Vice Admiral Karambir Singh Nijjer (middle) has been appointed the next Indian Chief of Naval Staff. (File photo)It was a happy day for a small village called Fatehpur on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur highway, near Adampur Air Force Station.
A ‘son of their soil’, Vice Admiral Karambir Singh Nijjer, has been appointed the next Indian Chief of Naval Staff.
Some of the officer’s relatives still live in Fatehpur.
Harjit Singh Nijjer, the paternal uncle of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, said it is a proud moment for the village.
“My phone was not stopping ringing ever since the news came out,” he said, adding that several people had called to convey congratulations.
He further said that the next naval chief has never visited the village because his father, (retd.) Wing Commander Gurmaijit Singh, had settled in Delhi and Karambir was born and brought up in the national capital. His father too was an icon of this village, said Harjit, adding that he had passed away a few years ago.
Harjit said that Karambir’s younger brother Col Premjit Singh (retd) has been visiting Fatehpur as the family has ancestral land in the village.
Karambir will be the first helicopter pilot to make it to the post of Chief of Naval Staff, he added.
Karambir Singh’s grandfather Kartar Singh had moved to Delhi six decades ago. There, he used to own a shop in Paharganj area. Some of their relatives are settled in the village as well as abroad in Canada.
Baldev Singh, a villager, said, “This family is a huge inspiration for the village youths. We hope he will visit the village soon so we can felicitate him for his achievements.”
