|
A
Lady with Many Firsts
 Air
Cmde (Mrs) P Bandopadhyay took charge as Air Officer
Commanding of the premier Central Medical Establishment (AFCME)
of the Indian Air Force at Subroto Park. With this, she became
the first lady officer of the IAF to become an Air Commodore
and also the first lady to command AFCME. The AFCME provides
medical examination to all aircrew of the IAF, Navy, Coast
Guard as well as civil pilots.
In
her long and illustrious career in the medical branch of the
1AF spanning over three decades, Air Cmde (Mrs) P Bandopadhyay
completed 23 research projects and has 27 publications to her
credit. Being the first lady Aerospace Medicine Specialist in
India since 1975, she has many firsts to her credit. She is
the first lady officer to have successfully completed a course
at Defence Service Staff College at Wellington, in 1978. She
has been the part of the first ever husband and wife team to
be awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for their
contribution in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. In addition, she is the
first Indian lady to have conducted research at the North Pole
in 1989-1990 and the first lady officer of the
IAF to be awarded the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award
in 1995 for outstanding services. More-over she is the first
Lady Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India.
-
Sqn Ldr BJ D’Souza
A
Tribute to World War Hero
Known
popularly as VC Sahib Sub Maj (retd) and Hony Capt Ganju Lama
passed away at Gangtok on July 1 last as a true soldier
fighting cancer. Last rites of this brave soldier were
performed in Sikkim.
Within
two years of his enrolment into the 7th Gorkha Rifles in 1942,
Ganju Lama was in the thick of battle in Burma fighting the
Japanese. It was here that from a point blank range, on his
own intiative and with complete disregard for his safety, he
crawled forward and engaged the Japanese tanks single-handedly
and destroyed them. Inspite of a broken left wrist and two
bullet wounds, one in his right hand and one in his leg, he
succeeded in bringing his Piat gun into action and knocking
out three enemy tanks. Throughout he showed complete disregard
for his personal safety, outstanding devotion to duty and a
determination to destroy the enemy. It was solely due to his
prompt action and brave conduct that a difficult situation was
saved, all positions regained and heavy causalties were
inflicted on the enemy.
At
the time of partition, Ganju Lama preferred to remain with the
Indian Army than to go with the 7th Gorkha Rifles in which he
had an equally distinguished career and rose to the highest
rank of Subedar Major and Honorary Captain. He was selected to
serve as the ADC to the President and, on retirement, he was
appointed as Life ADC to the President.
During
his retired life he worked for the well-being of both the
serving and retired soldiers and took a keen interest in his
regiment, the 11th Gorkha Rifles. In recognition of his
services the Govt of Sikkim conferred the title of Pema Dorje
on him and accorded the status of VVIP. He was permitted to
fly a personal flag on a staff car provided by the State
Government with the letters "V C". The Sikkim
Government and 11 Gorkha Rifles helped this veteran soldier in
all possible manner during his prolonged iliness.
The
11th Gorkha Rifles, the regiment he served till retirement,
remained his first love. He regularly visited the Regimental
Centre and the units where he was idolised. He was perhaps the
only living soldier who found his name in the regimental song
sung by the troops.
—PIB
(DW)
|
