New Delhi: Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar AVSM VM VSM ADC, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command has been awarded with most prestigious Presidential award “Param Vishisth Seva Medal (PVSM) on the occasion of Republic Day 2018. He was commissioned in the IAF in the year 1979.
He is the son of Shri MK Chandrashekharan Pillai and Late Smt Sreedevi Amma and hails from Pandanad, Chengannur, Alappuzha District of Kerala. He finished his schooling from the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun.
The Air Marshal is a Qualified Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader, he has over 3300 hours of flying. He has held many significant staff appointments at Air Headquarters, Operational Air Commands and also commanded a frontline fighter base. A graduate of Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College, the Air Marshal was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, eastern Air Command to his present appointment as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command.
His other awards includes Vishisth Seva Medal in Jan 2005, Vayu Sena Medal in Jan 2011 and Ati Vishisth Seva Medal in Jan 2016. The Air Marshal has also been appointed as Honorary Air Force ADC to President of India since 01 Jan 2017.
Air Marshal C Hari Kumar is married to Mrs Devika Hari Kumar. Her present appointment is as President Air Force Wives Welfare Association (Regional) Western Air Command.
