Abhinandan Varthaman
VrC
Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋiː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...
(born 21 June 1983) is an
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...
who, during the
2019 India–Pakistan standoff
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
, was involved in entering Pakistani airspace and his MIG 21 was shot down by Pakistani
PAF F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
on 27 February 2019, after India carried out
airstrikes in Balakot, Pakistan the previous day. His plane was shot down inside Pakistan and he was held captive there for 60 hours and was treated as a guest in Pakistan after an aerial
dogfight. . He liked the hospitalilty of Pakistan and quoted "The tea is Fantastic" given by the Pakistan's Air force. He was awarded with
Vir Chakra by the Indian government.
Pakistan released videos and images showing Varthaman being rescued from a violent mob of villagers by its soldiers, receiving first aid, and being questioned while blindfolded. Pakistan on humanitarian bases decided on 28 February 2019 to release him (a war prisoner). He returned to India at
Wagah on 1 March 2019.
He was promoted to the rank of
Group captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
from the rank of
Wing Commander in November, 2021.
Career and personal life
Abhinandan Varthaman was born on 21 June 1983 in
Tamil Jain
Tamil Jains (Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit '' samaṇa'' "wandering renunciate") are Tamils from Tamil Nadu, India, who practice Jainism (Tamil ). The Tamil Jain is a microcommunity of around 85,000 (around 0.13% of the population of Tamil Nad ...
Family. Varthaman's family is from
Thirupanamoor
Thirupanamoor and Karanthai are twin villages about 19 km from Kanchipuram. They host historically important Jain temples containing historical inscriptions. There is a population of local Jains in these and nearby villages.
Thirupanamoor vil ...
, a village about from
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...
. His father is a retired Indian Air Force (IAF)
Air Marshal (OF-8) and his mother is a doctor.
Varthaman was educated at
Sainik School, Amaravathinagar
Sainik School Amaravathinagar is a Boys and Girls English medium, residential public school with a military bias up to +2 stage as per the CBSE board Syllabus. It is one of the 33 Government aided Sainik Schools in India, located in Udumalpe ...
.
He graduated from the
National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the combat (fighter) stream of the IAF as a
flying officer on 19 June 2004. He was trained at the IAF centres in
Bathinda
Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth l ...
and
Halwara
Halwara is a township in Punjab state in India.Located in the Ludhiana close to Village Sudhar, Halwara lies on the Mullanpur- Raikot road. It is also famous for its Air Base
An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, mi ...
, promoted to
flight lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
on 19 June 2006, and to
squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...
on 8 July 2010. Varthaman was a
Su-30 MKI
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia's Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). A variant ...
fighter pilot before being assigned to the
MiG-21 Bison squadron.
He was promoted to
wing commander on 19 June 2017.
Varthaman is married to a retired Squadron Leader and lives in Chennai. They have two children.
2019 capture
![Sheeju mig21](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Sheeju_mig21.JPG)
On 27 February 2019, Varthaman was flying a
MiG-21 as a part of a sortie that was scrambled to intercept an
intrusion into Jammu & Kashmir by Pakistani aircraft. He lost communications with the IAF command and inadvertently crossed into Pakistani airspace during a dogfight that ensued. He managed to shoot down a Pakistani F-16 before his aircraft was struck by a missile. Varthaman ejected and safely descended into the village of Horran in
Pakistan administrated Kashmir approximately from the
Line of Control
The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serve ...
.
Local villagers said Varthaman could be identified as an Indian pilot by the Indian flag on his parachute.
Upon landing, Varthaman asked the villagers whether he was in India, to which a young boy lied by saying "Yes."
Varthaman reportedly raised pro-India slogans, to which the locals responded with pro-Pakistan slogans. Varthaman began firing warning shots. The villagers captured and manhandled Varthaman before he was rescued by the Pakistan Army.
![IAF-mig-21-wreckage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/IAF-mig-21-wreckage.jpg)
Later that day, the
Indian Ministry of External Affairs
The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; hi, विदेश मंत्रालय, Videśa Mantrālaya, translit-std=ISO) of India is the government agency responsible for implementing Indian foreign policy. The Ministry of Ex ...
confirmed an Indian pilot was missing in action after a MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft was lost while engaging with Pakistani jets.
