The Malignant Disease Treatment Centre (MDTC) at the Southern Command Hospital, Pune has performed a rare stem-cell transplant successfully on a 36 year-old patient suffering from chronic myeloid leukaemia, a type of the cancer of blood and bone marrow. The patient,
Hav Shyam Singh, belongs to Jat Regiment and his younger brother, Vijendra Singh who donated the blood cells, is also from the same regiment.

This has been the first case of stem-cell transplant in a patient suffering from blood cancer, said oncologists
Lt Col Prakash Chitalkar and Lt Col BN Kapoor who have been attending
to Hav Shyam Singh. So far, the centre has handled 11 similar cases and this was the second allogenic transplant.

Pune and Delhi centres are the only places in the Armed Forces to have successfully performed similar transplants. The Pune Centre receives around 500 cases a year out of which about 12 per cent are the cases of leukaemia.

Putting stress on the pressing need to maintain a database of bone marrow donors in the country, the oncologists said that this would ensure that the people requiring a transplant could contact donors easily. While the United States has a registration of over three million people, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi has only 3,000 entries.

Interacting with the mediapersons, Hav Singh said he would be able to go back to his duties within a year. At present, this physical education instructor has been recuperating at a special ward to reduce the chances of any infection.

The 150 Infantry Battalion (TA) Punjab celebrated its second anniversary. The unit was raised in 2001 at the Red Fort, Delhi by Col Reghuvir Singh. To mark the occasion, a flag hoisting ceremony was conducted jointly by the then Colonel of the regiment, Lt Gen Shankar Prasad and Col Raghuvir Singh.

The troops of this battalion hail from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The strength of this unit was drawn from the Army, 102 TA Battalion, 105 TA Battalion, 969 Railway TA while eight personnel were granted direct commissions. Lt Rohit Kochar was commissioned as the first TA officer into the battalion.

On the second anniversary,
Col Raghubir Singh held a special sainik sammelan for all ranks of the battalion where he exhorted all to excel in all fields and live upto the expectations of the regiment and the Army. A special bara khana and a regimental get-together were the other highlights of the occasion.

Air Force station, Tambaram turned out another batch of 41 flying instructors at the end of a 24-week 115th Qualified Flying Instructors Course. Among those who graduated as qualified flying instructors included four each from Army and Navy and one each from Coast Guard and United States Air Force.

Air Marshal M McMahon, Vice Chief of Air Staff who reviewed the ceremony, said that the military aviation has become a very complex and technology-intensive activity and military aviators have almost no margin for error. Reminding the instructors of a long teaching career at flying schools and units, the Air Marshal said that they would form the core of professional pilots in the Air Force.

The focus during the course was on interfacing theoretical knowledge with practical aspects of aircraft systems and piloting. The training on Kiran and Deepak aircraft and Chetak helicopter involved a total flying of 3340 hours. Thirteen trainees flew Kiran, twenty trainees Deepak and eight Chetak helicopter. A continuous emphasis was laid on situational awareness and emergency handling, said Gp Capt A Ghosh, Commanding Officer, Flying Instructors School (FIS) who read the course report at the graduation ceremony.

Air Marshal McMahon presented awards to the meritorious instructors. Majithia Trophy for overall performance was awarded to Sqn Ldr DS Handa of the IAF. He also bagged the Dilbagh Trophy for instructional techniques and Commodore Commandant Trophy for aerobatics. Sqn Ldr Shailendra Singh bagged the Chief of the Air Staff Trophy for standing first in flying fixed-wing aircraft. Sqn Ldr H Pandit won the trophy in the rotary wing category. Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Trophy for ground subject was awarded to
Sqn Ldr M Midha.

Air Cmde MPS Gill, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force station, Tambaram and Wg Cdr M Fernandez, Chief Flying Instructor, FIS were among those present at the graduation ceremony.

Experts in the fields of NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) warfare were invited to the Northern Command Hospital, Udhampur for a two-day seminar to discuss morbidity and mortality in an NBC war, casualty management, protection and medical counter-measures against NBC warfare agents.

Lt Gen NP Aul, COS, Northern Command, inaugurated the seminar while the keynote address was given by Col Sanjeev Sehgal. Maj Gen SK Sahijpal released a precis on NBC warfare. Maj Gen SC Sood, Commandant Northern Command Hospital, welcomed the distinguished speakers, guests and delegates.

