AFVOA Newletters of Year 2008

Page 22 of 56 concerning cus tomer -unf riendly practices followed by banks and the hostility of publ ic hospit als toward poor pati ent s, ” he says. His quest for knowl edge didn’t end with a l aw degree. At 82, he is all set to vi sit the Indology Department at Harvard University in the US. “The department has a l ibrary dealing wi th the study of anci ent India, and I want to work on the Vedas ,” he says. Whil e most senior citi zens wor ry about money, Desai has a simpl e recipe to handl e f inances in his twilight years. “All your working li fe you should bui ld up resources in such a way that you do not have to depend on your children or soci ety for money, and liberat e yoursel f from the need to make a l iving, ” he says. “Follow thi s recipe”, says Desai, “and when you’ re at the threshold of old age you can quot e Robert Browning, and sing the lines John Lennon wrote Grow Old with me. The bes t i s ye t to be . Face the set t ing sun, when the day is done.…”. The Ten Commandments for Living Happily: Use your time wisely. Enjoy by giving. Learn to understand death. Add value to your life. Simplify your life. Keep learning. Set your self new goals. Reach your full potential. Stay involved, stay detached. Find new roles. From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life. Arthur Ashe MATTERS AFVOA Meeting Gone b y – A Resume 1. Bi-monthly meeting was held at the Headquart ers ATNK&K Area Of fi cer ’s Mess, Isl and Grounds on Sunday, 13 Apr 2008. It was a meeting held amidst great excit ement because the Chief Guest of the evening was Lt Gen Nobl e Thamburaj, SM, GOC-in-C Southern Command. Excel lent ar rangement s were made for the evening at the Of fi cer’s Mess by the Frat ernity of Serving Of fi cers whi ch was much appreci at ed by every member of our Associat ion. Three buses were detail ed by Civil GT Company to pick up vet erans f rom far flung locations such as Besant Nagar, Anna Nagar and the Defence Colony at Ekkattuthangal. We need to thank Lt Col M Ravindran, OC 756 Indep Tpt PI, ASC (Civ GT) for the same. Brig NL Narayanan, and Col A Kr ishnaswamy, VrC, VSM** were the marshals in the buses and they ensured that the veterans were brought in on time and dropped back safely. 2. On the sprawl ing l awns of the Mess , chai rs were arranged in orderly arcs with mili tary precision around the band st and. Special lighting was carefully l aid out so that the enti re arena was t ast efully illuminat ed. The VIP on the pl atform was highlight ed and at the same time he was not blinded and could distinctly make out every member of the august audi ence. 3. Behind the l awn on the verandah and inside the dining hall four seat er tabl es were l aid out with seat s marked for each one present so that the vet erans could part ake of a si tting dinner. Overall the ar rangements were admirable and befitting the occasion of the Army Commander arr iving to be the Chief Guest