Cover 51 - Air Force Association
Transcription
Cover 51 - Air Force Association
CONTENTS AFA NEWS EAGLE'S EYE – 51 EDITORIAL BOARD CHAIRMAN Veteran Air Marshal TS Randhawa PVSM VM CO-CHAIRMAN President’s Page 4 Editor’s Page 5 APJ Abdul Kalam: The Peoples' PresidentVeteran Wg Cdr George H. Jones 6 Activities 8 Positive News 13 From a Maintainer’s Diary Veteran AVM R Chopra 14 A Doctor in the Air 15 Veteran AVM Cecil Parker Veteran Air Vice Marshal R Chopra EDITOR Attack on Tiger Hill : Kargil Ops 1999 Veteran Wg Cdr Deb Gohain 16 Air Force Association - Annual Report : 2014-2015 17 What’s in a Name 20 Vetreran Air Marshal Dhiraj Kukreja Veteran Group Captain Shailendra Mohan ASST EDITOR Magsaysay Award and CAS Appreciation 2015 24 Poetry Corner 25 dfork le; 26 Obituary 33 Balance Sheet 35 Air Force Association (Head /Branch Offices) 37 Snaps of the Season 39 JWO Sharmendra Singh EDITORIAL SUPPORT DISCLAIMER : The views expressed in the articles published in this magazine are of the authors only and AFA bears no responsibility to their authenticity and accuracy. Corporal Awi Ranjan 3 (AFA News/Sep 2015) PRESIDENT’S PAGE The OROP case has been in the news over the last few months. There was no announcement by the PM during his Independence Day address to the Nation. AFA has been in constant dialogue with Air HQ and keeps apprising it of the sentiments of the Air Veteran community. We have regular assurances from Air HQ that the needful is being done. The Senior Citizens' Home run by AFA in the capital is seeing increased occupancy over the years. Those living there are very comfortable. Very few units are available now. AFA has approached Air HQ for a soft loan to setup another SCH at Secunderabad. We hope for an early response from Air HQ. By the time this magazine reaches you news papers will be publishing articles on the ‘Art of Giving’. This is an annual exercise by a group of dedicated good Samaritans asking the public to donate for the lesser privileged. In the same manner, I would like to appeal to all our members to donate to the AFA or the Marshal’s Trust. ‘Donation is not based on how deep your pockets are but how big your heart is’. I specially seek out those members who have superannuated. For many of us our worldly requirements have largely been met. We have provided the best possible education to our children and have seen them settling down well. It is now time to contribute towards charity. Where better than the AFA /Marshal’s Trust. It is my personal assurance that the money you donate is well spent. My thanks to those who have donated and continue to do so. AFA and the Marshal’s Trust have not only been supporting Veterans but also Air Warriors up to the rank of Sergeants. Your organisation has stepped up its mandate and has started giving scholarships for Higher Education. We have also been giving grants to those who have been affected by Natural Calamities. So please get out of your comfort zones and pull out your cheque books. Alternatively send in your donations on line. Bank details are given in the pages of this issue. We have published a concise version of the Annual Report which is read out by the Vice President at our Annual General Meeting. By publishing this report, for the first time, we will get across to all members with what their association has done throughout the year. It will also be posted on our digital media. I would like to thank the many contributors to the ‘Eagle’s Eye’ who make this magazine a readable one. Gracious thanks to those who contribute regularly. Most of us have anecdotes during our service career to spin after we shed our uniforms. Come on, let’s hear from you. The Accounts of the Association have been audited recently. I am happy to tell you that AFA has a modest but healthy financial status. Veteran Air Marshal TS Randhawa PVSM VM (AFA News/Sep 2015) 4 EDITOR’S PAGE Bringing out an issue of a magazine is exciting as well as challenging at the same time. The effort is always to improve upon the previous one. We always try to publish all important and useful information for the veterans and also include activities of various branches. Dr. APJ Kalam’s journey to the stars on 27 Jul 15 is the culmination of a life dedicated to the mission of development and prosperity of India. His contribution in the field of missile technology is unmatched. A humble and humane person, he endeared himself to millions of young students. His books ‘Wings of Fire’, and ‘Ignited Minds’ have inspired a whole generation of Indians. AFA salutes his spirit of eternal quest and patriotism. Our cover page reflects his association with the IAF. The role of the IAF in Rescue and Relief operation called ‘Maitri’ in Nepal in April of this year was outstanding. India’s response was prompt and it commenced within four hours of the earthquake. IAF along with the Indian Army flew 2223 sorties and rescued 11200 people. It also transported and dropped 1700 tones of relief material. It was truly operation “Maitri” in every sense of the word. Two Indians – Anshu Gupta, founder of NGO ‘Goonj’ and Sanjiv Chaturvedi, an Indian Forest Service Officer received the prestigious Magsaysay Award and made India proud. Anshu was moved by extreme poverty that deprived people of clothing and sanitation and motivated him to work on recycling clothes, Sanjiv Chaturvedi received the award in the “emergent leadership” category. He investigated and exposed corruption in public life. He has declared that he would donate the cash to AIIMS, where he is presently working, for the benefit of poor patients. Organ donation day was recently observed in August. Organ donation is indeed a noble act. In addition to the eyes one can donate heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, heart valves, skin, bones and bone marrow. Therefore one donor can possibly gift life to many terminally ill patients. Eyes can be donated in case of normal death. Eye donation is called – “Netra Daan Maha Daan’ (us= nku egk nku). However other organ donations can be done only after a person is declared “brain dead” on the independent advice of a team of qualified and experienced doctors. By pledging organs, you can bring light and cheer not only in patients' lives but also in the lives of their near and dear ones who will bless your soul. And of course one part of you will live as long as the recipient lives. Coming to this issue, it carries positive and useful information for Veterans in addition to their experiences. A few Hindi and English poems are also published along with the answers to the quiz published in the last issue. As no all correct entry was received, no prize has been awarded. One of the letters received from a veteran is also published. We shall await your response and valuable suggestions. Veteran Group Captain Shailendra Mohan 5 (AFA News/Sep 2015) APJ Abdul Kalam: THE PEOPLES' PRESIDENT Veteran Wing Commander George H. Jones In the twilight of Jul y 27, 2015, this was the news on every tel evision channel: “Former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is no more”. He died following a ca rdiac a rrest during a lecture at the Indian Institute of Ma nagement in Shillong. For me, it was difficult to believe that “The People’s Presi dent”, affectionately called “India’s Missile Man” had left for his heavenl y abode. Dr Abdul Kal am was a great visionary, a scientist par excel lence, and a leader whose appeal tra nscended barrier s of religion, region and age. We need to admir e him for his phenomenal rise fr om a rural town to the highest office of the country. What baffles most people is that Dr Kalam rose to the pinnacle not through the conventiona l route of a political career but through sheer hard work as a scientist in government servi ce. Transforming India into a developed country of the first wor ld was his dream, and he set about making this a reality through both words and deeds – initially as a scientist, then as the Pr esident, and subsequently, till he breathed his la st, as an ordina ry citizen and a teacher. Abdul Ka lam was born on October 15, 19 31 in Rameshwar am, Tamil Nadu. His father, Ja inulabdeen, was an Imam who owned boats , and mother, Ashiamma, a hous ewife. As a young boy, Kalam noticed an article in a Tamil newspaper about a Britis h propeller airc raft, which kindled his interes t in aeronautic s. He had his ea rly education a t Schwartz Matri culation School i n Ramanathapur am. In 1954, After graduating in physics, he joined the Ma dras Institute of Technology to study aerospac e engineering. Kalam got inducted as a sci entist in the Aeronautical Development Esta blishment (ADE) of the Defence Research and Development Orga nisation (DRDO) in 1960. Nine years later, he was transferr ed to the Indi an Space Research Organisation (ISRO). When India joined the elite club of spacefaring nations, on July 1 8, 1980, Kalam was the project director of Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 in ISRO. Kalam’s stint in DRDO and as the director of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) wi tnessed impr essive achievements in mis sile technol ogy. Development of the Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag missiles was the important project undertaken. Agni, a strategic missile wi th re-entry tec hnology, was Kalam’s brainchild. He was the projec t coordinator of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests conducted in May 19 98. Kalam served a s the chief sc ientific adviser to the Prime Minister and DRDO secretary from 1992 to 19 99. He was awa rded the Bharat Ratna in 1997, the country’s highest civilian honour, for his pioneering contribution to the nation’s space and missile progra mmes. Notwiths tanding the above, Dr Kalam wi ll be remembered for commanding the support and goodwill of the whole nation during his tenure as the 11 th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He became the first President and the oldest Indian to fly in a Sukhoi-30 MKI, and the first President to visit the Siachen glac ier. He has also the c redit of being the onl y President to go on a cruise in a submarine. Dr Kalam changed the character of the Rashtrapati Bhavan into a place where thousands of children could intera ct with the firs t citizen of the country. He found time to listen to the grieva nces of ordinary men and women, which won him the love and affection of his countrymen. He had a strong communion wi th young Indians , and was always a great source of inspiration for them. When he collapsed and died, he was doing what he loved most – addressing students . He had a mysterious ability to connect with a variety of audiences and “ignite minds”. In fact, Dr Kalam gained a much larger fan-following after his presidency beca use of the mass appeal he earned among the youth with his wr itings and inspirational lectures. He spoke to them untiringly, presenting his visionary ideas, suggesting pra gmatic solutions to the country’s ailments, and candidly voicing to them the need to “manage failures”. Kala m’s life was a mission – advisi ng every youth of the country to dream big, to ha ve lofty aims, to think, and most importantly, to translate those thoughts into action with har d work and perseverance. With all