An exhaustive data was compiled, following the delilberations, on prompt recognition of NBC injuries, effective casualty management and familiarisation with specialised protection gear.

More than two hundred recruits joined Mechanised Infantry Regiment after 59 weeks of rigorous training at the Ahmednagar-based Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre (MIRC). The colourful and impressive attestation parade was reviewed by Maj Gen HS Panag, officiating Director General, Military Training. The event coincided with the thirteenth biennial conference of Mechanised Infantry.

The young soldiers took a solemn oath to safeguard the integrity of the country even at the peril of their lives. Recruits Shrikant Kumar, Kishor Singh, Prakash Tamang and Anurundra Bahadur Singh were awarded Commandant Medals for their outstanding performance in individual events. Recruit Anurundra Bahadur Singh was adjudged the best recruit of the batch. A para-motor display was also organised to mark the occasion.

An Air Awareness Campaign was organised at Chennai by Air Force station, Tambaram to motivate the youth of the area to join Indian Air Force. On the occasion, a static display of aircraft was organised at Meenabakkam in which various fighter aircraft, helicopters, missiles radars and other sophisticated equipment used in the IAF were arranged for public view.

As a part of the campaign, a sensational flying display of fighter and transport aircraft alongwith helicopters was organised under the supervision of Chief of Air Staff,
Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy. The Suryakiran team also put up a scintillating aerobatic display. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Ms J Jayalalitha was also present on the occasion.

A large number of people witnessed the show evincing keen interest to know about the opportunities in the IAF. After the display, a mass recruitment rally was organised at Air Force station, Tambaram. Musical concerts by Air Force Symphony at Marina Beach and Chidambaram Stadium also marked the occasion.

A short-term course in "Recent Trends in Oncological Nursing" was conducted at the College of Nursing, AFMC, Pune for 30 Nursing Officers of various commands and staff nurses of civil hospitals in Pune. Maj Gen DP Asthana, Deputy Director Medical Services, Headquarters Southern Command, in his inaugural address, highlighted the key-role of nurses in the multi-disciplinary approach in cancer care.

Lt Col Prakash Chitalkar, a classified specialist in medicine and onclogy, delivered the keynote address on "Past, Present and Future of Oncological Nursing". He stressed that a nurse should be equipped with sound knowledge and skills in the field of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and symptom-relief measures. Appropriate interventions and nursing care can go a long way in mitigating the suffering and stress of cancer patients, he added. Brig CV Koshy, officiating Commandant, AFMC, released a precis on the occasion.

The first meeting of Academic Advisory Council (AAC) constituted by the Army Welfare Educational Society (AWES) was held in New Delhi. Chaired by Lt Gen K Natarajan, Adjutant General, the council has been providing academic guidance for faculty develop-ment, evaluation system, teaching methodologies, content development, computer aided learning, personality development and value education. This is a major step towards attainment of academic excellence and all-round development of the wards of Army personnel and widows studying in 116 Army Schools and eight vocational colleges run by AWES.

An impressive passing-out parade of the Associate NCC officers was held at Seamanship School Parade Ground at the Naval Base in Kochi, on successful completion of their pre-commissioning course. This course for selected college lecturers/professors for senior division and school teachers for junior division from all over India was held at the Seamanship School. Twelve officer cadets of senior division and 37 cadets of junior division attended the course for 11 and six weeks respectively.

The officer cadets were given an exposure to various aspects of Naval training by way of attachment to professional schools, visits to ships and sailing on board INS Sharda. Cmde MS Pavithran, Commanding Officer INS Venduruthy, reviewed the parade. H Ramakrishnaiah and Amitabh Agnihotri were awarded Best Cadet Trophy in the senior and junior division respectively. Brig MPS Bajwa, Deputy Director General, NCC (K&L) and senior Naval Officers were also present on the occasion.
Cdr Rakesh Wadhawan, Chief Course Officer, Lt Cdr Prem Kumar, Course Officer, MCPO VRK Pillai, five instructor staff and two ship modelling instructors conducted the training.

On the occasion of the 176th anniversary of the Regiment of Artillery, Lt Gen Shantanu Choudhary, Vice Chief of the Army Staff and Colonel Commandant alongwith
Lt Gen RS Nagra, Director General of Artillery and Colonel Commandant and Lt Gen K Natarajan, Adjutant Genral, laid wreaths at Amar Jawan Jyoti in remembrance of the officers, JCOs and Jawans of the regiment who made the supreme sacrifice on various battlefields and in counter-insurgency operations.

