AFVOA Newletters of Year 2003

Page 53 of 170 2. I am sure that we can attain the aim of communication for all if we sincerely practice the precepts quoted above. 3. In our endeavour to highlight a few episodes of military history we shall be talking to you about two more winners of the Param Vir Chakra, and a nonagenarian of Chennai, who passed away recently. The PVC winners won the awards for their actions during the Chinese aggression of 1962 – the first in NEFA, while the second won it in the heights of Chusul. 4. Being the summer vacation, which saw a glut of mangoes – the king of fruits flooding the market, two recipes using them have been included. We have also attempted to give a few tips which many of you may already be aware of, but then as these are generally passed on verbally, but rarely written down, we felt reducing them to black and white would come in handy for those interested in the culinary art. Meeting Gone By – “An Impression” by Wg Cdr Ravi Mani The real process of making decisions, of gathering support, of developing opinions, happens before the meeting or after. ~ Terrence Deal 5. For the second meeting of the calendar year we were back at our familiar haunts in the Indira Nagar Youth Hostel. The evening (04 May 2003) was as eventful as the day was auspicious (it being the “Akshaya Tritiya”, tradition having it that a gift sincerely given this day would return amplified manifold!). The AFVOA was to be honoured by a guest speaker, a serving officer from the Indian Army, the GOC of the ATNKK & G Area. Early birds arriving before 1800 hrs were welcomed by the ever reliable Col Narayanan and the new Vice President Capt H Balakrishnan, IN doing “gate duty”, collecting meet expenses and annual subscriptions. At 1835, the Secretary, Cdr SR Prasad called the meeting to order, and invited the newly elected President, Air Vice Marshal V Krishnaswamy, VSM, to preside over the proceedings. Given that he had been duly “elected”, which is the Armed Forces euphemism for being press ganged or shanghaied into a particular appointment, the AVM could not help commenting wryly on the similarity between a like plight he had faced as a Pilot Officer at the beginning of his service career, and his present situation, well into “retirement”. However, as the saying goes, work or responsibility attaches itself only to those who do not shirk it, and the AVM was proof of the adage, having just handed over the presidentship of the Air Force Association after a ten-year term. 6. The AVM outlined the agenda for the evening, which comprised of bidding farewell to the GOC, Maj Gen AS Jamwal, AVSM, VSM, and of a talk on the Ex Servicemen’s Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), by Brig JK BHORE, DDMS of the Area HQ. He also mentioned that as a welcome departure from the past, as many as 140 members had confirmed their attendance for the meeting in advance. The incoming committee was introduced, and gratitude expressed for the work done by the outgoing one chaired by Maj Gen N Viswanathan, which included Cols A Krishnaswam, VrC, VSM** and N Viswanathan. The Editorial Committee was to remain unchanged, as well as the irregular militia of self styled “do gooders” which inveigles itself into activities without waiting for a formal “come hither”. At 1845, Cdr Prasad read out the obituary reference to Maj JW Chellappa, who passed away recently to the Valhalla that is home to all honourable old soldiers. 7. The Patron, Lt Gen C Sundara Rao then welcomed the gathering, and briefly touched