his humility, Dr Kalam did not differentiate between the rich and the poor or the aristocrat and the commoner. The India of his dreams was a developed country where no one would be below the poverty line and no child malnourished or illiterate. He had immense concern for the advancement of India on the secular, democratic and egalitari an fronts. He ga ve away all his life’s savings to a fund for Provision of Urban Amenities in Rura l Areas (PURA), a scheme that he himself conceived. He was a true Karmayogi who pra ctised what he preached; a mentor and role model for both the young and old. In the passing of Dr Kalam, I ndia has lost a fine gentleman, an apolitical personality, a true human being characterised by absolute simplicity, and an advocate of inter-faith harmony and br otherhood. However, he will continue to shine thanks to the incandescent luminosity generated by his noble deeds, true to the epithets and sobriquets he gathered in his journey on this earth. His ideas, life and works will continue to inspire generations to come. The best homa ge to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam would be to work for his vision of I ndia and dedicate ourselves to the cause of nati onal unity and progress. (AFA News/Sep 2015) 6 PRESIDENT EMERITUS Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh DFC GOVE RN IN G COUN CIL PRESIDENT Veteran Air Marshal TS Randha wa PVSM VM VICE PRESIDENT Veteran Air Vice Marshal R Chopra AFA BRANCH PRESIDENTS (For de tails kindly see page 12, 1 3 & 14) SECRETARY Veteran Group Captain Ashok Sethi TREASURER Veteran Wing Commander TC Sood N OMIN ATE D ME MBE RS Mrs. Anura dha Baruah Tel: 085 95308518 Veteran Group Captain PK Agnihotri Tel: 098 91153445 Veteran Squadron Leader KN Sharma Tel: 098 11579051 Veteran Junior Warrant Office r SP Verma Tel: 092 12376788 Veteran Sergeant Sethu Madhavan Tel: 097 11072000 Mrs. Veenee ta Bhardwaj Tel: 093 12723887 E L E CTE D ME MBE RS Veteran Group Captain JK Kaushik Tel: 011 -27015482, 098 11055642 Veteran Wing Commander V Kumar Tel: 012 0-26559378, 099 53145899 Veteran Squadron Leader DS Mehra Tel: 012 0-2898012, 099 10154515 Veteran Master Warra nt Officer NC Gautam Tel: 012 0-2630391, 099 99853037 Veteran Wa rrant Officer PR Ba lathilakan Tel: 098 68106893 Veteran Sergeant GN Sharma Tel: 088 60696127 OTHE R IN C UMBE N TS: AFA HE A D OFFICE CEO, SENIOR CITIZEN’S HOME Veteran Major General PN Nayar 011-2995886 7, 26058866 LEGAL ADVISORS Veteran Air Commodore IJ Singh Veteran Group Captain KS Bhati 0120-24 44073, 09810 324738 011-237 11238, 09811 168948 DIRECTOR, PLACEMENT CELL Veteran Group Captain Ashok Sethi 011-2301121 1, 23011208 EDITOR, EAGLE’S EYE Veteran Group Captain Shaile ndra Mohan 011-250 94630, 0981 1078880 WEB ADMINISTRATOR Veteran Wing Commander Dine sh Bharat 0124-23 51241, 0935 0536379 ADMIN OFFICER Wing Commander YK Shukla 011-23 015762 MARSHAL O F THE AIR FORCE & MRS. ARJAN SIN GH TRUST MANAGER TRUST Veteran Wing Commander OS Sareen 011-23010231 Extn – 7358 CHIEF ACCOUNTS Veteran Wing Commander TC Sood 011-230 11211, 09999 222211 WO I / C TRUST WO Anil Kumar 011-23 013649 7 (AFA News/Sep 2015) ACTIVITIES AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION HEAD OFFICE PC Lal Memorial Lecture The 32nd ACM PC Lal Memorial Lecture was held on 26 Mar 15 at the Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park New Delhi. Shri Ajit Doval, Kirti Chakra, NSA to Prime Minister of India, delivered a lecture on ‘Securing India : A Prerequisite to Nation Building”. He said that the threat of increasing radicalisation in Pakistan was a matter of concern for India. He added that the external environment is highly vitiated. Today what we think is far from us in Syria, or Iraq, or Yemen, may not be as far as it appears. “The threat is real and imminent. There is change in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Particularly in Pakistan. The radicalisation of Pakistan’s society is a matter of added concern,” he said. “We are sceptical about the abilities or the competence and the will and desire of the Pakistan government to take on and control the situation though we would like them very much to do so,” He said India wants to deal with Pakistan fairly and has been trying to engage its neighbour in a dialogue.”We want them to change their thinking and, to that extent, India is happy to help and India has been trying to engage and I do hope that this engagement in changed circumstances will make them understand that it is in the interests of both the countries,” He further observed that the situation as developing in the Indian Ocean region was another matter of concern, adding that India’s role as the largest littoral power was important. Mr.Doval stressed that in the current situation, modernisation of India’s forces was important. The lecture was attended by distinguished guests from the three services, Mr. Robey Lal, Mr. & Mrs. S. Chanda and his family members and members of the retired fraternity also turned up in large numbers. GOVERNING COUNCIL MEETINGS During the period from 01 Feb 15 to 31 Aug 15, two GCMs were held at AFA Head Office. T he salient points of the meetings are appended below for information of Air Veterans. (a) A “Tri services Veterans Directorate” that would work in close co-ordination and consultation with DESW,MOD is likely to be formed shortly. The Dte would be tasked with formulation and implementation of welfare related policies uniformally common to ESM of all the three services. (b) Donations for J&K and Uttarakhand flood affected victims amounting to Rs. 2,32,537/- and Rs. 4,64,131/- were received and Rs. 7,40,000/- and Rs. 7,50,000/- disbursed to nine and ten air warriors of the two states respectively from the Marshal of the Air Force & Mrs. Arjan Singh Trust. (c) Additionally, Rs. 1 Lakh each out of AFA funds has been disbursed to families of the five crew members of the chopper crash who lost their lives in rescue and relief operations in Uttarakhand. AWARD OF CAS APPRECIATION FOR THE YEAR 2015 As per the decision of Air HQ , to recognize the selfless service rendered by air veterans to the retired fraternity, the following air veterans have been awarded CAS Appreciation for the year 2015. Gp Capt SS P hatak (RETD) WG CDR TJ Reddy VSM(RETD) Wg Cdr AM Balakrishnan (RETD) President, Maharashtra Branch President, AP & TS Br anch Vice President, Tam baram Chapter (AFA News/Sep 2015) 8 BRANCH ACTIVITIES ANDHRA P RADESH AND TELANGANA The branch continued to effectively maintain website www.airveterans.com established in Nov 2013 with latest news relevant to air veterans, covering reports on the events held with photographs, etc. During the second week of June, Jeevan Pramaan, seeding of Life Certificate with Aadhaar was conducted in the office for the benefit of AF Pensioners and family pensioners. Over 200 availed the facility. International Yoga Day was observed on 21 Jun 15 in the office meeting hall by holding a yoga session for air veterans and families. The Annual General Body Meeting of the Branch was held on 21 Sep 14. Mementos were presented to Octogenarians in the meeting. ACM IH Latif, PVSM (Retd) and Mrs Bilkees Latif were present. Air Cmde S Badyal, AF Station Begumpet and Mrs Badyal were the guests for the meeting. The first Air Veterans’ Rally of the branch, after the one at Delhi in Sep 14, was organized on 07 Dec 14. Representatives from Dte of Air Veterans(Air HQ), major Public Sector Banks, local DPDOs, TS Dte of Sainik Welfare, ZSWOs of Hyderabad & RR Districts and ECHS Regional Centre Secunderabad participated to resolve/address pension and ECHS related issues besides on the spot issue of ESM ID Cards. Tirupati Chapter under this branch held its GBM on 18 Dec 14 and the Annual Social get-together was arranged with families on 15 Feb 2015. GUJARAT For AFA Flag week, Rs. 15500/- were collected and forwarded to AFA head Office. In this connection we were also able to meet Hon’ble Governor of Gujarat Sh. OM Prakash Kohli and Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat Smt. Anandi Ben Patel. The branch continued with its efforts of motivating the youth of Gujarat to take up a career in the Armed Forces. During the meeting with Chief Minister of Gujarat, she suggested that the branch should conduct an awareness campaign. AFA Gujarat Branch with the support of HQ SWAC conducted an awareness programme along with a charity concert in Ahmadabad on 17 Jan 15. The day long event was packed with a vide range of aero activities like Parasailing, powered Hang Gliding, Helicopter slithering operation by Garud Special Forces and screening of IAF videos. The air warrior Symphony Orchestra and the Air Warrior Drill team enthralled the crowds. A static display showcasing some of the weapons held in the inventory of IAF was held. On 18 Jan 2015 “Vayu Shakti Sandhya” a concert of light music was held by the branch with the theme “Strength through National Integration” Shri OP Kohli, Hon’ble Governor of Gujarat was the chief guest. He appreciated the conduct of the thematic cultural event showcasing the welfare activities and noble work that AFA Gujarat was doing. Astronaut Veteran Wg Cdr Rakesh Sharma, Ashok Chakra, was the guest of honour. He inspired the youth to come forward and join the IAF. Air Mshl BS Dhanoa the then AOC-in-C SWAC and Smt Meenaxi Patel, the Mayor of Ahmadabad as guests of honour paid rich tributes to AFA Gujarat Branch and the selfless sense of duty displayed by Armed Forces personnel. Gallantry Award winners and eminent veterans were honoured by Governor of Gujarat. HARYANA BRANCH General Bo dy Meeting held on 11 Jan 15. Two minutes silence in the memory of the departed members of AFA was observed. All the letters and pamphlets received from AFA (Central) and other agencies were disseminated. The copies of all the letters were distributed to all the members present. Annual General Bo dy Meeting held on 24 May 15. Wg Cdr YC Bali (Treasurer) presented the accounts for the Financial Year 2014 – 15 to the house and a copy of the balance sheet was also distributed to the members for information to all. It has been duly audited by Charted Accountant M/S Suraj Singh & Co. He informed the house that the financial position is quite sound and there has been an upward trend due to increase in share of membership fund received from AFA, New Delhi. T he balance sheet was unanimously passed as proposed by Air Vice Mshl RP Mishra and seconded by Gp Capt JK Kaushik. An amount of Rs.14745/- was collected during Flag Day of 2014. JHARKHAND BRANCH This branch has released three AFA Jharkhand News letters from Jan 15 to Jul 15. 41 new members have joined the branch on being NE from IAF during the year 2014. 23 cases were taken up related to issue of corrigendum PPO, non receipt of Medals and one case of property encroachment by a neighbor. 