AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 2 – News / Updates from the Association CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 17 of 167 not for the return journey. The collector asked, “Does the AG expect me to have auctioned off my car in Panruti and returned by train?” The claim was passed promptly. Rekha has every reason to be proud of the illustrious career of her father, Brig Nayudu, a true Madras Sapper till his last days. For a young officer, the words of appreciation may be from Slim (Lt Gen), but they are weighty praise. To have stood his ground without succumbing to the pressure of his senior boss and to have proved himself right is a rare example of uprightness, conviction and professionalism. A vivid picture of the OTA in Chennai from the pen of Maj Gen Gopalakrishnan is painted with all its colors and contours. The glory of this unique institution in the whole of Asia is that the lady cadets excelled and matched their male counterparts in skill and performance! OTA is a landmark in the city of Chennai. ‘Par-Tea at Amarnath’ is a funny episode narrated craftily by Balaswamy. While the Major (his boss) sipped the costliest hot tea, the majority had to be content with steaming water. Years later, when the cat was out of the bag, the boss got upset. Probably the real reason for his anger was not that his men just had hot water instead of tea, but that he was duped into believing that they were having hot tea! Sriraman, the ‘Warrior from Thirukoyilur’ pursued his dream with grit and determination and rose to higher ranks from humble beginnings. Lightning never strikes twice. But it did strike Sriraman twice in Burma, and he escaped both times – first from Japanese bombs and second from a poisonous snake that crawled away from his head, his body and down his legs! What is the connection between Sriraman and Narasimha, the author of the article? Unresolved mystery to be solved by our Sherlock Holmes! Many thanks to Maj Gen Manavalan for introducing the real Gen Sundar Rao and Col Tej Rekhi. With their achievements, they soared like two eagles. I hear that the Navy is jealous of their rich contributions to sailing. Rekhi was not the one to be left behind in car racing. I have a doubt. To which service did he belong – the Army, the Navy or the Air Force? I believe he belongs to Tri-Services!! Perhaps the only one! eConnect is an excellent initiative of AFVOA to create space and time for purposeful engagement with eminent personalities. The Webinar eInvite for each event is well designed with just enough preview for members to wait eagerly for the Sunday event. Y Gee Mahendran is a natural comedian. The actors who mature on the stage are versatile with wit and presence of mind. On the stage and in front of an audience, they have to face unexpected challenges with spontaneous reflexes for there are no retakes here as in a movie shooting. Rasika delighted the members with her mastery over several musical instruments, mastery over different music systems, and mastery over songs in different languages. Her talent was so extraordinary and her rendering was so