A statement released by the IAF also said before the crash, Varthaman had shot down a PAF
Lockheed Martin F-16. At a media briefing on 2 March 2019, nearly two days after the aerial engagement between PAF and IAF, the IAF displayed the parts of
AIM-120 AMRAAM
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced ), is an American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. It is 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter, and employs ...
missiles, which could be used only by the PAF's F-16.
The IAF also said they had identified the electronic signatures of the aircraft and confirmed that F-16 were used during the skirmish.
As claimed by Indian media, according to an agreement between the U.S. and Pakistan, Pakistan is only allowed to use the F-16 against terrorists. However, Foreign Policy magazine quoting an anonymous U.S. official stated that the agreement did not involve any such terms "limiting the use of the F-16s."
Pakistan's
Inter-Services Public Relations Director General refuted the later claims and said F-16s had not been used in the incident. The US-based ''
Foreign Policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
'' magazine, quoting two anonymous
U.S. Defense Department
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...
officials, reported in April 2019 that allegedly an audit didn't find any Pakistani F-16s missing, and that all jets were accounted for.
This claim was refuted a day later owing to a statement by the
U.S. Defence Department which stated it was “not aware” of any investigation that was conducted to ascertain if Pakistan had lost an F-16 in a dogfight with Indian fighter jets on February 27. While the U.S. Defence Department was unaware of the "F-16 count", the
U.S. State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
distanced itself from the "F-16 count" news report, saying in response to a direct request to confirm or deny it, “As a matter of policy, the Department does not publicly comment on details of government-to-government agreements on end-use monitoring of US-origin defence articles.” and highlighted that “It is important to note that since January 2018, the United States government has suspended security assistance to Pakistan.”
Videos
Videos and images released by Pakistani authorities showed Varthaman being rescued from a violent mob by Pakistani soldiers
and being interrogated while tied and blindfolded with a bloody face.
Other videos showed him receiving first aid and being further interrogated over tea.
The media received a mixed reception; some commentators criticised the reports as a "vulgar display" while others praised the intervention of the Pakistani soldiers when Varthaman was in the hands of the mob and was being beaten.
The release of the videos was suspected of being a violation of the
Geneva Conventions
upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864
The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...
and were deleted by Pakistani authorities after they went
viral
Viral means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents).
Viral may also refer to:
Viral behavior, or virality
Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example:
* Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spread a marke ...
. Experts gave different opinions about the validity of the Geneva Convention to this case.
A few videos surfaced from Pakistan where two parachutes could be seen in the sky with streaks of smoke nearby, these videos were used as a point to favour Indian claims of two pilots downed by many Indian defence experts and media houses.
Repatriation and subsequent developments
![Wagah border](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Wagah_border.jpg)
On 28 February 2019, Prime Minister of Pakistan
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
announced at a joint sitting of the
Parliament of Pakistan
The Parliament of Pakistan ( ur, , , "Pakistan Advisory Council" or "Pakistan Consultative Assembly") is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan. It is a bicameralism, bicameral federation, federal legislature that consists of ...
, that the government had decided to release Varthaman the next day as a "gesture of peace". If some news sources are to be believed, "India and Pakistan came perilously close to firing missiles at each other on February 27, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi deciding to up the ante after the capture of MiG-21 Bison pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistan, and Research and Analysis Wing secretary Anil Dhasmana communicating to his Pakistan counterpart Inter Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Asim Munir that there would be an escalation in the Indian offensive if the pilot was harmed."
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the
Foreign Minister of Pakistan
The Minister of Foreign Affairs (or simply the Foreign Minister) is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan. The minister is responsible for overseeing the federal governmen ...
, said his government announced the release of the IAF Wing Commander out of a desire for peace and that there was no compulsion or pressure on Pakistan, as was implied by the Indian media. However,
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
reported that several outside countries including United States and China had been urging Pakistan to release the Indian pilot to de-escalate the crisis.
