AFVOA Newletters of Year 2005

Page 45 of 75 32. The Army men’s team ( support team ) . The support team comprising of Major S S Shekhawat, Subedar Surjeet Singh, Naib Subedar Jagat Singh, Havildar Topgey Bhutia and Commando Kaman Singh also scaled Mt Everest successfully on the same day i.e. 02 Jun 2005. 33. IAF sets foot on Mt Everest. The Indian Air Force which holds the World record for flying and landing a Chetak Helicopter on Saser Kangri feature in Ladakh has now set its foot with their mountaineers on Mt Everest thereby proving their mettle in this skill as well. The IAF Team comprising of Wg Cdr RC Tripathi, Sqn Ldr SS Chaitanya and Sgt NR Chowdhary had, on 30 May 2005 were atop the World’s tallest 8,848 high Mt Everest. They climbed from the Tibetan North side. They were accompanied by a few indomitable Sherpas while scaling the summit. 34. Adventure Sports, is being promoted in a big way by the Armed Forces. The mission to have the younger generation excel in various disciplines of Sports and become eligible for representing the country in the future Olympics has been given to the Armed Forces. The AFVOA compliments the grit, tenacity and determination of the above successful teams. We hope that India will attain the status of a “Sports Nation” in the coming years. 34. A tribute to our World War II Veteran-Cdr VSP Mudaliar. Cdr VSP Mudalliar, our Nonagenarian member and perhaps one of the few surviving World War II Veterans in India was recently invited by the Russian Government to witness the Kremlin celebrations, commemorating the 60 th Anniversary of the fall of Hitler on 09 May 2005. He was also an invitee at the Banquet hosted by President Putin for World War II Veterans along with World leaders. Cdr Mudaliar is the proud owner of two watches and a whole lot of mementos that the Russian leaders presented him. We, the members of AFVOA are proud of the honour bestowed on our Senior most veteran. 35. We, in our Newsletter dated 01 Jun 2002 have extensively covered the Bio-data of Cdr VSP Mudaliar when the AFVOA honoured him on his becoming a Nonagenarian. We wish Cdr Mudaliar long life, good health and many more laurels in the years to come. “The invasion of Armies is resisted; the invasion of ideas is not”. ~ Victor Hugo Matters Social 36. 60 Years of Marital Bliss-Brig and Mythili Ramani. AFVOA offers warm felicitations to our veteran member, Brig ( Dr ) G V Ramani, VSM, ENT Specialist and Mrs Mythili Ramani on their completion of sixty years of happy married life on 30 Apr 05. We wish them many more years of Happy and Healthy married life. 37. Obituary . The Patron and members of the AFVOA regret to intimate the demise of the following:- (a) Lt Col VS Rajan, Sigs on 24 May 2005 in Tibet on way to Kailas Manasarovar. The late Lt Col VS Rajan and his wife, Mrs. Chitra Rajan have been very active members. (b) Mrs. Usha, wife of Capt R Balasubramanian on 24 Apr 2005 at Chennai. (c) Lt Col Gopalaratnam, AOC on 02 Jun 2005 at Besant Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai. We pray for the departed souls to rest in peace . “ All endings are also beginnings. We Just don’t know it at the time” ~ Mitch Albom (The Five People You Meet in Heaven)