‘KRYFS’  FELICITATES  NAVY  FOUNDATION   

         KRYFS is India's largest CRGO transformer core solutions & specialized material handling equipment company. With 7 factories & over 25 years of experience. It has a capacity to convert 50,000 MT per annum of CRGO Electrical Steel into transformer laminations and cores. Today, KRYFS services the entire value chain of energy supply from generation (of Solar Power), Transmission (through its EPC business) to distribution (through the manufacture of transformers, cores, and fabrication) and employs over 750 people, all over India.

       KRYFS has nine manufacturing facilities for manufacturing of distribution and medium power transformers up to 10 MVA, 33 KV class, laminations, transformer cores, transformer tanks and lifting slings.  Three units are located at Kherdi, in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, one unit at Palghar- Maharashtra, three units in Baroda and one in Bhopal.

       CRM is a strong hallmark of KRYFS, that draws them to Charity, Social Service and felicitation of  Soldiers and Veterans. Their HR manager  Priyanka Koli contacted Cdr Vijay Vadhera, Secy  NFMC  for felicitation on the occasion of 70^th Republic Day. I was requested to do the honours on behalf of NFMC, at my Borivali Home on 28th jan. Mr Prathmesh Naik, IT Executive along with two more executives of the company  Dhairya Shah and Raunak Malkan came over to Felicitate our Naval Foundation with a Memento and a wonderful  Objet D’Art that contained artistically calligraphed inspiring Patriotic Poetry scripted in Hindi.

     It was great interacting with the smart executives of  KRYFS over  Tea and snacks and reading out the scripted Poetry. One on the top right, read as follows.

Kuchh Nasha Tirange ki Aan Ka hai,

Kuchh Nasha Matrubhoomi ki Shaan ka hai,

Hum lehrayeinge har jagah ye tiranga,

Nasha ye Hindustan ki Shaan ka hai.      

Salute to the Real Heros of India

Hamare Desh ke Veer Jawano ko shat-shat  Naman.

           On behalf of NFMC it was my proud privilege to convey my appreciation and gratitude to KRYFS, even as I bid the executives Good Bye smilingly with Best Wishes.

           (Notice the crest of RINS  Himalaya in the backdrop)

AMAR  JAWAN  MONUMENT  BORIVALI - 26 JAN 2019

         When a few like-minded Veterans assemble and bond together on a National Day, the euphoria created by them is bound to be priceless. It happened at 6pm on 26^th Jan 2019 at Immaculate School, Borivali(West), where about 20 Naval Veteran couples converged to celebrate 70^th Republic Day and pay their second Anniv homage to the ‘Amar Jawan’ monument,  resurrected by Veteran Lt Shreekant Bhende.

          When Lt Bhende shifted to this location 5 yrs ago, he noticed a dilapidated old statue peeping through the tall grass and plants on a traffic island, with its helmet missing and the gun in tatters. A pathetic sight it was and an insult to martyrs. Lt Bhende decided to restore its glory. But getting the requisite permission through the maze of municipal bureaucracy was a difficult task. He approached the municipal Commissioner who verbally approved the request to erect the ‘Amar Jawan’ monument. Lt Bhende then restored this monument by durable weather resistant FRP, that had been his lifeline for 22 yrs after his retirement. The monument was finally erected by Lt Bhende,  and inaugurated by RAdm RM Bhatia, President NFMC, in the presence of  RAdm  S Mahindru (FOMA), Cdr Vijay Vadhera, Secy of the Foundation and other Veterans of the Navy on 07 Apr 2017, two yrs ago.

      Shri Harish Raoji Chhedda, the Corporator of Borivali(West) was requested to grace the occasion as the Chief Guest to lay a wreath on the ‘Amar Jawan’ monument, followed by the sounding of the ‘Last Post’ as a homage to our martyrs and a minute of Silence. Subsequently, a gettogether was prearranged at the lawns of the Immaculate School. The Corporator could not  join the festivities due to his preoccupation, but that did not dampen the spirit of the Veterans, as after the Wreath Laying by Col Unni Chandra Shekhar, Mrs Verma and Cdr KK Kutty, all Veterans assembled at the glowing  decorated lawns for a scintillating evening of Gala, where the MC  Cdr Raj Dutta after recounting his motivational story, enthused each and everyone present to share episodes of their service careers. Capt RS Sharma, Cdrs KK Sharma, Paranjpe, GB Singh, Alok Rastogi, KK Kutty, Peter Saldhana, M Hadish, Shukla, Midha, Vishnu Gaonkar,  Col Unni,  and Dr Bela Verma very enthusiastically narrated events of their glorious past with elan. We engrossingly listened to Mrs Bangar’s interesting courtship day tales with her late husband Cmde Bangar. A few ladies even sang a few melodious songs of the bygone era to create a nostalgic aura. Lt Bhende recounted his association with Late VAdm MP Awati, followed by a few more officers recounting episodes with Late Adms Ronnie L Pereira, MP Awati and other senior officers that they served with. A Fauji brat, Ms Priya Singh(an Airhostess in Qatar Airways)  and her friend who were passing by during the wreath laying, gladly joined our festivities. She was highly appreciative of the Veterans contribution to our nation.