Later in October 2020, a senior opposition leader who was
Speaker of the National Assembly during the
PML-N government in Pakistan,
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq ( Punjabi, ur, ; born 17 October 1954) is a Pakistani politician, currently serving as Federal Minister of Law and Justice and has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018. Previously, he was a ...
had claimed in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was released after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a meeting of Pakistan's top leaders that India would attack Pakistan if Varthaman weren't released. Ayaz Sadiq faced flak from the Pakistani government and the public for making such statements.
Varthaman crossed the India-Pakistan border at
Wagah on 1 March 2019.
At a rally, the Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
welcomed Varthaman's release, saying the nation was proud of him. A demeaning video of Abhinandan was released by the PAF to the Pakistani media hours before his release. IAF later said it had been filmed while Varthaman was under duress. A medical check-up upon his return located multiple bruises and a fractured rib but no 'significant injuries'. Varthaman said the Pakistani authorities did not physically torture him but subjected him to considerable "mental harassment". Pakistan said he was treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti chairperson Manidra Jain announced Varthaman would be awarded the ''Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar'' on 17 April 2019, the date of
Mahavir Jayanti. In August that same year, he was presented with the
Vir Chakra gallantry award.
After the government's decision to release Varthaman was announced, a petition was filed before the
Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking an injunction to stop the process but the court dismissed it on the same day. The petition argued Varthaman must be released only after the cessation of active hostilities, as per the Geneva Conventions, since the Indian pilot “was arrested when he was on a mission against Pakistan.” The petition was rejected by the Islamabad High Court, citing the consensus of the parliamentarians and that "When all the parliamentarians agree at a point...
debate over it is unnecessary". In addition the IHC Chief Justice Minallah also stated that the courts do not have the power to intervene in foreign affairs, according to a Supreme Court verdict in 2014.
Aftermath
Abhinandhan moustache
![Abhinandan Mustache](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Abhinandan_Mustache.png)
Varthaman's style of moustache has become popular in India and is widely called the "Abhinandan cut".
The style is similar to a combination of old
gunslinger
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...
moustache and
mutton chops worn by
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the Grand title of the Emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg m ...
.
It resembles the moustache worn by actor
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
in the
''Singam'' film series and
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...
's moustache in
''Petta'' (2019).
Indian actor
Ranveer Singh's barber, Darshan Yewalekar, has quoted saying that "the beard sported by the IAF pilot will soon be called India's very own Varthaman style." A number of companies used the moustache in their advertisements. Dairy company
Amul
Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) is an Indian dairy state government cooperative society, based in Anand, Gujarat.
Formed in 1946, it is a cooperative brand managed by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), which today i ...
produced a video showing a young girl wearing an Abhinandan-shaped
milk moustache. The advertisement was posted on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and received more than 170,000 views within 24 hours.
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...
also posted a tweet showing the Abhinandan moustache on 3 March 2019.
"The Tea is Fantastic" (internet meme)
In 2019, after Abhinandhan was captured by Pakistani forces, a video of him taken by a soldier went viral in which he was seen being interrogated while drinking
Pakistani tea. The interrogator asked him different questions about his health and how he was treated to which he acknowledged the humane treatment by the Pakistani Military. The interrogator then asks if he was enjoying his tea to which Abhinandhan replied "The tea is Fantastic". This statement of Varthaman went viral and turned into an
internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
in the Pakistani Online community.
Awards and decorations
See also
*
2019 Balakot airstrike
The 2019 Balakot airstrike was a bombing raid conducted by Indian warplanes on February 26, 2019, in Balakot, Pakistan against an alleged terrorist training camp. Open source satellites imagery has revealed that no targets of consequence wer ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varthaman, Abhinandan
Living people
1983 births
Indian aviators
Indian Air Force officers
Indian prisoners of war
Prisoners of war held by Pakistan
Shot-down aviators
Tamil people
People from Tamil Nadu
National Defence Academy (India) alumni
Recipients of the Vir Chakra
Sainik School alumni
Tamil Jains
21st-century Indian Jains
21st-century Indian military personnel