‘It’s ok to be mediocre,’ this is what Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Indian Air Force chopper crash, had conveyed to the students of his school in a letter to its principal in September. Group Captain Singh wrote the letter to the principal of the Army Public School in Chandimandir in Haryana last September. He was conferred with the Shaurya Chakra in August for averting a possible mid-air accident after his Tejas light combat aircraft suffered a major technical glitch last year. Group Captain Singh is now battling for life at a military hospital in Bengaluru. Here goes the synopsis of the letter. The copy of the original one has been shared in JPEG format at the end.
“ It is ok to be mediocre. Not everyone will excel at school and not everyone will be able to score in the 90s. If you do, it’s an amazing achievement and must be applauded. However, if you don’t, do not think that you are meant to be mediocre. You may be mediocre in school but it is by no means a measure of things to come in life. Find your calling, it could be art, music, graphic design. literature etc. Whatever you work towards, be dedicated, do your best. Never go to bed thinking I could have put in more effort. I write to you filled with a sense of pride and humility. On August 15 this year, I have been awarded Shaurya Chakra by the President of India in recognition of an act of gallantry on October 12, 2020. I credit this prestigious award to all those I have been associated with over the years in school, NDA, and thereafter the Air Force, as I firmly believe that my actions that day were a result of the grooming and mentoring by my teachers. instructors and peers over the years. I was a very average student who barely scored first division in 12 class. Even though I was made the Discipline Prefect in 12th I was equally average even in sports and other co-curricular activities. But I had a passion for airplanes and aviation. Despite being in extreme physical and mental stress in an extreme life-threatening situation, I maintained composure and recovered the aircraft, thereby exhibiting exceptional flying skill. If I am able to inspire even one child to believe in him/her in himself/herself, I would have achieved my objective of writing to you.”
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