History :

Ajay Ahuja was born in Kota, Rajasthan. He did his schooling from Saint Paul's Senior Secondary School, Mala Road Kota, a renowned missionary school for boys. He graduated from the National Defence Academy (India) and was commissioned a fighter pilot on 14 June 1985 in the IAF. As a fighter pilot he toured on the MiG-23 fighter-bomber and MiG-21 variants, as well as instructional flying experience of over 1,000 hours spent teaching ab-initio pilots. Squadron Leader Ahuja was posted to the Killi Bhisiana Airbase at Bhatinda, Punjab, India in 1997. He had only just become the Flight Commander of Squadron No.17 Golden Arrows (a specialist photo-reconnaissance squadron), when the Kargil War broke out in May–June 1999. On 15 August 1999, India's 52nd anniversary of Independence, Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra, one of India's highest gallantry honours for military personnel.