AFVOA Newletters of Year 2003

Page 132 of 170 members have not forgotten the traditional values, but have tried to inculcate the same in the people around us. This was done through organizing lectures and talks. Members also spent time for community activities. Some of the note-worthy ones were:  Capsule Guidance Programme for prospective candidates wishing to join the Armed Forces.  Organising talks on Defence and allied matters through Rotary and Lions Clubs.  Organising Motivation talks to schools, colleges and NCC cadets.  Taking part in Panel Discussions on TV for highlighting the role of the Armed Forces in War and Peace.  Raising contributions for the welfare of families of soldiers who fought valiantly in the Kargil operations.  Helping brother officers of the Association and their families in times of distress.  Bringing out a Directory of all defence officers who have made Chennai their home. The dawn of the millennium brought about a change to the name of our Association. Maj Gen Aban Naidu had forthrightly highlighted that a retired service officer irrespective of his rank, is a “veteran” in his own right. Besides, having being commissioned as an officer, we continue to be one, even after retirement. Hence, re-designated our Association as ARMED FORCES VETERAN OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION . Years have rolled by, and the Association has grown in strength and stature. The aim has been “WHAT CAN WE DO” rather than “What Can We Get”? The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention. The silent work of the Association would continue. The members have to help themselves till one is healthy and be mentally prepared to face the changing life styles. Brief aide memoires on aspects like “Writing a Will”, “Actions to be taken on the Demise of a Retired Officer” had been prepared and distributed. In the “bank of projects” a few more publications in the pipeline. They are: a) Due to new players entering the telecommunications field, telephones are being provided by a number of agencies besides the age-old Chennai Telephones who are now called Bharath Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). This has necessitated a wholesale revision of our present Directory which was published in April 2001. In the intervening period, a large number of officers have moved into Chennai, others have changed their houses; still others have opted for telephones from the agencies excluding BSNL. These agencies unlike BSNL, have not issued any directories of their own, which has compounded the task of tracing the current number and address of the officer. Nevertheless, due to stupendous and persistent efforts by our dedicated members the collection of data is almost complete. We are hopeful that the new Directory will be in the hands of our members soon. b) The second is a book containing various actions to be taken by the next of kin of a retired officer on his demise. This is compiled under an appropriate title as “Surya Asthaman”. It will include various aspects such as administrative, financial and medical, which need to be attended so as to optimise benefits available from different sources. A chapter on “Wills” is also being included. We are hoping to make it as comprehensive as possible and including letters in draft form which should hasten the process of claims. In this case also, the material is ready in the manuscript form. c) Another publication which should see the light of day shortly is aimed at promoting awareness on military matters. This is a booklet comprising published articles from different sources on the 1962 Sino Indian conflict.