Wing Commander Subramaniam Srinivasan from Kumbakonam was on cloud nine when the defence ministry chose him for the Vayu Sena medal and made the announcement during Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday.
Srinivasan, 41, had led a team comprising two helicopters to rescue a critically ill American member of an Indo-American team of mountaineers, who were climbing the Saser Kangri-II peak in the East Karakoram Range of Ladakh region on August 26, 2011.
The Tamilian had manoeuvred his helicopter to land in the restricted area with negligible reserve of power and without wasting any time, the American was taken on board while the second helicopter maintained a close vigil from above.
“I feel proud to be part of the Armed Forces. The country has recognised our efforts with this medal,” Srinivasan told this newspaper.
“We are trained to be professionals in the Armed Forces. They do the grooming and motivate us to serve the nation at all times,” he added.
“In this rescue mission, we had short notice and it was already late afternoon. The weather was also turbulent and the person’s health condition was becoming critical. Yet, we managed to save his life,” he added.
Son of bank officer V.S. Mani, Wing Commander Srinivasan did his schooling and college at Indore. “My father moved to Indore while working for the Union Bank and after his retirement we settled down there,” he added. He, however, hasn’t forgotten his roots.
“We still visit our native place Kumbakonam and Chennai, where I remember living in Madhavaram,” said Srinivasan.
After NCC, it was a natural progression for him to enter the Air Force. However, his elder brother, Colonel S. Jayaraman, preferred to join the Army.
After his stint at Leh, Srinivasan, who is married and has a nine-year-old daughter, recently moved to Air Force Station in Bagdogra, West Bengal.