IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman spent his childhood in Jodhpur

Jaipur: The father of Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was captured in Pakistan was posted as a squadron leader at Jodhpur airbase in the 80s.

Retired Air Marshall Simhakutty Varth was a consultant for the film Kaatru Veliyidai, directed by Mani Ratnam in 2017. It starred Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari and was about an IAF pilot being captured by Pakistan during the 1999 Kargil War.

Abhinandan (35) is a resident of Madambakkam in South Chennai and spend most of his childhood with his family in Jodhpur. At that time, his father Air Marshall S Varthaman was posted at Jodhpur Airbase. Abhinandan has two children and was commissioned in IAF in 2004.

Abhinandan’s father, a highly decorated IAF officer, served the country and guided his son to do the same.

Pakistan claimed on Wednesday that it had shot down two Indian jets and arrested two pilots after striking non-military targets in India, a claim they retracted later, saying there was only one Indian pilot in their custody.

At a briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said an Indian Air Force MiG-21 Bison was “lost” on Wednesday morning and one Pilot is ‘missing in action’ while thwarting Pakistani fighter jets that had entered Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian government has warned Pakistan to return Abhinanadan under seven days as per the protocols of Geneva convention otherwise both the countries will be officially at war.

Abhinandan’s father retired Air Marshall Simhakutty Varthaman who was once posted as squadron leader at Jodhpur airbase in the 80s urged the Indian government to bring back Abhinandan safely from Pakistan. He refused to talk to media and said that his family is devastated after watching the videos of Abhinandan on social media.