9 (AFA News/Sep 2015) JAMMU & KASHMIR BRANCH Three octogenarians were presented with mementos on 8 June 2015 by AOC 23 Wing in the presence of branch president Veteran Gp Capt Pravin Vij. Branch members visited spouses of many late airwarriros and sorted out their problems. KARNATAKA BRANCH Annual General Meeting was held on 19 Jul 2014 at HQTC, IAF. President AFA Karnataka branch apprised the gathering about the current branch activities and steps taken for the welfare of our veterans. Air Cmde AK Patra, Principle Director of DAV gave a detailed presentation about the latest developments, various automation processes undertaken, facilities to members and their dependents and also about the problems faced by the Air organisation with the proposed measures to improve substantially. Annual AFA Day and Honouring of Octogenarian: Our association annual day was conducted on 15 Sep 2014. Wreaths were laid at the war memorial, HQ Training Command to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of all service personnel who laid down their lives in the service of our country. Following this, Honouring of Octogenarian members was conducted at Arjan Hall. Air Mshl Ramesh Rai, AOC-in-C, TC, IAF felicitated the Octogenarian veterans. Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture was conducted on 29 Nov 14. Air Chief Mshl Arup Raha Chief of Air Staff spoke on “TRANSFORM ATION OF IAF INTO A STRATEGIC AEROSPACE POWER”. The Branch also presented a memento to CAS and Mrs. Srilata Katre and received mementoes from the CAS and Mrs Katre. The Branch continues to guide and help members and their families in matters relating to Pension issues, ECHS, getting financial assistance after the demise of a member and help in legal matters, placements etc. MAHARASHTRA BRANCH AFA DAY 15 SEP 2014: The Branch held wreath a laying ceremony on 15 Sep 2014. And was well attended by the members and their families. The function was followed by General Body meeting. Flag Day collection was Rs. 59942/-. 18 Octogenarians were honoured on 22 Nov 14. The function was presided over by Veteran Air Mshl Pratap Rao. Four Octogenarians who could not attend the function due to health reasons were felicitated by Veteran Gp Capt SS Phatak who visited their home towns specifically for this purpose. A lecture by Air Mshl SC Mukul (Retd) member AFT on Armed Forces Tribunal Act was arranged on 29 Sept 2014 at Maha Sainik Lawns, Ghorpadi, Pune. The lecture was very educative and well attended by the members including Air Chief Marshal P V Naik (Retd). This function was jointly organized by AFA (MAHA) and CASS, Pune. During monsoon of Jul 2014 the entire Malin village was buried under the heavy land slide. Most of the families lost their entire propertie. The branch had launched a relief fund and an appeal was ma de to all members to generously donate for the cause. A total of Rs.1,38,501 was received from the members. On 02 Nov 2014, one steel cot and an electric mixer were distributed to 35 families affected by the devastating landslide. The function was presided over by veteran Air Marshal PS Pingale. Items worth Rs. 1,39,190/were donated in kind. A large number of queries on various subjects are being attended to. Approximately 600 veterans were attended to for their queries during this period. NORTH ZONE BRANCH The bi-annual meeting of AFA (NZ) was held on 21st Mar 2015 and it was presided over by President, AFA (NZ) Air Mshl RS Bedi (Retd.). Director Air Veteran – II, Gp Capt S Mediratta attended the meeting. A very informative and deatiled presentation was given by him covering a lot of topics related to ex air warriors. Eight spouses were helped with processing of application for notification of death of husband/ pensioner for sanction/award of family pension and admissible death grants/other benefits with various agencies. Many cases were taken up with various agencies to solve the problems faced by ex-servicemen / spouses. Notable amongst them are mentioned below: (a) Notification of name and date of birth of spouse of pensioner/family pensioner in PPO. (AFA News/Sep 2015) 10 (b) Cases were persued with widows/dependents for processing of their long outstanding cases for grant of family pension, and took up the cases for pursuing of Post Retirement Insurance claim with spouses/dependents as per the names received from AFGIS. (d) The issue of non-availibility of medicines and shortage of doctors in ECHS Polyclinics in tri-city with ECHS authorities. NOIDA BRANCH A social get goether was attended by approximately 180 members. The Chief Guest Veteran Air Mshl TS Randhawa, President AFA briefed the members on various welfares and pension policies. He gave a resume of welfare activities undertaken by AFA as well as issues raised by AFA regarding welfare of veterans with official forums. PD DAV Air Cmde Rajan Sood, briefed the members about measures adopetd by DAV to facilitate addressing issues concerning veterans. AOC Hindan Air Cmde Anil Sabharwal and Gp Capt Ashok Sethi Secretary AFA also attended the get goether RAJASTHAN BRANCH The Branch took up cases pertaining to F amily pension such as revision of service pension due to counting of former service and MACP, grant of NE benefits to spouses/Air Veterans, endorsement of name of NOK in PPOs, FAS Membership and Financial Grant from MAF T to the spouses for daughter’s marriage. The Branch arranged a function on 09 Apr 2015 to honour 08 octogenarian members for the year 2014. Air Cmde SK Vidhate, AOC AF Station Jodhpur was the chief guest. TAMIL NADU BRANCH The Tamil Nadu branch, apart from its daily routine of guiding and assisting the veterans and spouse members in resolving their problems, conducted its first ever Chapters’ Conference on 20 Feb 15. Veteran Air Mshl S Varthaman presided over the function. Vice Presidents of all the ten chapters gave presentations. Air Cmde Rajan Sood. Principal Director, DAV and Gp Capt Mendiratta, Director DAV participated. Asst Director Resettlement, Dte of ESM Welfare, Chennai and Officer i/c ECHS Chennai polyclinic also gave presentations. Gp Capt O S Malhi, Station Commander, AF Station Tambaram briefed the participants about developments in IAF. The Office bearers of this branch had an interactive session with Air Mshl Ramesh Rai. AOC in C, TC on 22 May 15 during his visit to AF Station Tambaram on issues pertaining to the veterans. The AGM of this branch was held on 20 Jun15 with AD ESM Welfare Govt of TN as a guest speaker. Nearly 300 members including 40 spouses participated. UP BRANCH Consequent to continuous drive 653 members were inducted during the financial year 2014-15. This branch has a total No. of 10884 members (Officers 317, PBORs 9572 and Spouse members 416). During Annual function of this branch on 09 Nov 2014 four Octogenarians were honoured by the Chief Guest Gp Capt SK Jain Stn Cdr AF Stn Kanpur. Total of 42 Octogenarians have been honoured by this branch since September 2004. Chief Guest appreciated the branch performance. President AF WWA(L) Mrs. Seema Choudhary appreciated the assistance being given to spouse members and donated Rs. 7,000/-. Rs. 20,000/- were donated by this branch to the victims of our fraternity in Jammu and Kashmir. All over UP & Uttarakhand, 29 cases were taken up with the nearest AF Stn for payment of Last Descent Rites (Garima) Grant. A total of 24 cases were taken up with AF Stn Kanpur. Five belated cases were taken up with IAFBA directly. A Few complex cases of family Pension were taken up during this financial year. 28 cases of death intimation of ESM, 34 cases of AFGIS payment and few cases of Bank a/c anomalies of deceased were taken up during this financial year and were settled to the satisfaction of the individuals. A Legal Cell has been established. Wg Cdr (Retd) SK Agnihotri Advocate has offered free services for our fraternity relating to matters of family violence. Ex-Cpl SP Sharma Advocate has offered fre e services upto High Court on matters relating to property disputes. Both are rendering full support to our fraternity. A variety of placement and other recruitment applications are processed throughout the year. As a result of which number of our young men have succeeded in getting respectable jobs in nationalised banks, HAL, Railways, Electricity Boards, Central Schools, PNG and CNG. 11 (AFA News/Sep 2015) MUSIC FOR THE MARSHAL A special concert in honour of Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh was held at the India International Centre (IIC) on 18 Mar 15. The concert presented by the Air Warrior Symphony Orchestra from Bengaluru included compositions-‘Rejoice in Raisina’ and ‘Abide with me’. The renditions were well appreciated by the discerning audience. Several numbers based on Indian ragas like ‘Shanmukhananda’ were played on Indian as well as Western instruments. The fusion experiment highlighted the strength of the Orchestra. Mr. Soli J Sorabjee, President, IIC felicitated Marshal of the IAF. Sqn Ldr G Jayachandra ably led the Orchestra. From Air Force Blue to Army OG Veteran Lt Col. Balbir Patwal (Here is a Veteran paying his respects & expressing gratitude to the Service that moulded him for a bright future...Editor) “I am a humble LAC from the elite IAF though I retired as a Lt Col from the Indian Army. I can say without hesitation that the IAF is the best organisation in India that one can serve. Those who are able to join in are really very lucky. Words can never be sufficient enough to elaborate the niceties of the IAF. But I would just say that it is because of the mighty IAF, that many a colleague of mine has achieved great success in the defence forces. So many have become officers starting from the bottom like me. Had I not joined the IAF, I would never have become what I am today. The atmosphere in Tambaram, most conducive to higher education made me learn so many good things as a trainee airman, otherwise I, a simple hillman from the Uttarakhand, who started English alphabet from the class sixth onwards, would never have reached anywhere. The Air Force made me smart. Our instructors were thorough professionals, be it technical subjects or drill. It is their depth of knowledge that helped me clear my SSB and get the Commission. No doubt, I have served the Indian Army for a very long period, my gratitude is for the Indian Air Force because that’s where I turned a man from being just a boy. I do read here sometimes people critical of their mother service which saddens me. These people need to rethink. You join the Services voluntarily so why crib? Merit and destiny both play a part in one’s life. I pray for the IAF to be victorious in every mission and every operation. FAREWELL Warrant Offic er Vinod Kumar VL Joined the IAF in Clk/GD trade on 13 Jun 1986 and retired after ably serving IAF for about 30 Years. He served in various capacities at HQ SAC, Congo, NDA, HQ IDS, and 121 Helicopter flight. His last appointment was at Air Force Association Headquarters, New Delhi, where he also served as Assistant Editor of AFA News (Eagle’s Eye). (AFA Wishe s him and his family all the succe ss in the years to come……Editor.) (AFA News/Sep 2015) 12 POSITIVE NEWS Extension of benefit of broad banding percentage of disability pension to pre - 1996 pensioners medically invalided. Govt authorization for broad banding of disability pension which had earlier been authorized for post-96 retirees has now been authorized for pre-96 retirees as well vide Government of India, MOD letter No 12(16)/2009/D(Pen/Policy) dated 15 Sep 14. The letter is available on AFA web site www.afa-india.org. Affected pensioners are advised to apply for the same as per the proc edure specified in the Govt letter. Minimum Guaranteed Pension. This had been authorized at enhanced rate wef 24 Sep 12. The same has now been granted with retrospective effect wef 01 Jan 2006 onwards on 03 Sep 15. Govt letter can be accessed from AFA and DESW websites. Revision of Tuition Fees in Air Force Schools for air veterans. Air HQ (Dte of Edn) has issued guidelines to all AF Schools to charge tuition fee to the wards of air veterans who have superannuated or have left service with pension benefits, as per their rank held at the tim e of retirement corresponding to the rank held by air warriors from 01 Apr 15. It is clarified that the reduced fee structure is applicable to only those schools run and managed solely by Air Force under the code of IAF Educational & Cultural Society. AF Golden Jubilee Institute (AFGJI), The Air Force School (TAFS) and AF Bal Bharti School (AFBBS) located in Delhi are governed by the Regulations of Delhi Govt and they have their own separate Management Committee. Hence, these schools do not fall under the purview of IAF Educational & Cultural Society. Therefore, the revised reduced fee structure is not applicable to these schools. MEDICAL INSURANCE SCHEME (MIS) REFUND OF CONTRIBUTION AFGIS has advised vide there letter No. Air HQ/27956/1/GIS/PRIC dated 05 Aug 15 the following:1. Consequent to the introduction of ECHS on 01 Apr 03, the Medical Insurance Scheme (MIS) of AFGIS was closed on 01 Apr 03. 