         A sumptuous dinner culminated the festivities with a firm resolve of even greater participation of Veterans at the same location, for the Independence Day later this year.  Jai Hind.      

      

NFMC  CELEBRATES  VETERANS  DAY  

             The concept of the Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day), dates back to 11 Nov 1919 when U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issued a message to his countrymen on the first Armistice Day, in which he expressed what he felt the day meant to the Americans and honoured the Military Veterans of  WW-I. Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada also have been celebrating the day on their prominent dates since long, but the concept in India is just taking roots.

            A need was felt to dedicate a Day to our Veterans for two primary reasons: One to honour them; Two – to resolve the problems faced by them after retirement. So three years ago, It was decided by the Army Headquarters and instructions were issued to all Sainik Welfare Departments in the country to observe 14 Jan as the Veterans Day, the day when both our Field Marshals hung their uniform.

       Three months ago  Cdr  Vijay Vadhera, Secy NFMC conceived a plan to celebrate the Veterans Day this year in a befitting manner and briefed VAdm Girish Luthra FOCinC (West). The CinC called upon a meeting of his Principal Staff Officers where Cdr Vadhera spelt out the plan to seek Headquarters involvement in fulfilment of the objectives.

THE  PLAN 

       A three-pronged approach was devised to make our citizens aware of the importance of Veterans Day. One- to Advertise through Print and Broadcast media. Two- to put up huge Banners at prominent places in the city like Petrol-pumps, Railway-stations and Road-Junctions. Three-  lectures by Veterans during the week preceding V Day in 10 prominent schools of Mumbai, highlighting the capability and performance of our Armed forces and the Veterans’  contribution to our Society. In all the schools the students showed keenness to join the Armed Forces after having listened to the Veterans’ pep talks.  
      Sponsorship was sought by Cdr Vadhera from prominent business houses for putting-up advertisement in major dailies on the 14 Jan. Cdrs Abhishek  Kankan and LtCdr Farookh Tarapore were interviewed on  Door Darshan  &  Cdrs Shailender Sharma and Raj Dutta were aired on Rainbow FM on Veterans Day with a repeat broadcast in the evening. Both these activities were well appreciated by all. Large Banners were designed by Veterans, manufactured by MDL and put up by Headquarters at prominent spots in Mumbai a few days preceding the V Day. Dr Mrs Kanta Mukherjee, W/O Surg VAdm HP Mukherjee on her own initiative put up a banner in Versova. Cdr VS Shukla too on his own initiative installed a Banner at ‘Shaheed Manoj Pandey’ Chowk, Lucknow. Two of our veterans contributed articles to ‘Fauji India’ Magazine for Jan, that was a Veterans’  special issue.

THE  V-DAY

     The festivities of the Veterans Day commenced with Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Colaba War Memorial,  which was attended by a substantial number of serving and retired personnel, including Adm VS Shekhawat and other senior officers of all three services. The War Memorial was exquisitely decorated with colourful Lilies, roses, hyacinth and carnations. The Wreaths were laid by Veterans, FOMA, AOC MAO,  GOC(M&G) Area and FOCinC(West). The Last post was played by the service Buglers as the tri-services Guard carried out the Shok Shastra drill immaculately with perfect synchro and precision during wreath-laying.

      The next function was organised at Sailors institute SAGAR, where all the veterans and serving personnel of the three services assembled and interacted with each other over tea and light refreshments. The CinC personally met and discussed issues with veteran sailors and Jawans over a cup of tea.   During noontime, the NFMC committee members gathered in IMSC to bid farewell to VAdm Girish Luthra, our outgoing Commander-in-Chief.

   The third ‘Veterans Day’ was celebrated by the Navy Foundation Mumbai Chapter in a grand scale with great pomp and show, to make the citizens cognizant of our benefaction to Society. The NFMC apart from commemorating the V Day in a befitting style this year triggered a friendly bonding with major schools of Mumbai, shall continue the worthy enterprise throughout the year by sustained interaction with schools. Our effort shall be to groom the children for the armed forces and prepare them for a vibrant  India of tomorrow.

** The hallmark of Veterans is that they enter spreading cheer and leave happy footprints when they exit.