AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 6 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 159 of 332 saw the vast meadows and breath taking scenic beauty, which surely helped us take our minds off, the dangers of the route. We reached Naushera in the evening & stayed in the Officers Mess there. All along our drive through Srinagar and the valley, we saw numerous broken, dilapidated houses, earlier occupied by the Kashmiri Pandits and the Hindus, who were driven out in January 1990 in a most gruesome manner. Many of the areas looked like a war ravaged zone. On the train back to Delhi, as we neared Pathankot Railway station, I remembered my days of posting at Pathankot during the period 1971 to 1973. All of us were on duty at the Air Force Station all the time and were alert. We never expected leave or weekend, rest or recreation. I was one of the only two Met officers of the station to cater for the forecast for exercises and planning. We never cribbed nor were looking for rest/vacation, such was the spirit and motivation given by Late Wg Cdr Narayanan, VSM who was my S.Met.O. Our airfield was attacked day-in and day-out by Pakistani Aircraft. We counter attacked Pakistan airfields undeterred by Pak ack-ack fire. We had the undeterred support of the local populace in Punjab for the Armed Forces. This I could perceive, was totally lacking in our trip to the Srinagar valley, when we went in May- June 2016. On our return to Delhi, I called on then COAS, Gen Suhag to thank him profusely, for making our Kargil Trip a memorable one, which we shall cherish forever. Our daily prayers include safety of our Armed forces and the Motherland. About the Author Gp Capt LV Mohandas was an Indian Air Force Meteorological Officer. He has three MSc degrees and a PG Degree in Management Studies (MMS). Served as a Faculty in Air Force Administrative College, Coimbatore & as a HOD in College of Defence Management, Secunderabad. He was an Examiner of Osmania University for 5 years. After 33 Years of service & superannuation from Air Force, he served as a HOD in Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 13 years, heading IT in the Southern Region. His hobby includes coaching poor children for the Board Exams. He is also deeply involved in Social Service activities helping poor people, advising them, guiding their children how to apply for further studies, attend interviews and seek jobs.