2. Air Warriors who were member of the MIS Scheme and retired from IAF during the pe riod from 01 Aug 1991-31 Mar 03 were advised through various means (letter/print/electronic media) to clai m refund of their contribution. 3. Individuals who have not claimed the refund till date are requested to contact AFGIS with following documents for claiming refund of their MIS contribution. (a) Medical Insurance Scheme (MIS) card in original. (b) One cancelle d cheque with full bank details (A/C No. Address of the bank, IFSC, MICR Code) for direct remittance of payment. (c) Present Postal address. (d) Mobile number and Email address. AIR FORCE FACILITIATION CELL AT IGI AIRPORT NEW DELHI The IAF has created a Facilitation Cell at Indira Gandhi Air Port at Terminal-I and Terminal-III. Air Veterans may utilize the facilities of the Cell. The contanct details are given below :Landline : 011-25652728, 011- 25652729 Mobile : 09654980862, 09654980863 51 Indians have Won Magsaysay award so far. Some prominent names are:Vinoba Bhave (1958), Mother Teresa (1962), Verghese Kurien (1963), Jayprakash Narayan (1965), Satyajit Ray (1967), MS Swaminathan (1971), MS Subbalakshmi (1974), BG Verghese (1975), Ela Bhatt (1977), Arun Shourie (1982), RK Laxman (1984), Baba Amte (1985), Ravi Shankar (1992), Kiran Bedi (1994), TN Seshan (1996), Aruna Roy(2000), JM Lyngdoh (2003), Arvind Kejriwal (2006) 13 (AFA News/Sep 2015) FROM A MAINTAINER’S DIARY Veteran AVM R Chopra Working with c onstraints and m eeting operational commitm ents at the same time is the overwhelming challenge in a maintainer’s life. It inevitably gives rise to a lot of spontaneous brilliance to overcome hiccups because time is a critical constraint and procedures appear like roadblocks . It is the humble Gangotri of the Jugaad attitude. The year was 1985. I was a Flt Lt in a large Station in HQs SWAC and looking after a mobile Secondary Radar to aid Russian make fighter bombers. The Navy had come up with a felt need to have their own s hore based fighter bomber fleet for maritime attacks because they claimed better appreciation of maritime warfare. The Air Force was contesting this theory. An exerc is e to test the IAF contention was planned off then barely operational base at Thiruvananthapuram. The joint AF NAVY exercise was to bomb ships at sea with the help of Naval air rec ee platforms giving the coordinate fix. The fighter bombers selected for the exercise, needed a secondary radar as a precise aid. Three days prior to the beginning of the exercise, I was hauled into the SASO’s Office. The Directive was clear, hit the road and make the Radar serviceable ASAP at Thiruvananthapuram. The distance by road a minor 2000 kms. My protes t about reaching the base on the last day of the exercise, if I was lucky, was brushed aside by a terse, 'that will be good enough for the exercise'. I broke the news to my gang of ten technicians. Expectedly all hell broke loose. Traversing the length of the country with a 10 ton trailer in tow was not high on anyone’s agenda. One of us who had done his MCF more seriously, mentioned having vaguely read about transportation of the Radar by sea that would require its dismantling. We could then try us ing an IL – 76. Clutching at straws we attacked our publications. Lo and behold there was a provision to jack up the equipment, separate it from the platform and lift it by a crane. IL – 76 had just come into IAF inventory. Dimensions and pay load of the radar were not an issue. The problem was the IL was a prized possession, controlled directly by VCAS branch. One of the joys of working in the IAF has been that if you are sure of your facts, it can be a very lateral organization and hierarchy usually not an impedim ent. So I mustered up all the courage I could and walked into the SASO’s office, who incidentally was known as a terror those days. I requested for an IL – 76 and sold the idea of how early pos itioning would be such a multiplier. The AOC was deputed to witness trials of what we were claim ing. He cleared our process and we were on. The IL – 76 was to com e in late at night and to leave early morning by dawn as it was heavily committed else where. Loading was to be carried out at night. The IL – 76 touched down at the stipulated time at 12 in the night. Our SSR was in position on the tarmac. We commenced our two hour operation to separate the radar from the chasis. The master loader of the IL – 76 of course had other ideas. He wanted to get away early for much needed rest and was in no mood to com e back at 2.30 am to commence loading operations. He came up with a brilliant idea, deflate the tyres of the trailer and tow in the equipment. I howled in protest because even with the deflation of tyres the clearance would not be good enough for towing in and above all how were we going to inflate tyres with a 9 ton load working on the tyres in Thiruvananthapuram. But working at 12 in the night can work wonders on a man’s reasoning and judgement. The CEO decided to bac k the master loader and our goose was properly cooked. At 1.30 AM we tried towing in the trailer with tyres deflated and failed. At 2.30 AM the CEO told us we now have to go back to our original procedure. Since the IL – 76 had to take off first thing in the morning there was no choice. One hour to pick up our bags from home, CEO arranged dinner and we got back to work. As the sun surfaced we were lifting the radar into the IL – 76 with its crane. By 7.30 AM we were airborne for Thiruvananthapuram with the exciting task of inflating some huge tyres ahead of us and late by three hours. The tempting approac h of Jugaad had out weighed procedure in the dec ision making process and definitely not for the last time. (AFA News/Sep 2015) 14 A DOCTOR IN THE AIR Veteran AVM Cecil Parker In the air force, medical officers, though on the posted strength of squadrons, function directly under the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of the air bas e where their sqn is located. As doctors they report professionally to the SMO and as officers, to the CO of their units. This dual reporting can be a trifle confusing to new doctors recruited directly from civilian medical colleges . Unlike their counterparts from the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), their introduction to the armed forces is a brief orientation course at the Army Medical Corp (AMC) Centre before donning uniform. In view of their relatively long training period, all medical officers are somewhat older at entry and are also granted a higher rank. In 1970 a new medical officer from the civvy streets reported on posting to the sqn I was in command of. I welcomed him, explained his role and hoped he would find time to interact with sqn personnel to guide and help them, whether they required m edical help or not. He seemed receptive but was still a bit uncomfortable in his new Flt Lts uniform. He told me he was married but would be staying in the mess as his wife was to deliver a son soon. ( I attributed his confident prediction of gender to his profession.) I received reports of our Doc’s unhappiness with the ‘unhygienic’ conditions of our sqn tea club and flight crew room. I had a rather high spirited bunch of young officers at that time and our new medical officer seemed to resent being referred to as ‘Doc’ by them. Being a teetotaler he cautioned them against visiting the bar and threatened to have them ‘grounded’ if he felt they were imbibing unwisely. These veiled warnings res ulted in some mischief when Doc’s scooter was ‘m isplaced’ and he received a telegram informing him of the birth of a son. Doc came around happily distributing sweets but three days later was in a disappointed mode when he received actual news of the birth of a daughter. I had to make special efforts to help him adjust to sqn life! One afternoon I was required to carry out a routine air test on our Hunter trainer aircraft (ac). There is a little known old IAF regulation that authorises medical officers to be given an air experienc e sortie on ac at their base. I spoke to my Flt Cdr and asked him to ascertain from our Doc if he was free and would like to fly. When I reached the ac I saw him fully kitted out in borrowed flying kit, briefed and ready for the very first flight in his life. He coped well, seemed to enjoy the experience and post flight appeared a bit less judgmental and more friendly all round (I was informed the next morning our Doc conducted his sick parade wearing flying overalls)! During the 1971 Indo Pak war Doc, though with his leg in plaster owing to a scooter accident, stayed continuously with our pilots and technicians on the tarmac and blast pens in Pathankot helping in any way he could – a very valuable as set to the sqn indeed. A few months later when m y own posting orders were received, he came to request my help in getting him a pair of flying overalls which strictly speaking he was not entitled to! I had an extra pair on which I had the sqn crest and a Hunter shoulder patch attached and gifted them to him. Over the years Doc kept in touch and I learned that he had become a specialist and reached air rank. Years after we had both left the IAF we met in the NCR where Doc was now a consultant in a corporate hospital. With great pride he told me that he had fathered three daughters, two of whom were in the medical profession. He enquired about each of the officers in our s qn by name. His pros perity was quite evident in his girth hence I fully understood his one regret; he could no longer fit into his flying overalls! (The author is a retired Air Vice Marshal of the IAF and a freelance writer who can be contacted at cvparker22@gmail.com) 15 (AFA News/Sep 2015) Attack on Tiger Hill : Kargil Ops 1999 Veteran Wg Cdr Deb Gohain This is my