AFVOA Newletters of Year 2003

Page 29 of 170 ARMED FORCES VETERAN OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION CHENNAI (Established 1994) Patron: Lt Gen C Sundara Rao, PVSM, Tele: 2490 1185 President Vice President Secretary Treasurer AVM V Krishnaswamy, VSM Tele: 2234 4434/ Capt (IN) H Balakrishnan Tele: 2491 0140 Cdr S R Prasad, Tele: 2536 4008 Lt Col M Narayanan, Tele: 2492 8546 No 2 of 2003 NEWSLETTER #02/2003 16 th Apr 2003 Human beings, by change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden. ~ Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe ~ (1749 –1832; German Poet, (Dramatist) Dear Veteran, From the Editor’s Desk 1. With this issue, there is a change of guard – a new Committee with AVM V Krishnaswamy, VSM, has taken over as President of the Association. The first day of January heralds in the New Year as per the Gregorian calendar. But the months of March and April ushers in many other New Years – particularly relevant to the people in the Deccan. The first of April is not only All Fools Day, but also the start of the financial year insofar as the Governments in India are concerned. The next day - the second of April was celebrated as Ugadi – the New Year in Andhra and Karnataka. Almost a fortnight later on the fourteenth was Tamil New Year and Vishu, was observed by Malayalees as the start of the New Year. And moving northwards Baisakhi, which is also on the fourteenth, is a popular festival enriching the varied culture of India. The festival stands for the dawn of a new year in the northern India, especially the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In Punjab, Baisakhi has a more unique significance, as that day also commemorates the founding of the Khalsa by the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh. 2. To echo the thoughts of the German poet, it is hoped that all of us will so change that we renew old ties, rejuvenate ourselves so that we can further improve ourselves, which in turn help us contribute more to the Association and the community at large 3. We continue in our endeavour to highlight a few episodes of military history. In this issue we shall be talking to you about three others. The first person won his PVC during the actions in Congo while with the UN Peace Keeping mission. The second hero who was initially believed to have died, but was found later to have been taken prisoner, won the award for his action in the heights of Ladhak in the defence of the Chushul airfield. The third is the first officer to have been made Field Marshal and is now the only living Field Marshal – the one and only Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who celebrated his entry into the ninth decade of his life on 3 rd April this year.