VICE PRINCIPAL, SAINIK SCHOOL TILAIYA

Wing Commander Sanjeev Sharma was commissioned into the Indian Airforce on 21 June 2008 through the Education Branch. Since then, he has rendered distinguished service, combining instructional excellence with pioneering contributions to combat parachuting. A Qualified Parachute Jump Instructor and Combat Free-Fall Instructor, he has completed over 830 operational and training jumps, many under demanding conditions such as high altitude, low visibility, and water-based operations. His dedication, courage, and technical mastery rank him among India’s most accomplished combat parachutists.

Across his career, Wing Commander Sharma has held key instructional and leadership appointments at premier training establishments, including two tenures at the Airmen Training School, Belagavi, and at the Paratroopers Training School, widely regarded as the cradle of India’s combat paratroopers. In these institutions he has served with distinction as Flight Commander, Squadron Commander, Parachute Jump Instructor, and Training Wing Adjutant.

He has also served with the elite 87 Squadron, one of only two Special Operations Squadrons in the Indian Armed Forces. While with 87 Squadron, he was an integral member of the first-ever C-130J airborne insertion over the Kalisham and Yumthang Valleys near the Indo-China border, a landmark operation that demonstrated India’s capability to rapidly deploy forces in high-altitude regions.

Wing Commander Sharma’s pioneering achievements in combat parachuting are numerous. He was the first Indian to execute a night combat jump over Leh under extreme high-altitude and low-light conditions. He conducted the first-ever para jump over Yumthang Valley in Sikkim and executed India’s inaugural water parachute jumps, both in inland and international waters, during day and night operations. He was also the first paratrooper to jump from a C-130J over a water body, setting a new benchmark for aerial insertion techniques.

As a senior member of the prestigious Akashganga Skydiving Display Team, Wing Commander Sharma has led numerous national and international demonstrations that showcased India’s airborne capabilities at the highest level. He has represented the Indian Armed Forces in multiple joint military exercises with tri-service and friendly foreign nations, making significant contributions to strategic cooperation, interoperability, and defence diplomacy.
Committed to lifelong learning, Wing Commander Sharma holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Master of Arts, and Master of Business Administration. These academic qualifications complement his operational expertise and underscore his role as a well-rounded leader, strategist, and mentor.

During the 2025–26 academic session, Wing Commander Sharma served as Vice Principal of Sainik School Kalikiri, Andhra Pradesh. He assumed charge of Vice Principal of Sainik School Tilaiya on 28 May 2026.

He is supported by his wife, Mrs. Poonam Sharma, a devoted homemaker with a passion for nature and culinary arts. They are proud parents of Ms. Sapna Sharma, who has completed her B.Tech from KIIT, Bhubaneswar and is preparing to join the Armed Forces, and Master Shubh Sharma, who is a proud cadet at Sainik School Tilaiya.