AFVOA Newletters of Year 2010

Page 10 of 50 deal the Armed Forces officers, men and veterans had been handed out in the 6 th Central Pay Commission Report. To him enough was enough. He decided to raise his voice. He wrote just four, small, rousing paragraphs. He sent his call to his small mailing list of not more than two dozens; and thereby started a movement - the IESM. Rarely can one point out an instance in history where so few words have had such a monumental, earth shaking effect on its readers. Before the night was through almost all his recipients had acknowledged his effort, pledged support and had directed the mail to all their groups. By morning he had a 100 members. Today, less than two years down the line there are 10,000 members in the IESM worldwide. Considering that only veterans are eligible for membership the speed of growth of the IESM can well be considered phenomenal. The cause, Gen Satbir’s personality, the dynamic nature of his call and lurking sense of grievance among the veterans can all be said to have contributed to this rapid growth of IESM. Yet it is undeniable that the lightning speed at which the message was carried to those interested happened only because of a cost-free mass communication medium called the internet. Internet has been useful to us veterans in other ways too. The Indian print and visual media are notoriously nonsensical about ageing. Almost all their messages seem to be addressed to the young and the middle aged. Their models ooze milk and honey and their news makers drip youthful fetishes as styles. There is not a thought there that people do age. It is only the internet which through foreign articles and cartoons in recent years is spreading the message that ageing is a matter of course and that the process of ageing is no hindrance in leading an active, healthy and energetic life. Internet does poke fun at elders. Cartoons depicting elders struggling to emulate their bygone days in the field of sexual activities is often hilarious. At the same time the hidden message seems to be that any thing healthy should continue to be practised. That apart, the plethora of information available in the virtual library brought to our homes by internet helps us find answers to questions that often worry us. For example, at sixty and beyond profuse amount of tears from the eyes is an occurrence. So also is dry eyes syndrome in others. Some worry about one whereas others worry about the other. Now, when one believes that these discomfitures are unique to himself or herself there is an added amount of anxiety and a compelling desire to take strong medicines to overcome these problems at the earliest. This is where internet comes to our aid. When we have a problem and we check up on it in the internet and find that certain types of ailments are prevalent, life style oriented and self limiting in the sense that they will disappear on their own in a year or two - that itself provides some relief. Surely internet cannot obviate medication but information and knowledge obtained from the net can help in the cure and in the healing. Well then. We sign off here with the fond hope of seeing you all at the next meeting which is a cultural get together . It is a day meet to accommodate the