CHANDIGARH, Sept. 27 -- Group Captain Suresh Ratnaparkhi struggled to hold back tears as he sat in his wheelchair and stretched his hand out to touch a MiG-21 Bison that had just landed after its last operational sortie at the Chandigarh airbase where the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday decommissioned the last of its iconic Soviet-era fighter jets in a rousing send-off that evoked the aircraft's heady decades in service and how it shaped the country's air power. "She was my beloved and I touched her for the last time," the 87-year-old former MiG-21 pilot said as India's longest-serving fighter jet retired after flying the Indian flag for 62 years. Just moments earlier, Ratnaparkhi listened with rapt attention as defence minister Rajnath Singh described the MiG-21 as the cornerstone of India's air power for decades, hailed it for acquitting itself honourably in different wars and conflicts, and recounted how the IAF's first supersonic fighter jet excelled in every role assigned to it. Astronaut Group Captain Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and MiG-21 pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman were in the audience too, along with chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan and the three service chiefs. Chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Squadron Leader Priya Sharma were among the six fighter pilots who flew the last MiG-21 sorties. "In every historic mission, the MiG-21 carried the Tricolour with honour. Its contribution has never been limited to a single event or battle, it has been a pillar of India's air power for decades," the defence minister said. Ratnaparkhi, who travelled to Chandigarh from Goa for the decommissioning ceremony, couldn't agree more. "It was a beautiful aircraft that could do a lot of things. It served India well. The MiG-21 was difficult to handle and did not forgive. But every man who has flown it will tell you there's never been a better fighter," he said. Ratnaparkhi flew MiG-21s during 1966-89, logging 2,600 hours on all types except the newest Bison variant which came in later. The day struck a nostalgic note not just for the hundreds of veteran MiG-21 pilots and their families who attended the send-off function --- the younger pilots strolled down memory lane too. The MiG-21 was an integral part of his life, said Shukla, who recently became the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station. "The MiG-21 cockpit was my greatest teacher. It taught me a lot. I wish I could have been a part of the last flypast, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time to make that possible," he said. Shukla flew three MiG-21 variants - Type 96, Type 75 and the Bison - during 2007-17. Other variants operated by the IAF included Type 74 or MiG 21F, Type 76 or MiG 21PF, Type 77 or MiG 21FL and MiG 21 Bis. The defence minister described the MiG-21 as a "bird for all seasons." The fighter jet, he said, excelled in a variety of roles including as an interceptor deterring enemy aircraft, a ground-attack platform with offensive capability, a frontline air defence jet protecting Indian skies, and a trainer aircraft that groomed countless pilots. "The foundation of our highly skilled fighter pilots was laid on the MiG-21. This legendary platform helped generations of air warriors learn how to fly, adapt, and succeed in the toughest conditions. Its role in shaping India's air strategy cannot be overstated." To be sure, the MiG-21's 62-year journey in the IAF was punctuated by frequent fatal crashes that put the aircraft's safety record under running scrutiny and led to an understandable chorus of concern and calls for its early replacement. With upgrades, the IAF managed to keep them flying for so long. More than 400 MiG-21s were involved in accidents that killed around 200 pilots, earning the fighter jets unfortunate epithets such as "Flying Coffin" and "Widow Maker". To be sure, more MiG-21s crashed than any other fighter because they formed the bulk of the aircraft in the IAF for the longest time --- in the 1980s and 1990s, these planes accounted for more than 60% of the air force's fighting strength. The maiden batch of six MiG-21Fs entered service in March-April 1963 and the IAF progressively inducted 874 MiG-21s (60% of these were produced under licence in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited)....