Saurav Jain (Chordia), a 22-year-old boy from Basugaon, a small town in Assam’s Bodoland region, was filled with utmost pride when the five phenomenal Rafale aircraft touched down to a special water cannon salute at the Ambala airbase. And it’s not only just because of India’s proud moment but his own contribution to the event.
Saurav designed the arm patches worn by the pilots of Squadron 17, also known as Golden Arrows, who flew in the fighter jets to India.
Speaking to Life Beyond Numbers, Saurav shared that it was his dream to be a pilot. Unfortunately, he had weak eyesight which hindered him to touch the sky himself. Yet his artistic talent fulfilled his unfulfilled aspiration.
“When I saw the air force pilots flying with my patches, it felt as if a part of me is flying”, expressed Saurav.
Explaining the idea behind the patches, Saurav said that he wanted to show the old essence of the unit and at the same time the modernity in the design. It took him a week to get the final design approved after a lot of alterations.
“Basically I had to show the Indianness in the design which I put in the patches – one circular and the other shaped like the aircraft, with the motto “Udayam Ajasram” (Arise Ever) embossed on the edge,” he said.
In the beginning, Saurav denied charging for his service. But later on, the Indian Army decided to send him an honorary stipend.
Knack for designing
The army patch designer has been doing the work since he was 18. However, his knack for designs started back at the age of 8. He was lucky enough to get noticed by the Indian Army who approached him to design the patches.
Besides Rafale, Saurav has also designed the G-suits and overalls of Squadron 25 pilots, or the Flying Daggers, who were the first to fly the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and those of the Surya Kiran Aerobatic squadron.
“I first noticed the patches I watched Tom Cruise in the movie Top Gun. As I couldn’t fly myself, I decided to take up designing aircraft models and patches,” he said.
He happens to be educated from a completely different background with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Amity University, Noida. All that designing is totally self-taught.
Currently, Saurav works for a Gaming Firm in New Delhi.
Future Endeavours
“I really wish to fly someday. At least I want to hold a COL license. I have too many goals but the foremost is to cover International Air shows and to fly in a fighter aircraft once,” said Saurav, envisioning his future.
Dreams don’t remain unfulfilled if we have the will to fulfill them.