Air Commodore Mohan Dharamdas Lalvani was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in February, 1959 and over the years has distinguished himself in all important appointments held by him, which were many and varied.

He was among the first pilots to be assigned to the Mi­4 helicopters. For his outstanding performance in the hazardous terrains of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, he was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in January, 1965.

In 1970, Air Commodore Lalvani was cross streamed to the Air Defence System. He evolved syllabi and application systems which laid a solid foundation for training. Under his command, a star sapphire unit, which prior to his stewardship carried the label of 'unfit for war', its status raised from the dubious distinction to an above average capability in just six months. As commander of an operational station in the Western Sector, his base was adjudged 'Best in Operations' and 'Best in Maintenance'.

Air Commodore Lalvani, because of his instructional crafts, was deputed as a Directing Staff at the Institute of Defence Management. Here, he so excelled himself that he became a regular guest lecturer to organisations like Administrative Staff College of India, NITIE and even the Iraq Defence College at Baghdad.

In staff work again, Air Commodore Lalvani displayed outstanding perception and analytical skills. He made a very significant contribution in the drafting of the joint document relating to transfer of AOP assets to the Army. As Air II of Eastern Air Command, he displayed discernment, ingenuity and an innovativeness which not only enabled optimum utilisation of resources but a qualitative improvement in operational employment.

Air Commodore Mohan Dharamdas Lalvani, VM has thus rendered distinguished service of an exceptional order.