painting on the attack of Tiger Hill by Mirage 2000 of 7 Squadron with LGB. It has been drawn purely on my visualisation of the attack after some detailed discussions with officers that planned and executed this daring operation that will certainly go down in records as an exemplary integration of ideas and efforts by pilots and engineers of IAF to achieve brilliance in times of actual operations. I do not know if I can reveal all that I know on integration of the LDP with the weapon and with weapon delivery system of Mirage 2000 that was so vital for success of the mission. A few of my good friends who were test pilots in IAF and are now retired had assisted me with the facts with a request to record the event on canvas. As I am not at all familiar with a Mirage 2000 it took me almost two years to get the photographs of the trainer aircraft with the actual configuration. CO 7 Sqn was quite generous with his help. I also bought a scale model of a Mirage trainer to plan my composition. I am sure those of you who have flown the Mirage 2000 aircraft or have worked on ground may find quite a few mistakes/errors in the painting. I will be grateful if such errors can be pointed out. OPERATION MAITRI – ROLE OF THE IAF IN RESCUE AND RELIEF OPERATIONS IN NEPAL India’s response and mammoth humanitarian assistance and rescue task commenced within four hours of the earthquake and it was the first country to respond to the catastrophe. It launched a full fledged rescue and relief operation on 26 Apr 15. It airlifted teams of doctors, nurses, paramedics, engineering task force, water, food, blankets and tents. IAF along with Indian Army flew 2223 sorties, rescued 11200 people and transported and dropped 1700 tonnes of relief material in the operation lasting 41 days. During the long and strenuous operation, the IAF helicopter pilots exhibited some rare landing skills, in some cases during extreme weather conditions. The relief material airlifted included oxygen, generators, communication vehicles, transportable operation theatres, X-Ray machines, laboratories and field hospitals. The IAF aircraft which participated in this operation included C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, IL-76, AN-32 and MI-17 helicopters. The operations were carried out in remote and inaccessible areas in inhospitable weather. Speed and synergy among various agencies providing relief were remarkable. (AFA News/Sep 2015) 16 AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION - ANNUAL REPORT : 2014-2015 Brief Synopsis of the Annual Report presented by the Vice President, AFA to the members at the AGM held on 15 Sep 15 is outlined in the succeeding paragraphs. President’s Meeting with CAS. On 5 Aug 15, the President had a meeting with the CAS. Some of the issues emphasized by the President relate to : (a) Urgent intervention with the Govt for OROP. (b) Establishment of a separate branch at Air HQ for air veterans and their families with independent Directorates under it to exclusively handle the following : (i) Needs of widows, special children and disabled veterans, (ii) (iii) Charting out policies for veterans and overseeing their implementation. Building a framework for their resettlement and rehabilitation. Other issues that were discussed pertain to:(a) Allocation of full funds for construction of a Senior Citizen Home at Secunderabad. (b) Taking over of pension disbursals by the Air Force from banks in place of the proposed transfer from banks to CDAs. (c) Introduction of new schemes by IAF BA and an all-round increase in the amount of grants/ loans offered by them to air veterans and their families under existing schemes. National Meeting of Directors Sainik Welfare/Secretaries Rajya Sainik Board convened by KSB. The meeting was held on 29 Jul 15 under the Chairmanship of Secretary DESW, MOD and attended by the Secretary AFA. Points highlighted by AFA at the meeting were (a) Inclusion of AFA as a member on the Kendriya Sainik Board constituted under the Presidentship of Raksha Mantri, (b) (c) Financial support from MOD to AFA as was being done earlier till 2003. Issuance of ESM Card to Dependent pensioners of Defence personnel. (d) Convening of the first meeting of Standing Committee for Welfare of Ex-Servicemen constituted by DESW, MOD in Oct 2014. (e) Issuance of a directive by Central Govt to State Govts for implementation of Dual Family Pension Scheme which already stands sanctioned by Central Govt more than two years ago. Enhancement of Employment Opportunities for ESM. To generate greater and better employment avenues for ESM, a paper was prepared and forwarded by AFA to Raksha Mantri and Minister for Skill Development. A Memorandum of Understanding has been concluded between the two Ministries to work together with an aim to train and provide gainful employment to approximately three lakh ESM in the next five years commencing 2015-16, under the superintendence of DGR. Issuance of Corr PPOs for the pre-2006 pensioners. The number of Corr PPOs issued by JCDA(AF) and CDA Allahabad combined has so far been only around 50,000. This leaves a balance of 1,50,000 PPOs yet to be issued. The Association has raised this issue with concerned authorities at every conceivable forum to speed up the process. But the progress continues to be tardy. 17 (AFA News/Sep 2015) AFA Membership. The Membership of the Association has increased by 4025 veterans and 425 spouse members, which works out to almost 75% of the retirements every year. The total number of membership of AFA is 75820 veterans and 4431 spouse members. AFA Scholarships. The number of scholarships during the year has been increased from 51 to 57. As against last year’s disbursements amounting to Rs. 3.73 lakhs, the cash outflow during the current year will be Rs. 5.09 lakhs. Applications for scholarships are scheduled to come in by 31 Oct and the amounts will be disbursed by end Jan 15. Provision of Medical Services under ECHS. The scheme has now been in existence for well over ten years. The Association has been in constant dialogue with Central Organisation ECHS and Service HQs to resolve some of the long outstanding issuses like non-availability of prescribed medicines, reimbursement of medical expenses incurred on account of emergency hospitalization abroad, up-gradation of ward entitlement for Hony Commissioned officers in private hospitals, and on line tracking of reimbursement claims preferred by members. The progress on all the cases has been rather slow. Financial Health of AFA. With a Corpus of Rs. 7.58 crores and surplus of income over expenditure of Rs. 20.15 lakhs, the financial health of AFA is modestly good. The full report can be accessed from AFA web site afa-india.org. READER’S RESPONSE (AN EXCERPT) Respected Sir, I have gone through the eagerly awaited March 2015 issue of AFA News. It appears to have taken a new “Avtar” by way of its informative contents and their presentation. Congratulations. Please also accept my thanks for the innovative initiative of introducing a new feature to recognize the selfless service rendered by air veterans to the retired fraternity. I appreciate the humorous way of bringing out the real style of functioning and level of understanding of MOD in decision making, through the article “Beating them at their own game”. I hope you have sent complimentary copies of AFA News to RM & his staff. I am further thankful for the decision of Air HQ regarding reduced tuition fees to children of all pensioners. I give full credit to the present set of AFA staff for their sincere efforts & inclination towards welfare of retired fraternity and for having been able to convince Air HQ to implement this welfare measure. The OBITUARY columns have a special sentimental place in the hearts of veterans and revive our old memories of association with departed souls. Due to similarities of names and passage of time, it becomes difficult to recollect their identity in spite of the service number having been mentioned along with their names. In view of this I request to mention Branch/Trade in the obituary column. It is further suggested that the latest progress on the burning issues affecting the retired fraternity in general and pending at various levels like MOD, Hon’ble SC, HCs or AFTs may also be included in the future issues of AFA News. Thanking you, Veteran Sqn Ldr CL Bedi (AFA News/Sep 2015) 18 BLUE GLORY DEFENCE OFFICERS WELFARE SOCIETY ***** OWN A RESIDENCE IN NEW DELHI NEAR DWARKA ***** AN INITIATIVE BY SERVING/ RETIRED IAF OFFICERS ***** SERVING AND RETIRED DEFENCE OFFICERS INVITED TO JOIN UNDER THE DDA LAND POOLING SCHEME – L ZONE ***** CALL 011-65554446, 09711944126 /136 /156 FOR MORE INFO: WEBSITE- www.blueglory.in email: bgdows@gmail.com ADDRESS : 155, VARDHAMAN STAR CITY MALL, SECTOR 7, DWARKA, NEW DELHI-110077 19 (AFA News/Sep 2015) WHAT’S IN A NAME Vetreran Air Marshal Dhiraj Kukreja The Bard had asked – “What’s in a name?” My answer to it would be, “Plenty”! Before I proceed any further, I would like to put forward some definitions of some words that are pertinent to this write-up. These definitions are as per The Concise Oxford Dictionary. Army : n. ‘An organised force armed for fighting on land’. Military : n. ‘Members of the armed forces, as distinct from civilians and the police’. Soldier : n. ‘A person serving in or having served in an army’. Air Force : n. ‘ A branch of the armed forces...’. Navy : n. ‘ A branch of the armed forces...’. Defence : n. ‘The military resources of a country’. The above definitions would give the reader an idea of what is to follow. Sometime ago, a small news item in a national daily, caught my attention, which reported “theft of standing crop from army land”. The text of the news item portrayed the army as an incapable organisation that was not able to look after its assets, giving that unfortunate impression to the readers. Knowledge of the defence forces is extremely limited and imperfect in our country. Why only the defence forces, knowledge of the country itself is limited, as is evident from the comments made by the man-in-the-street and the ‘high-almighty’, on the residents of the North Eastern States – anyone with Mongoloid features is termed as a foreigner. There was a time when any person belonging to any State south of Nagpur was considered a ‘Madrasi’, and whose staple diet was ‘dosa-sambar’! Similarly, for the ignorant members of the fourth pillar – the media – any reference to ‘defence’, and it is promptly pinned on the hapless ‘army’. In this story on the theft of the standing crop, only if the correspondent had taken the trouble to do some research! The custodian of the entire land holdings of the Indian defence forces is an organisation called the Defence Lands and Estates Department - a civilian department that comes directly under the Ministry of Defence and does not have a single uniformed personnel on its rolls. The correspondent, then, would have also learnt that it was this department that was involved in the infamous ‘Adarsh’ fraud of Mumbai, and other such projects in the recent past. Over the years, this custodian of defence lands has not been vigilant and has lost precious Government real estate to encroachments. Another term loosely used by the