan is a distinguished ‘Qualified Flying Instructor’ and ‘Combat Leader,’ with around 6,000 hours of flying experience. His extensive training includes instruction at the Air Force Academy and pioneering work with the Pilatus aircraft, for which he trained in Switzerland. He was the first Flight Commander of this aircraft and has held significant positions such as Flight Commander of 43 Squadron and Commanding Officer of 25 Squadron in 2015 and 2018, respectively. His roles have also included key tenures at Headquarters Western Air Command, where he managed flying operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Eastern Ladakh activation post-Galwan. As Chief Operations Officer in Chandigarh, he coordinated the inaugural Air Force Day Flypast over a civilian area. In recognition of his exceptional devotion to duty, he was commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief in 2009 and 2012 and awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2019. He is currently serving as the Air Officer Commanding at Jorhat.
During his time at St. Paul’s School, he earned the Maheshwar Rana Trophy for photography and the Gold Award in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. He also played a leading role in the 1991 production of ‘Dr. Faustus,’ was active in elocution in both Hindi and English, and participated in NCC activities. In his final year, he served as House Captain of Havelock House.
Air Commodore Pradhan is married to Mrs. Aliya Pradhan and they have a son, Varun Pradhan.
