AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 146 of 237 23 My Tryst with Melville de Mellow Col A Krishnasami VrC VSM & Bar Genre: Sweet Memories was a 10 year old at the dawn of Indian Independence. We stayed in Roberts Square, New Delhi in a government accommodation. There were 16 houses in the square with a playground in the centre. My father was an official in ALL INDIA RADIO. We had a valve type Radio set with a long external wire aerial, to listen to the radio and the news. I was too young to listen to the News of World War 2, but I remember how our neighbours would crowd in to our small house to hear the BBC News to follow the progress of the War. On the late night of 14 August 1947, we all crowded round the radio, in pin drop silence, to hear the PMs famous speech “A Tryst with Destiny” at the stroke of the midnight hour. The iconic Melville De Mello gave a running commentary in his golden voice that left an unforgettable impact in my memory. Later my father took me to the Red Fort to witness the Indian Flag being hoisted for the first time. There was a sea of humanity and people were jostling for a place to witness the ceremony. To keep me safe from getting lost in the crowd, my father being an AIR official, spoke to Mr De Mello who permitted me to sit in the commentary box. I was privileged to sit in the glass cased commentary box that gave me a bird’s eye view of the entire area. I was instructed to keep silent and just listen. A packet of biscuits kept me occupied as well. When my father came to pick me up, Mr De Mello patted me on my back and told my father that I was “very well behaved”. I was too young to realize that I had 2 trysts with destiny on 15 August 1947; India’s Independence and an opportunity to sit with the iconic Melville deMello. Thinking back, I get goose bumps even today. I