well-regarded members of the media, print or electronic, is the word ‘jawan’. This term has traditionally been used for Indian Army soldiers (pl refer definition above); it is not even used for members of the Indian Air Force or the Indian Navy, who are referred to as ‘airmen’ and ‘sailors’ respectively. There is a reason behind its use; a soldier dons the colours of the Army at a very young age, in the prime of his youth, for a short period and retires, or is placed on reserve duty, while still in his 30s. Use of this term, therefore, for anyone who dons the uniform of any other organisation, be it the police, State or Central, is inexact, for the reason that they continue to serve till the age of 60 years. Likewise, addressing non-military members, in uniform, as troops or soldiers, is also imprecise. In the same way, labelling a soldier a constable is not just a display of sheer ignorance, but also demeaning. As Kipling said, “In times of war and not before, God and soldier we adore, but in times of peace and all things righted, God is forgotten and the soldier slighted.” (AFA News/Sep 2015) 20 21 (AFA News/Sep 2015) (AFA News/Sep 2015) 22 23 (AFA News/Sep 2015) Two Indians Bag Magsaysay Award Magsaysay award established in 1957 in the memory of Philipine President, is As ia’s highest honour. Two Indians who have received this award in July 2015 are Anshu Gupta and Sanjiv Chaturvedi. Anshu Gupta – Founder of NGO ‘Goonj’. He is fondly called the clothing man. He was moved by the extreme poverty that deprives people of clothing and sanitation and motivated him to work on recycling of used clothes. “What bothered me was that people s till die of cold. It’s something preventable and does not require any major policy and investment” – he says. ‘I realized that out of three basic needs of Roti, Kapda and Makan, Kapda is neglected. It is such a basic need’….adds Gupta. He realized right at the time of launch of his NGO that if a woman does not have enough clothes to cover herself how can she have the pieces of clothing during her menstruation cycle. His citation reads. “His creative vision in transforming the culture of giving in India, his enterprising leadership in treating cloth as a sustainable development resource for the poor and in reminding the world that true giving always respects and preserves hum an dignity. “ Sanjiv Chaturvedi – Indian Forest Service Officer. His c rus ade agains t c orruption brought him this award. He has been selected for this year ’s Mags ays ay award in th e “em ergent leadership” category. The board of trustees of Mags ay s ay Award foundation said, “Chaturvedi is being award ed for his exem plary integrity, c ourage and tenac ity in unc om prom is ingly expos ing and pains taking investigating corruption in public office and his res olute c rafting of programm es, and sys tem improvement to ensure that government honourably serves the people.’ ‘I have faced harassment for my fight but that did not deter me from taking on the system’ – he says. It is interesting to note that he has been trans ferred 12 times in the las t five years. He took on the land mafia in Haryana. He has said that he will donate the cash, which he receives as part of the award, to AIIMS for the benefit of poor patients. Presently he is working as Deputy Secretary in AIIMS. (For other prominent Indian Mags ays ay Awards winners, Please see page No-13) (AFA News/Sep 2015) 24 “GLOBAL WARMING’ POETRY CORNER Mrs Jyot i Nigam Warming of globe an alarming concern.. In sense true let prevail discern, Green house gas kin formidable tone… Has potholes dug in layer Ozone! Ultraviolet rays when hars h strike… Disrupt golden glorious sunrise, Temperature enraged in blatant spill… A catastrophe greater, then wars instill, Weather a ghastly mask attain… With trickles of yellow, applaus e hurricane Disappearing of glaciers. An Ecologist’s fright… Cities to sink, as seas uprise ! Fossil fuel in villainous role… Upon atmosphere creates a rigmarole, Oceans slow down carbon-di-oxide intake… ‘Buffer Factor’ defined Rodger Rivelle past three decades, WISHES UNFULFILLED With few statements more, that emphasized upon, Warnings against globe, growing warm, Veteran WO MK Balachandran Nair Recurring misery, no plain mirth… Craving for love and to love But, a natural instinct of a child, Siblings frolic with inherent flower Much to the merit of upbringing Grief strikes, when upon mother earth! Get up pay heed before too late… In hands of mankind, lies planet’s fate, A wake up call to ears deaf… Fraternal and sororal mix Give a glow to the perfect bloom Love one longs for sibling helplessly, Bound to be destined incomplete. Twist turn past, dawn, just not enough, A step slow lay, before to run… For the race has now begun, The passage of growth to adulthood Certain, to be dotted with unfulfilled wishes Changes happen unabated, In all walks of life. Gear, straighten, slouched recline…. Desires remain at large Beyond the reach of seekers, and Often, to the chagrin of haters. A message cast, far and wide… Once again to welcome glorious sunrise! For this, marathon to join ! Before does this disaster full grow… Soots of carbon, on skies sow, 25 (AFA News/Sep 2015) dfork le; QkSft;ksa ds QSlys laLdkj ejrs ugha ¶ykbax vkWfQlj lqcks/k nhf{kr QkSft;ksa ds QSlys] gksrs ugha flDds mNky ds] nq'eu ds fny ngyrs gSa] rqEgkjh dnerky lsA gksa vk¡f/k;k¡ ;k rwQku] vius dne #drs ugh] nq'eu ,d gks gtkj gksa] ge dHkh Mjrs ughaA /kjrh gks ;k vkdk'k gks] eSa fot; gh ikÅ¡xk] nq'eu ,d gks gtkj gksa] eSa fudy gh tkÅ¡xkA fdLer ls feyrh gS onhZ] bldks j[kks laHkky ds] nq'eu ds fny ngyrs gSa] rqEgkjh dnerky lsA dk¡Vs gksa jkgksa esa pkgs vuar] lc gV tk;saxs] mYVh ygj esa Hkh QkSth] nq'eu ds ?kj rd tk;saxsA tks thrs gSa nwljksa ds fy,] e`R;q Hkh muls Mjrh gSa ejus ds ckn Hkh iwtk] mudh eafnjksa esa gksrh gSA xksfy;ksa ls D;k gksxk] tks cps gks bjknksa dh <ky ls nq'eu ds fny ngyrs gSa rqEgkjh dnerky lsA otz ls vVy gks rqe] vkSj vVy dk gh :i rqe Hkkjr dh larku gks] vkSj txr ds Hkwi rqeA uk Mjrs gSa] u Mjkrs gSa] uk Mjsaxs fdlh ds t+ksj ls] gqadkj Hkj jgs gks rqe] lalkj ds gj Nksj lsA t; toku&t; fdlku] fy[kk gS rsjs Hkky is] nq'eu ds fny ngyrs gSa] rqEgkjh dnerky lsA rqEgkjh vkl ckdh gS osVju foax dekaMj ukjk;.k çlkn flxjsV dh rjg rqEgkjs :i d¨ fi;k eSaus jk[k curh x;h cu ds fxjrh x;h mez <yrh x;h vkx c<+rh x;h vkSj vc\ /kq,a dk nkx ckdh gS rqEgkjh vkl ckdh gS tyu dh ckl ckdh gS vxj ,d ckj maxfy;ksa esa vk tkvks cl ,d d’k ! cl ,d d’k !! cl ,d d’k !!! (AFA News/Sep 2015) 26 ¶ykbax vkWfQlj lqcks/k nhf{kr ,d ckj tks QSlyk gks tk;s] fQj QkSth ihNs gVrs ughaA balku iSnk gksrs vkSj ejrs gSa] ij laLdkj ejrs ughaA ;s laLdkj gh gksrs gSa] tks balku dks balku cukrs gSaA fdlh ds gkFk tku ysrs gSa] fdlh ds tku cpkrs gSaA I;kls dks ikuh fiykus esa Hkh] ;gh gkFk vkxs c<+rs gSaA dksbZ vkxs vk;s u vk;s] ij QkSth vkxs c<+rs gSaA lnhZ xehZ /kwi ckfj'k ges'kk jgrs ugha] balku iSnk gksrs vkSj ejrs gSa] ij laLdkj ejrs ughaA bu laLdkjksa dks fl[kkus ds fy,] ge QkSt esa vkrs gSaA viuh tku tksf[ke esa Mkydj] vkSjksa dh tku cpkrs gSaA dksbZ eglwl rks djsa] ;s QtZ+ ej ugha ldrk] tc dksbZ jkst+ ekjs lj ij pksV fQj QkSth pqi jg ugha ldrkA dne&dne ij eqf'dysa gSa] ij dne c<+kuk gS] ygjsa foijhr gksa exj] vkxs c<+rs gh tkuk gSA ,d ckj tks mM+ pys fe'ku ij] fQj oks #drs ugah] balku iSnk gksrs vkSj ejrs gSa] ij laLdkj ejrs ughA ANSWERS OF THE QUIZ PUBLISHED IN AFA NEWS-50 1. The Lady Governor of Andhra Pradesh from the IAF Family. Ans:- Mrs Sharda Mukerjee 2. An Air Officer, who became AOC-in-C and also played cricket for India. Ans:- AVM K Jaswant Singh 3. The 5 Air Marshals from the Logistics Branch. Arrange in chronological order. Ans:- Air Mshl GB Singh, Air Mshl L Pareira, Air Mshl PV Iyer Air Mshl S Rghavan, Air Mshl Sriram 4. He went out of the IAF as a Sqn Ldr and made a mark in journalism, writing regularly for the TOI. Ans:- Sqn Ldr George Menezes 5. An athlete of International Standards who represented India in the London Olympics in 1948. Ans:- Gp Capt Henry Rebello- Triple Jumper 6. He took to running in style as a Group Captain and went on to compete in the veteran Olympics. Ans:- Air Mshl PV Iyer 7. An Officer who played in the Ranji trophy and Test matches and went on to become a National selector. Ans:- Air Cmde HT Dani 8. He represented India in the First Asian Games for Weightlifting and went on to become a Commentator and Coach for Weightlifting. Ans:- Wg Cdr PK Mahanand 9. Air Force Officer in the International Arena of Sports, was Mr. India for a number of years. Ans:- Wg Cdr Mathai 10. A tiny fellow with a love for adventure sports, who took to mountaineering and was recently awarded the Life Time Achievement Award by sports ministry Ans:- Wg Cdr Amit Chowdhry HUMOUR IN UNIFORM Veteran Gp Capt D Bhattacharya As a young Flt Lt I happened to be pos ted to a Fighter Squadron as Squadron Madical Officer in early eighties One day while visiting ORP during preflight check I found both the pilots including Flt Cdr snoring to glory. Just fresh from IAM after Aviation Medicine Course I dutifully reported the m atter to Sqn Cdr, It s lipped from my mind thereafter, After a few weeks in a social evening in Officers’ Mess, the Flt Cdr smilingly called me “Hey Doc, What”s Up? By the way ‘ORP STANDS FOR OVER RESTED PERSONS’. I could barely manage a sheepish smile & in a trice peeled off like an ace pilot with A1G1 category. 27 (AFA News/Sep 2015) APPEAL FOR DONATION Donate generously by Cheque /Drafts /Money Orders towards the corpus of the ‘Marshal o f the Air Force & Mrs. Arjan Singh Trust’. Please forward the cheques at the following address:Marshal of the Air Force & Mrs Arjan Sin gh Trust C/o 412 Air Force Statio n, Race Course Camp, New Delhi – 110003 The name of the donors will be uploaded on the website of the Trust. The name of donors contributing more than Rupees one Lakh will be displayed on the Board, in the list of donors, maintained in the Trust office. The donations are exempted from Income Tax (50% ) under section 80G (5) (VI) of the Income Tax Act 1961. The donors w ill be issued with a receipt for claiming the Income Tax ex emption. DETAILS F OR ONLINE DONATI ON TO THE “MARSHAL OF THE AIR FORCE & MRS ARJAN SIN GH TRUST” Beneficiar y A/C No. 3011972927 Beneficiar y A/C Name Marshal of the Air Force & Mrs. Arjan Singh Trust Beneficiary RTGS/NEFT IFSC Code CBIN0283463 MICR No. 110016070 Bank Central Bank of India Branch Air Force Station, New Delhi – 110003 Please note down the reference no of y our transfer and intimate the same to the Tr ust. This will help in linking your payment w ith your name. The PAN Card No. of the Trust is AABTM4517D. GRANTS : MARSHAL OF THE AIR FORCE & MRS. ARJAN SINGH TRUST During the last quarter of FY 2014-15 and during the first quarter of FY 2015-16, the following 23 Serving Air Warr iors/Air Veterans/widows have been given the financial grants of Rs. 10,23,500/-. No BENEF ICIARIES GRANT PURPOSE 1. 2. 