AFVOA Newletters of Year 2007

Page 40 of 68 Maj Gen EJ Kochekkan, SM, VSM, GOC ATNK&K Area will be the Chief Guest at the forthcoming meeting. Guest Speaker. Lt Gen S Pattabhiraman, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd) will be the guest speaker of the evening. Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in. Leonardo Da Vinci All Members are requested to kindly fill in the form for Data Updation - 2007 and send it to Secretary AFVOA, “Palani Centre”, 32. Venkatnarayana Road, T. Nagar, Chennai – 600017 at the earliest. Thank you. Speech is conveniently located midway between thought and action, where it often substitutes for both. John AndrewHolmes A TRIBUTE By Maj Gen Chander Govindaswamy It is with a heavy heart that I attempt to talk about four of our stalwarts with whom I was associated in a small way and are not with us today. I refer to Maj Gen V Rangaswamy, VrC**, Cdr VSP Mudaliar, Maj Gen TB Poduval and AVM S Krishnaswamy, VSM in the order in which they left our midst. All of them were perfect gentlemen belonging to the old school. Gen Rangaswamy, every one knows. What a great honour it is to get a Vir Chakra, and here was a person with two to his credit and yet ever so humble in his dealings with his colleagues. He was also a great ham radio enthusiast (presumably he picked up the hobby in Korea where he served during the Korean Conflict). His house was bedecked with mast of all styles and shapes, something like the ones we used to see above the Embassies along Chanakya Marg in Delhi. But I wish to illustrate more about his concern for a fellow officer in Arms. In 1993 when I had got admitted to the Apollo Hospital for the by-pass surgery my wife was staying alone at our house in Defence Colony. I had not known him at all earlier except for the fact that he was my good friend Brig Loganathan’s father. Here he was, enquiring about me every day during that period from my wife. This was indeed a manifestation of his loving care. Next I come to Cdr Mudaliar. He was sprightly at 90 and was present at most of our meetings and also at each and every picnic enjoying life to the utmost. He had helped the Russians in the “Great Patriotic War” as they called World War II. He was honoured by the Air Force as well. The last picture of him which I labelled as “The Oldest and the Youngest” was when he was standing next to the grand daughter of Col Narayanan at the picnic this year just a few day before his passing away cheering the teams flying paper planes, a game organised by Col Sundar. I also received his last letter just a couple of days before his death in which he has recounted how he had taken up the cudgels in Delhi on behalf of retirees with pension