AFVOA Newletters of Year 2002

Page 59 of 84 4. The fourth meeting of the calendar year was held on the 11 th of August at the Indira Nagar Youth Hostel. The meeting and its run up were notable for a number of pleasant and spirit cheering happenings. This meeting was the Eighth Anniversary Meeting (the EXSOA, which was the former name of the AFVOA was born at the Youth Hostel in 1994). For the first time, a record number of confirmations, totalling 140, were received. This was indeed a happy augury, which had a direct bearing on the quality and quantity of the dinner that was served later in the evening. Secondly, we were, once again privileged to honour the veterans amongst the veterans, with as many as four octogenarians and a redoubtable nonagenarian having graciously accepted our request that they join us for the evening. Thirdly, though the sky was overcast throughout the day, we were spared the usual mid-meeting interruption triggered by convective showers. Lastly, our usual benefactor, Col Raju not only changed the seating format, but also ensured that there were chairs aplenty for the gathering of 150 plus which actually assembled. The new seating arrangement also acted, as a precaution against a riled weather God, in that the catering preparations were taken in hand under the shelter of the single garage, which hitherto formed the backdrop of the area where the president chaired the meeting. As the people starting arriving, Wg Cdr Muthu and Lt Col Narayanan collected contributions for the evening. 5. The meeting was gradually filling up to the full strength (minus one + one). As soon as most of the members assembled, Col Krishnaswami, the Secretary, considered it prudent to commence the Meeting and requested Mrs Jaya Subramanyam to render the invocation to the God of all beginnings. The pleasantness of the evening, and the quietness of the hour in the relatively serene environs of the Youth Hostel carried the spirit of the invocation to the hearts of those present. Thereafter, those present stood in silent memory of the departed spirits of two of our members, the late Lt Col NT Rajan, ASC, an octogenarian we had the privilege of honouring a few meetings earlier, and the late Col John P Devadason, AEC, who passed away since our last meeting. Col Krishnaswami, a founder member of the Association, then took the opportunity to mention that during the eight years of its existence, the AFVOA had grown from strength to strength, with the membership increasing from the mere 20 members way back in Aug 1994, to over 260 now. The President - Maj Gen Viswanathan who had been delayed due to an unexpected snarl in the traffic on Venkatanarayana Road leading out of their home in T Nagar, then took charge of the proceedings. Considering that T Nagar was, not too long ago, quiet and clutter free, we can thank the Heavens that Chennai has still a few oases of relative calm and quiet such as the OTA Grounds, the Youth Hostel, and the Defence Colony! 6. Maj Gen Viswanthan mentioned that the annual picnic was once again planned for the month of December. In the absence of a better spot, he said that the Committee felt that we once again go over to the Century Auditorium near Nemmeli on the New Mahabalipuram Road, where we had gone last year. If any member knew of any other attractive and convenient location, he/she was requested to inform the Committee about the same. Gen Viswanathan also added that the process of deciding whether the AFVOA should be formed into a Trust or a Society was still being debated. He assured that the relevant sub committee was nearing a final decision, which would be communicated soon. The General informed us of the Kargil Day celebrations which was organised by the Area HQ, and of the GOC utilising the occasion to distribute financial assistance/token awards to the families of war veterans. The members of the AFVOA look forward to the three service establishments in Chennai associating the AFVOA with future functions organised to honour the war heroes on days such as Kargil Diwas, Vijay Diwas etc. 7. The next on the agenda was the honouring of the octogenarians and the sole nonagenarian. Regrettably, Col RD Ayyar, the distinguished and utterly dedicated nonagenarian (born 1907) physician-surgeon who is still treating people with his God gifted