3. Rs. 1,00,000/Rs. 31,000/Rs. 3,000/- His flat got destroyed in fire. For daughter ’s marriage For treatment of wife 9. Air Cmde MS Mehta (Retd) (3592) F(P) Smt Pachi DeveWd/o Ex C pl Sunder Lal (612684) Ex JWO KC Sudhakaran ( 608091) Rs 1000/- pm for 2 years. qtly payment of Rs. 3,000/Ex Sgt KK Rejive (704751) Rs 1500/- pm for 5 years. qtly payment of Rs. 4,500/Ex Sgt Rakesh Kumar ( 717827) Smt Merlin John Wd/o Ex Sgt Abraham John (604988) Rs 1000/- pm for 3 years. qtly payment of Rs. 3,000/Ex NC(E) HL Raina ( 800735) Ex Sgt Khem Chand ( 646118) Rs 1000/- pm for 3 years. qtly payment of Rs. 3,000/Wg Cdr AS Bali (25634 B) 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 796457 R Sgt FA Hafiz 796508 L Sgt NM Baba 794688 T Cpl Fayaz Ahmad Ganaie 797259 N Sgt SS Sodhi 784267 N C pl MA Wani 712890 N Cpl Muzafar Ahmad Dar 911198 T Cpl Fayaz Ahmad Dar 712887 N Cpl Mohd Ishaq Teeli 916312 F Cpl M Iqbal Dar 949286 T LAC Altaf Ahmad Dar 922700 N C pl SA Wani 825008 A NC( E) MA Ganie 827957 N NC (E) SA Dar 825442 L NC (E) MS Bhat Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. (AFA News/Sep 2015) Rs. 4,500/- For self maintenance Rs. Rs. 5,000/6,000/- For pur chase of wheel chair For self maintenance Rs. Rs. 31,000/3,000/- For daughter ’s marriage For self maintenance Rs. 40,000/- 28 60,000/50,000/50,000/50,000/60,000/40,000/60,000/50,000/50,000/60,000/60,000/70,000/70,000/70,000/- For rehabilitation of family affected by floods in J&K during Sep 2014 ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— ——————do——————— DONATIONS RECEIVED AT MARSHAL'S TRUST UP TO JUL 2015 PARTIC ULARS AMOUNT(Rs.) Gp Capt Surinder Singh (Retd) Rs. 5,000/- AVM SK Jindal (Retd) Rs. 1,10,000/- Wg Cdr Onkar Singh Wadhwan (Retd) Rs. 10,000/- Air Mshl SR Deshpande (Retd) Rs. 50,000/- Ex JWO Inder jeet Taneja Rs. 1,100/- Wg Cdr Raghav Prakash (Retd) Rs. 1,10,000/- HFL Raynor N elson (Retd) Rs. 10,000/- Wg Cdr Narinder Singh (Retd) Rs. 1,01,000/- Wg Cdr Madan Kumar Gupta (Retd) Rs. 10,000/- Wg Cdr Gurdip Singh Bakshi (Retd) Rs. 10,000/- Ex Sgt Surinder Parkash Mittal Rs. 6,000/- HFO Har bans Lal Saini (Retd) Rs. 30,000/- Air Mshl Anil Chopra (Retd) Rs. 5,000/- Wg Cdr Ranbir Singh (Retd) Rs. 7,700/- DONATIONS RECEIVED AT AFA (17 FEB 15 to 25 AUG 15) Rank Wg Cdr FLT Lt Mrs Gp Capt Mrs Sgt Mr Wg Cdr Air Cmde Gp Capt Smt HFL Wg Cdr Air Mshl Wg Cdr Wg Cdr Smt Name C Ramachandran VM Brij Lal Pandit Pushpa Joshi Aurobindo Handa Manju Lall J Antony Surender Kumar Sharma VN Sharma SC Gahlaut R Malhotra SN Vatsala Lodge Barton No. 475-SC BG Jadhav Satish Kumar Mc Mohan Arun Kumar Gupta AM Shamugham Indu Ashta Amount 150000 100001 100000 100000 30000 25000 10000 10000 10000 10000 10000 7500 5000 5000 5000 5000 5000 5000 Rank Wg Cdr Mr HFL Sgt Wg Cdr Air Cmde Sqn Ldr Mr Sgt Air Cmde Gp Capt Sqn Ldr Sqn Ldr Air Cmde Wg Cdr Sgt Sgt Cpl 29 Name Harjeet Singh Kang SN Giri TC Sharma Kapil Agnihotri Praveen Puri Shrikant Deshpande PR Jamasji Jagat Singh Yadav AK Das SS Deshpande SS Samel MP Harish C Prakash A Chibbar AT Lingaraj A Mathew KM Ramachandran Mani Lal Amount 5000 5000 5000 4900 4790 3000 2500 2500 1000 1000 1000 1000 740 600 550 540 500 500 (AFA News/Sep 2015) ----------------------- Tear Off ----------------------- Tear Off ----------------------- Tear Off ----------------------- DONATION FORM MARSHAL OF THE AIR FORCE AND MRS. ARJAN SINGH TRUST (PLEASE FILL IN CAPTIAL) Name............................................................................................................................................ Address........................................................................................................................................ ..................................................................................................................................................... ...............................................................................................Pin................................................. PAN No..................................................................................Ph No............................................. Mob.........................................................................................Date of Birth.................................. Email............................................................................................................................................. I wish to donate to Marshal of the Air Force & Mrs Arjan Singh Trust Valid for 50% Tax Exemption U/S 80G Rs. ............... for corpus of Marshal the of Air Force and Mrs. Arjan Singh Trust. 1. By Cheque or DD Inscribe in favour of “Marshal of the Air Force & Mrs Arjan Singh Trust” (Please do not add any other things with the name. Amount............................Cheque /DD No....................................Date...................... Bank..............................................Branch................................................................. Signature Cheque /DD should be drawn on or before 31 Mar to avail 50% Tax benefit during the current financial year. 2. Electronics Transfer (NEFT or RTGS) Take following steps (i) Log in your bank account (ii) Register ‘Marshal of the Air Force & Mrs Arjan Singh Trust’ as Payee by puttingSB Account no. 3011972927 IFSC Code CBIN0283463 Name of the bank Central Bank of India Branch Race Course Camp Air Force Station New Delhi, New Delhi-03 (iii) Forward following details through Email at marshal.trus t@gmail.com Or send this slip to our office as mentioned below Amount................................................Date of Transfer................................................................ Your Bank...........................................Transaction ID................................................................... Your PAN No. (Allotted by Income Tax Departm ent)....................................................................... For Donation related quires please email us to marshal.trust@gmail.com Or call at 011-23013649 Please note that it is mandatory to send all of the above details for issuing of Receipt and Tax Exe mption Certificate under section 80G of IT Act 1961. 3. Our address: Marshal of the Air Force & Mrs Arjan Singh Trust Race Course Camp, Air Force Station New Delhi New Delhi-110003 Ph No. 011-23013649 Email marshal.trust@gmail.com (AFA News/Sep 2015) 30 EAGLES’ EYE AFA NEWS BULLETIN - SUBSCRIPTION FORM (Please fill this form for records) Name_ __ __ __ _ __ __ __ __ _ _ AFA Membership No. _ __ __ __ __ __ Service No. _ __ __ __ _ Rank________ ____Address___ ________ _______ ________ _______ _______ ________ ____ ___________________________________________ Tele No. ____________________ Subscription Option: (a) (b) I want to make a life subscription of Rs.500/- only. I want to make an annual subscription of only Rs.50/- for 2 copies of Eagle’s Eye. I am enclosing a Bank DD No. ____________ of ________________ Bank ___________ (Name of place) for Rs.________ in favour of “Air Force Association” (Note: Outstation cheques are not accepted). Date: Signature. EACH MEMBER, BRING ONE NEW MEMBER AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION / AFA Newsletter C/O 412 Air Force Station Race Course, New Delhi – 110 003 Tel : 011-23792415 Email : afaheadoffice@gmail.com, afa_headoffice@rediffmail.com Website : www.afa-india.org YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE : DONATE GENEROUSLY Please tick ( ) the square you wish to donate. Rs. 1,000/- Rs. 1500/- Rs. 2,500/- Rs. 5,000/- Any Other Amount Cheque / DD No. ______________ dated ______________ in favour of Air Force Association. Name (Mr. / Mrs.) ____________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) ______________________E-mail __________________________ All contributions to Air Force Association are 50% Tax exempt under section 80G (5) (VI) of Income Tax Act. 1961. ACCOUNT DETAILS OF AFA, NEW DELHI FOR NEFT/RTGS Benificiary Account Number 12043 12218 Accoun t Name Air Force Association IFSC Code CBIN02 83463 MICR No. 11001 6070 Bank Name Centra l Bank of India Branch Name Air Force Station New Delhi - 11 003 31 (AFA News/Sep 2015) Notification of Death of Spouse (Husband/Wife) From: …………………………………………………Reference No : (if any):…………………… …………………………….………………….. Tele No: with STD Code: ……..………… …………………………………….……………… Mobile No :…………………………… ………………………………………………………E-Mail Id :……………………………… To :Directorate of Air Veterans, Air HQ (SP), SMC Building, Subroto Park, Ne w Delhi –10 Dear Sir, NOTIFICATION OF DEATH OF HUSBAND/WIFE/PENSIONER FOR SANCTION OF ADMISSIBLE DEATH GRANTS/OTHER BENEFITS 1. I regret to inform the death of my…………………………..(relationship with the deceased), whose particulars are given below :(a) Rank : ……………………… (b) (c) Name (in block letters) :………………………………………… Service No ……….……………………… (d) Date of death:……………………………… Age at the time of Death: ……………yrs (e) Cause of deathas given in Death/Medical Certificate)……………………….………. (f) Pension Payment Order (PPO) : Original PPO :No……………..……………………………….. …..dt……..…………… Latest Corr No.(if any):………………………………....................dt………………...… (g) Name & addres s of Bank/DPDO/Treasury where the pension account of thedeceased was operated/drawn from: …………………………………………………… (h) Particulars of pension account No S/B :……………………………………………….. Joint Ac count: Yes/No, Name of the Bank : ……………………………………………. Branch :…………………..IFSC Code:…………………….MICR Code:……………… 2. I am enclosing OriginalCopy of Death Certificate No………………...dated…………….issued by …………………………………………………… 3. I request that I may be sanctioned/awarded/paid Family Assistance Scheme benefits, lump sum grant, ex-gratia and various other financial benefits, as applicable, for whic h I am entitled, at your earliest convenience.Address as given above may please be noted for correspondence Place :………………………….. Date :………………………….. Yours faithfully, ……………………………………………………. (Name &Signature as with bank account) Copy to : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. The Manager of Bank (From where Pension was drawn by the deceased) DPDO/Treasury (wherever Applicable) Jt CDA, AF Subroto Park, New Delhi-110010 Secretary, C/O- Air Force Association, Air Force Station New Delhi, Race Course, New Delhi-110003 Secretary, Air Force Association (………………) Branch ZilaSainik welfare Officer (Address of the District Offic e Concerned) ECHS Polyclinic (Providing Services) CSD Canteen (Providing Services) (AFA News/Sep 2015) 32 AFA Pays Homage to ACM H Moolgavkar MVC PVSM AVSM (Retd) Air Chief Marshal Hrus hikesh Moolgavkar MVC PVSM AVSM (Retd) 94, passed away on 09 Apr 15 at Pune. Commissioned on 30 Nov 40,he was sent to the war zone in Burma (now Myanmar) with 1 Sqn. Known for his flying skills, he was especially c hosen to lead the fly past during India’s first Independence Day. As a Sqn Ldr he led a formation of Tempest II just over the flag post. He also had the honour of leading India’s first Republic Day fly past on 26 Jan 51 which set a precedence for all such future fly pasts over India Gate. In the year 1948, as a Wg cdr, he took charge of 1 W ing where he dist inguished himself, leading all major operational sorties disregarding all danger to himself. For his exceptional gallantry and leadership he was awarded Mahavir Chakra. In his entire career he flew 67 different types of aircraft - fighters, trainers, jet and prot otypes from the Tigermoth and Hurric ane to Mig-21 and Sukhoi-7. He took over as Chief of Air staff on 01 Feb 76 where his major achievements included, introduction and implementation of new flight safety measures, which brought down the