Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has overwhelmed the whole nation with his fortitude and courage in the face of enemy captivity.
And why not? He comes from a family that has carried a legacy of serving the nation, for generations.
Abhinandan's father, Retd Air Marshal S Varthaman was a highly decorated officer. And a consultant for Mani Ratnam's film 'Kaatru Veliyidai'.
In a statement, Abhinandan's father spoke like a true warrior and gave the world a glimpse of what he taught his son to be -- a braveheart. He referred to a purported video of his son after his capture, and said he spoke like a "true soldier" despite being in captivity and that he was praying he would not get tortured in the neighbouring country and return home "safe and sound".
Retd Air Marshal S Varthaman has been a recipient of several honours, including a Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
Abhinandan's mother, Shobha Varthaman, is a doctor. Hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced Abhinandan would be released, his parents took a late flight from Chennai to Delhi and rightly received a standing ovation from their co-passengers.
Besides Abhinandan's father, his grandfather had served the nation during World War II in the Air Force.
India Today has also come to know that Abhinandan's brother has also been a part of the IAF.
What more? Abhinandan's wife, Tanvi Marwah, it is said, has also contributed to the Force.
HOW IT ALL HAPPENED
Tension mounted between two countries after Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed over 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kasmir's Pulwama on February 14.
India, in retaliation, carried out a pre-dawn airstrike on a JeM terror camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A day later, 24 Pakistan Air Force jets entered Indian airspace near LoC and dropped bombs in the Indian territory.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was reportedly captured on February 27 after his MiG-21 Bison was hit by the Pakistan Army across the Line of Control (LoC).
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Abhinandan would be released Friday as a "peace gesture".
Pakistani media reported how in the face of grave danger, our fighter pilot didn't panic or lose his mind.
Instead, he fought his captors, fired into the air and swallowed important documents (which should not have been in enemy hands), before he was outnumbered and captured.
All this, while he was bleeding profusely after the crash.
Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported: "The pilot, who was equipped with a pistol, asked the youngsters whether it was India or Pakistan. On this, one of them intelligently responded that it was India. The pilot, later identified as Wing Commander Abhi Nandan, shouted some slogans and asked which place exactly it was in India. To this, the same boy responded that it was Qilla'n."
The pilot told them that his "back was broken" and he needed water to drink.
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