"It's OK To Be Mediocre": Officer Who Survived Crash Wrote To His School

Group Captain Varun Singh was awarded the Shaurya Chakra in August (File)

"It is ok to be mediocre... but it is by no means a measure of things to come in life. Find your calling... whatever you work towards, do your best... never lose hope" - inspiring words from Group Captain Varun Singh - an average student till he found his calling and excelled in its pursuit - who is now fighting for his life at a Bengaluru hospital after suffering frighteningly severe burn injuries.

The only survivor of the chopper crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 Air Force personnel, Group Captain Singh won the Shaurya Chakra in August for courage in handling his Tejas fighter aircraft after it was hit by major technical issues during a sortie.

In September, the Group Captain, an alumnus of the Army Public School in Haryana's Chandimandir Cantonment, wrote to the Principal of his alma mater.

He wrote "not to blow my own trumpet or with a desire to seek a pat on the back", but to share some of his life experiences in hopes it might "inspire children who might feel that they are meant to be only mediocre in this hyper-competitive world".

"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..." he said.

In a moving four-page letter, Group Captain Singh talked about his time at the NDA (National Defence Academy) and the first sight of his calling - aviation. But, he wrote, he still lacked confidence in himself.

"... I always thought I was meant to be average and there was no point in trying to excel. (But) 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..." he said.

"It is at this point that things started to turn around in my professional and personal life. I resolved to do each task to the best of my abilities..." the Group Captain wrote.

The new approach paid rich dividends.

Group Captain Singh won two trophies at the challenging Flying Instructors' course, was selected for the rigorous Experimental Test Pilot course, and, finally, was posted to a Tejas fighter squadron even though he had crossed the seniority bracket.

The young officer was even on the first list of 12 candidates for ISRO's history-in-the-making Gaganyaan programme, before a medical condition ruled him out.

Throughout his letter Group Captain Singh stressed on self-belief and, in an age where young minds face extraordinary pressure from an educational system that seems designed to discourage, particularly those who are diffident and shy, his words must ring true for lakhs of children.

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

Read Group Captain Varun Singh's full letter below