accident rates for the first time to within international safety standards.He retired on 31 Aug 78. Many senior officers inc luding Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Chief of the Air staff and other Air Veterans recorded their homage in t he condolence book kept at AFA Head Office. OBITUARY Ser No 207368 222680 790165 5539 216280 273573 19620 229255 6264 246981 679276 207762 9596 234045 200982 243249 285648 726619 6730 613468 252569 806127 686758 9069 225737 3826 243587 5734 215822 3731 9148 611631 237899 656123 4797 252799 238488 9673 276232 Rank HFO HFO LAC AVM HFO WO Sqn Ldr Sgt Gp Capt JWO Sgt HFO Sqn Ldr LAC HFL JWO JWO Sgt Wg Cdr JWO Cpl NC(E) JWO Wg Cdr MWO Wg Cdr JWO Wg Cdr HFO Wg Cdr Wg Cdr Sgt Sgt Sgt Gp Capt WO HFO Wg Cdr JWO Name Purushot haman M Amar Singh Manhas Vipin Kumar BG Sat yapal Amrik Singh Bachhal RC Senger MP Sinha KS Warrier Kulwant Singh KK Gangadharan Vinod Chingath Venakata Krishnan MK Bakshy Pramod Narhar Apte KP Krishnan Unni AM Des hmukh U Achuthan Kutty Dalvir Singh Pathania J Ant hikad Vithal Kudba Naik MK Sadanandan Bhoga Prasad Munda RS Bisht Rajendra Sharma Ram Daur Tripathi Prabhakar K Karayi K Thankappan Bhupinder Singh Prakash Chandra Verma NC Bharma RV Paul Subramani S MR Boja Raju Jayasankaran P Dibakar Ghose T Bhas karan Y Raman SSMS Dhingra N Balusamy Branch/ Trade CRYPTO ELECT FIT MUSICIAN ACCTS F II E WS FIT EQPT ASST AE(L) FITTE R IIA FIIA RDO FIT CLK PA F(P) EQPT ASST INST FIT LASCAR ELECT FIT MTD LGS LGS EDN INST ADM EQPT ASST RDO FIT MED ASST ACH GD CLK GD MT FIT 33 Date of Demise 10 Oc t 14 18 Dec 14 25 Dec 14 25 Dec 14 25 Dec 14 26 Dec 14 28 Dec 14 30 Dec 14 31 Dec 14 02 Jan 15 14 Jan 15 23 Jan 15 23 Jan 15 26 Jan 15 29 Jan 15 30 Jan 15 30 Jan 15 01 Feb 15 01 Feb 15 05 Feb 15 05 Feb 15 06 Feb 15 07 Feb 15 11 Feb 15 13 Feb 15 18 Feb 15 19 Feb 15 21 Feb 15 23 Feb 15 23 Feb 15 23 Feb 15 24 Feb 15 25 Feb 15 28 Feb 15 02 Mar 15 04 Mar 15 06 Mar 15 08 Mar 15 (AFA News/Sep 2015) 5457 231970 9021 4050 240369 235548 268415 6852 201441 716815 5916 271206 6848 229160 611860 9536 5167 9915 243374 289725 232757 242437 400311 641357 804261 15532 239503 707060 641695 219668 231581 216582 613764 8558 229024 4375 605539 718775 292802 219326 224731 248364 601635 276871 11788 4187 679486 261439 625163 693612 276956 16811 261364 4280 207940 671896 19976 297298 6006 10213 4129 637644 Sqn Ldr JWO Gp Capt Wg Cdr HFO JWO WO Wg Cdr AC JWO Wg Cdr HFO Wg Cdr JWO Sgt Wg Cdr Gp Capt Gp Capt Sgt JWO Sgt Sgt Sgt MWO NC(E) Flt Lt WO Sgt WO HFO HFO MWO WO Wg Cdr MWO AVM Sgt Sgt HFO HFL Sgt JWO LAC WO AVM Wg Cdr Sgt Sgt JWO Sgt HFO Gp Capt WO Air Cmde Cpl JWO Air Mshl Sgt AVM Wg Cdr AVM JWO (AFA News/Sep 2015) GR Sahni PN Purushot haman Nair Uma Shankar BS Ramu G Pandurangam Johney C KK Raveendra Nathan SP Sharma RL Devate Krishna Dutt Sharma PV Rao Harish Chandra Dixit KA Vij John K urian Dhirendra K umar Bajpai LK D Souza Joginder Singh R Shankar Ghanshy am Das V Raghavan Nair P Ramac handran Surendran Pillai N Santosh Raina Upendra Rai Gopal Singh KP Narasimhan K swaminath Kannan Rajagopal Sant Singh BP Dwivedi TD Langde M Balak rishnan Jagdish Prashad A Mathew Gursharan S ingh Johar RK Mehra K Bhuvanendra Kumar Chandan Ghosh Ashok Chander Sharma SK Puri U Mahaboob Khan S Kumaraiah N Gopinathan Pillai N Singh KI Trivedi RL Jaitly CB Pralhad Raghavan CV S Bas karan Dubal Anil Shankar Rao Wakil Rai Vinod Rangabhashyam E Harik rishnan KS Balakrishna SS Ganesh Birendra Singh AS Chahal Ranjit Singh T Sen Chander Mohan Amit Sen Ledwani Ishwar Bacharam F(P) ARMT CLK PA ELECT FIT ACCTS ENG FIT EQPT ASST F(P) EDN ADSO II RDO FIT AIRCREW ENG FIT LASCAR CLK GD ELECT FIT WPN FIT CLK GD ADM AE(L) RTO WPN FIT ACH GD EQPT ASST MET LGS F(P) MTD CLK GD EQPT ASST Med ELECT FIT 34 09 Mar 15 12 Mar 15 14 Mar 15 15 Mar 15 15 Mar 15 16 Mar 15 17 Mar 15 18 Mar 15 19 Mar 15 20 Mar 15 21 Mar 15 21 Mar 15 24 Mar 15 24 Mar 15 24 Mar 15 30 Mar 15 01 Apr 15 01 Apr 15 01 Apr 15 01 Apr 15 02 Apr 15 02 Apr 15 06 Apr 15 06 Apr 15 06 Apr 15 08 Apr 15 10 Apr 15 11 Apr 15 13 Apr 15 14 Apr 15 24 Apr 15 27 Apr 15 28 Apr 15 30 Apr 15 01 May 15 02 May 15 02 May 15 05 May 15 07 May 15 10 May 15 12 May 15 15 May 15 15 May 15 25 May 15 29 May 15 31 May 15 01 Jun 15 03 Jun 15 03 Jun 15 06 Jun 15 08 Jun 15 10 Jun 15 10 Jun 15 11 Jun 15 15 Jun 15 20 Jun 15 21 Jun 15 23 Jun 15 05 Jul 15 06 Jul 15 16 Jul 15 18 Jul 15 35 (AFA News/Sep 2015) (AFA News/Sep 2015) 36 AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION (Head /Branch Offices) BRANCH TELE/FAX AFA HEAD OFFICE 011-23015762 011-23792415 011-23011211 011-23011208 Face Book Link Twitte r Link Web Site BRANCH PRESIDENTS AP & TELANGANA Veteran Wg Cdr TJ Reddy VSM ADDRESS &E-MAIL NEAREST OF BRANCH AF UNIT Air Force Station AF Station Race Course Camp Race Course New Delhi – 110 003 New Delhi e-mail: afaheadoffice@gmail.com : https://www.facebook.com/airforceassociation.india : https://twitter.com/AFA India : www.afa-india.org 09391027020 040-27757020(O) 27112808 (R) C/O AF Station Begumpet Bowenpally Post Secunderabad– 500011 e-mail: afa.andhra@gmail.com 09334114839 08084342649 0612-2340736 0612-3257683 Alankar Motors Complex East Boring Canal Road (RajapurPul), Patna-800 001 e-mail: afa.bihar@gmail.com GOA Veteran Air Cmde PK Pinto AVSM 0832 - 2414912 32, Defence Colony Alto Porvorim Bardez, Goa – 403521 e-mail: afa.goaa@gmail.com GUJARAT Veteran Air Marshal PK Desai PVSM AVSM VSM 09898574245 Himavan Opp. Shefali Centre Paldi Char Rasta Ahmedabad-380 006 e-mail: afa.gujarat@gmail.com 0124-2343174 09811213201 C/O 54 ASP AF Stn Gurgaon Gurgaon – 122 001 e-mail: afa.haryana@gmail.com AF Station Gurgaon 09899787787 Air Force Station Satwari, Jammu Cantt–180003 AF Station Satwari 09430702001 H1-204, Harmu Housing Colony Ranchi – 834 002 e-mail : afa.jharkhand@gmail.com KARNATAKA Veteran Air Mshl PP Rajkumar PVSM VSM 080-23513319 080-23411061 Extn : 4555 Manoranjan Cinema Complex HQ, Training Command, IAF JC Nagar (Post), Bengaluru–560006 e-mail : afa.bangalore@gmail.com website : www.afakarnataka.org HQ TC, IAF Bengaluru KERALA Veteran Wg Cdr ARS Iyer 09495662337 C/O HQ SAC (U), AF Akkulam Thiruvananthapuram –695031 e-mail : afa.kerala@gmail.com HQ SAC, IAF Akkulam BIHAR Veteran Wg Cdr Narendra Kumar HARYANA Veteran Air Mshl DR Nadkarni PVSM AVSM VM JAMMU & KASHMIR Veteran Gp Capt Pravin Vij JHARKHAND Veteran AVM Yash Kumar AVSM 37 AF Stn Begumpet 040-27753500 Extn :283 (AFA News/Sep 2015) MADHYA PRADESH Veteran Wg Cdr JS Shrikhande NOIDA Veteran Gp Capt R Mohan NORTHERN ZONE Veteran Air Mshl RS Bedi AVSM VM NORTH EASTERN ZONE Veteran Wg Cdr MK Borah ODISHA Veteran Gp Capt J Brahma RAJASTHAN Veteran Gp Capt JR Swarnakar TAMIL NADU Veteran Air Mshl S Varthaman PVSM AVSM VM VSM UTTAR PRADESH Veteran Wg Cdr AK Tripathi VM MAHARASHTRA Veteran Gp Capt SS Phatak WEST BENGAL Veteran Wg Cdr PK Basu AUSTRALIA Veteran Sqn Ldr RT Oliver UNITED KINGDOM Veteran Sqn Ldr IS Loughran VM (AFA News/Sep 2015) 09893543230 M-366, Goutam Nagar Bhopal – 462039 e-mail : afa.bhopal @gmail.com jsshrikhande@gmail.com 0120-2539956 09811923560 JVSAS Complex Sector – 21, JalvayuVihar Noida –201301 (UP) e-mail: afa.noida@gmail.com 28 Wing, AF C/O AF Station Hindon 0172-2637390 0172-2641145 Extn-668 12 Wing, AF C/O AF Station, Chandigarh-160003 e-mail: afa.nzb@gmail.com 12 Wing, AF C/O AF Station Chandigarh 0361-2620117 0361-2263676 C/O RJ Junior College Dispur-Bas istha Road Guwahati – 781028 e-mail: afa.guwahati@gmail.com AF Station Guwahati 0674-2434233 09861113414 G-10, BJ B Nagar Bhubaneswar Odisha – 751014 e-mail :afa.orisa@gmail.com Air Sqn NCC Bhubaneshwar 0291-2511516 (O) Extn : 2520 0291-2540545 (R) 09460106445 Station Medicare Centre Air Force Station Jodhpur – 342011 e-mail: afa.rajasthan@gmail.com 32 Wing, AF C/O 56 APO 044-22392546 044-22395553 Extn(IP) -3293 C/O 413 Air Force Station Tambaram, Chennai – 600046 e-mail :afatamilnadu@gmail.com AF Station Tambaram 0512-2451730 Extn-6913 09935386303 Main Guard Room Building AF Station, Chakeri Kanpur –208008 e-mail : afa.kanpur@gmail.com AF Station Chakeri 020-26442344(R) 020-26840442 Extn : 7867 09421003200 C/O Adv HQ SWAC, IAF Pune – 411001 e-mail: afa.pune@gmail.com Adv HQ SWAC, IAF 033-22236061 M-5,3, Janaki Shaw Road Hastings, Kolkata – 700 022 e-mail :afa.kolkata@gmail.com Adv HQ EAC, IAF 02 - 99809335 0407407495 No. 5A, Duffy Ave Thornleigh NNSW 2120, Australia e-mail : regoliver@optusnet.com.au 01372-275700 7, Harding Road, Langle Vale Epsom, Surrey KT 186 HN England e-mail :ianloughran@aol.com 38 SNAPS OF THE SEASON Mrs. Lily Raha and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha PVSM AVSM VM ADC along with Mrs. Srilata Katre (L) and former chiefs of the Air Staff at the PC Lal memorial lecture. Shri Ajit Dov al Krit i Ch akra, NSA alo ng wit h Veteran Air Mshl TS Randhawa President and AVM R Ch opra Vice Presidn t AFA. Veteran A ir Mshl TS Randhawa, President AFA p resenting memento to Shri Ajit Doval A View of audience at Air Force Au ditorium Subro to Park New Delhi during PC Lal memorial lecture Team AFA with Air Msh l TS Randhawa, President Air Force Association. Office Bearers of AFA Haryana Branch with the recip ients of Scholarships 39 (AFA News/Sep 2015) Executive Committee Members & families of AFA Gujarat Branch withGovernor of Gujarat Shri OP Kohli at Rajbhawan Vet eran Air Mshl PK Desai President, AFA Gujarat with Smt.Neena Desai & Smt. Han sa Upadhyay Presenting AFA Flag to Chief Minister of Gujarat Smt Anandib en Patel. Vetrens at Annual Meeting of J&K Branch Members with spouses during a get together in Deoghar (Jharkhand) Veterans attending the AFA North Zone Meeting on 21 Mar 15 Vet eran s Air Ms hl Rand hir Sing h, Air Ms hl RS Bedi, Wg Cdr Satish Bhatia, HFL SS Bindra, Gp Capt GBS Sidhu, Air Mshl BBP Sinha, AOA and Air M shl Jagjeet Sin gh, AOC-in C MC lighting the lamp (AFA News/Sep 2015) 40 Veteran Gp Capt SS Phatak, President Maharashtra Branch presen ting Memento to AVM Arjun Subramaniam A OC Advance Headquarters, SWAC, Pune on posting Veteran Gp Capt SS Phatak, President Maharashtra Branch with other members of AFA Maharashtra Veteran Air Chief Marshal FH Major laying wreath at War Memorial, HQ TC on 15 Sep 14. ACM Arup Raha releasing souvenir before delivering ACM LM Katre Memorial Lecture at Bengaluru. Mrs Sushila W/o Veteran Wg Cdr MC Mehta Senior Vice President, (RAJ) Branch planting a Sapling on 16 Jul 2015 with Veteran Gp Capt JR Swarnakar President, AFA (RAJ) Veteran Gp Capt JR Swarnakar President , AFA (RAJ), Veteran CPL BK Tanwar, Air Cmde SK Vid hate, AOC A F Stat ion Jodhpur, Veterans JWO FM Khan, Sgt IC Bajra, Sqn Ldr SM Sharma at Rajasthan Branch office on 09 Apr 2015 41 (AFA News/Sep 2015) Wg Cdr TJ Reddy President, AP &TS Branch addressing the members and families at the AV Rally of AP & TS Branch on 07 Dec 14 Annual social get together of Members & families of Tirupati Chapter (AP&TS Branch) on 15 Feb 15 A view of AGM Tamilnadu Branch on 20 Jun15. Veteran Air Mshl Varthaman President, and office bearers of Tamilnadu chapters during conference. Air Cmde Rajan Sood PD DAV honouring wife of late MWO TS Sood at AFA UP function Group of Octogenarians along with Air Cmde Rajan Sood PD DAV, Gp Capt SK Jain, Stn Cdr along with AFA UP members. (AFA News/Sep 2015) 42