CHENNAI- VIJAY DIWAS AND THE ONWARD MARCH OF IESM by Col Raman

CHENNAI- VIJAY DIWAS AND THE ONWARD MARCH OF IESM

Col (Retd) TN Raman


Today, 16 Dec 2009, the ESM of Chennai paid their homage to the Martyrs, at the War Memorial on the Marina Beach Road , for the first time. This could not have happened but for the support of the HQ ATNK Area & 5 JAK RIF Bn. The Veteran General Officers, Brigadiers, Officers & their equivalent ranks of all the three Services & JCOs , NCOs & Jawans, could pay their homage in near Military Style with the Band of 5 JAK RIF present. Our thanks to them & to Col A Krishnaswami, the highly decorated Veteran of JAK RIF .

What was on display was the spirit exhibited by the participants. There were 6 octogenarians. There was Lt Gen C Sundara Rao, 87 years young, Maj Gen Balasubramanian. R/Adm PP Sivamani, Air Cmde Amirthalingam, Brig Muthulakshmi from the MNS, Maj Gen Chattaraman the President of AFVOA , Maj Gen Govindaswamy & many more. Three decorated Veterans from the three Services laid the wreaths ; Col Krisnaswamy, R/Adm Sivamni & Sqn Ldr Nagarajan.
Wreaths were also laid by the Patron of AFVOA, Lt Gen Sundara Rao, Maj Gen Chattaraman, President of AFVOA & Col TN Raman, IESM.

A point I wish to clarify here. In Chennai, most of the Members of AFVOA, including the Patron, are also the members of IESM. So am I. The Veterans work as a team here, complementing each others efforts.

As per the Minutes of the AGM of IESM, Tamilnadu is one of the top four States leading in the IESM membership drive. It could be achieved mainly due to the ethos of ESM Unity developed here. A task undertaken by an ESM in the National Interest, is viewed as a task in general by all the other ESM Organisations. The ESM Organisations in Tamilnadu would like to grow in Uniting on issues affecting us as a community, than to divide to garner all the credit to themselves, individually. This year’s Vijay Diwas has reinforced the concept of UNITY.

Jai Hind !

Veteran Raman