Bhubaneswar: Former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Surya Kumar Nanda passed away following a prolonged illness. He was 90.
Nanda, who was suffering from age-related ailments, breathed his last in Bhubaneswar on Friday, family sources said.
Born in 1935 in Old Bhubaneswar, he was a member of the prestigious ‘Nanda’ family which had set up the famous ‘Kalpana Talkies’ in the capital city. Nanda started his childhood education in Bhubaneswar. After graduation in science from Puri Samanta Chandra Shekhar College, he studied aviation and later joined the IAF as a pilot. He served the air force in the 1960s.
Following a minor accident, he retired from flying. Later, his paternal business was transformed into the management of Bhubaneswar’s first cinema hall ‘Kalpana Talkies’. Nanda was actively associated with social work.
His last rites were performed at the Garabdu crematorium in Bhubaneswar in the presence of a host of distinguished persons and people from different spheres.