Group Captain Varun Singh, who was battling for life following the Coonoor chopper crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 Air Force personnel, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The letter, written by the group captain in September to thank his  ‘teachers, instructors and peers’, and give a dose of inspiration to the students studying there, has surfaced. He wrote this letter after winning Shaurya Chakra earlier this year.

I was a very average student who barely scored 1st division in Class 12. I was equally average in sports and other co-curricular activities. But I had a passion for airplanes and aviation.

-Group Captain Varun Singh

The four-page letter talks about everything, from his time at the NDA (National Defence Academy), to him being on the first shortlist of 12 candidates in 2019 for India’s first crewed spaceflight, Gaganyaan by ISRO, and finding his passion in aviation, airplanes and the like during his schooling years, he wrote to tell students who think they’re “meant to be only mediocre in this hyper-competitive world”.

I always thought I was meant to be average and there was no point in trying to excel. After commissioning as a young Flight Lieutenant in a fighter squadron, I realised I could do well if I put my mind and heart to it.

-Group Captain Varun Singh

We all know how difficult and taxing it is to survive as students in this world where Sharmaji ka betas exist. Constant comparisons, rigorous competition and a never-ending rat race: being a student is not easy. And that’s what this letter by the group captain speaks. Self-belief and and the urge to remain persistent in one’s chosen field can do the trick. 

Do not think that Class 12 board marks decide what you are capable of achieving in life. Believe in yourself… work towards it…

-Group Captain Varun Singh

Being an average student himself, Group Captain Varun Singh points out that one’s mediocrity in academics is by no means a measure for their abilities and what they can achieve in life. The letter meant to shed light on students’ concerns about the fast-paced world that judges the academic pursuits of a person rather than their skills, was sent by him to the principal of the Army Public School in Haryana’s Chandimandir Cantonment, his alma mater.

Group Captain Varun Singh won the Shaurya Chakra in August for showing exemplary courage in handling his Tejas fighter aircraft following some major technical issues it faced during a sortie.

Group Captain Varun Singh’s exemplified how following one’s passion, believing in oneself and giving in one hundred percent to whatever you do can take you a long way.