Artillery, the second largest arm of the Indian Army, constitutes almost one-sixth of its total strength. The personnel of the regiment, also known as 'Gunners', deliver lethal punch on the enemy in terms of concentrated artillery fire-power.

This year, Maj IS Babbar of the regiment has been awarded Kirti Chakra and three other officers have been awarded Shaurya Chakra for exceptional gallantry in counter-insurgency operations. Gunners are thorough professionals, a fact amply proved by many General Officers of the Regiment, four of whom rose to become Chief of the Army Staff.

Dr Bhagwati Prasad, a Petty Officer of the Indian Navy, has been conferred a Ph D degree in Hindi by Mumbai University. The matriculate-entry sailor, in the course of his career since 1988, continued his academic pursuits and completed his graduation in 1992, post-graduation in Political Science and Hindi in 1995 and 1997, respectively in addition to a diploma in management from the National Institute of Labour Education and Management.

Dr Bhagwati Prasad takes part in all extra-curricular activities including debates and essay-writing contests without compromising on the demands of the service. This makes his achievement all the more exemplary.

The Commanding Officer of Valsura, a premier Naval training establishment near Jamnagar, Gujarat congratulated the sailor on behalf of the Indian Navy on his remarkable achievement.

The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune has become the first college in the country to make training in military medicine mandatory. The training has been included in the curriculum from this academic session.

A specialised field in Western countries, military medicine deals with medical problems a soldier could face–from terrain-specific disorders to battle fatigue. The idea of training was conceived last December when the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) recommended it.

The course would impart specialised training in war surgery, aviation and naval medicine, high altitude and snow-bound disorders and psychiatric and psychosomatic illnesses. The college would hold 32 lectures of the 31-chapter course from the sixth term.

Directorate General, EME organised a seminar on ‘New Military Technologies : Harnessing their Combat Potential’ at Headquarters Technical Group, Delhi Cantonment. The participants discussed substantial advances in technologies in the perspective of future warfare.

The participants observed that technology has assumed a critical mass in nation’s overall security considerations and development of desired level of defence capabilities. Nations that can exploit emerging technologies and synergise the same with operational doctrines and concepts can harness them towards enhancing their combat potential. To successfully leverage the power of technologies, the Indian Army has to evolve strategies for the management of "technology transition". The seminar provided a forum for holistic deliberations on the methodologies of optimising the technologies.

A three-day meet of the IX Maharashtra Chapter of the Indian Association of Medical Microbio-logists, organised by the Department of Microbiology, Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune was inaugurated by Air Vice Marshal KS Soodan, Dean and officiating Commandant of the AFMC. As a part of the meet, a Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme with the theme "Newer Techniques in Microbiology" was also conducted.

Speaking on the occasion, the Air Vice Marshal said the fight for the survival for the fittest between micro-organisms and microbiologists would continue. Therefore, microbiologists should be very vigilant. Citing the example of tuberculosis, he said the disease is resurging in a different form. Strains of TB resistant to all major anti-TB drugs have emerged. He urged the microbiologists to go into the causes and draw a foolproof course of treatment. Maj Gen DP Asthana, Deputy Director, Medical Services, Southern Command, Pune called upon the delegates to use the latest techniques very intelligently. "Nothing can replace the basic acumen of a clinician", he observed.

Delivering the presidential speech on "Laboratory Monitoring of HIV Disease", the President of the Maharashtra Chapter of the Association, Dr Preeti Mehta observed that prohibitive cost of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and lack of laboratory infrastructure is one of the reasons for slow progress in transforming HIV into a treatable disease.

Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) celebrated its raising day at Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME).

Mrs Dolly Mehta, President AWWA, MCEME presided over the function which included several competitions for the ladies of MCEME. Wives of JCOs and Jawans participated in a very large number. Mrs Dolly Mehta gave away prizes to the winners in different categories of competitions.

To mark the occasion of its second reunion, Air Defence Artillery launched a mountain-eering expedition to Mt Sri Kailas (6932 M) in Garhwal Himalayas. The team of three officers and 12 ORs summitted the peak without mishap or casualty.

Apart from logistical and technical difficulties, the climb entailed a long and arduous trek of approximately 40 km on moraines, steep slopes and crevasses. The team was flagged in by Lt Gen Shantonu Choudhary.

The 18th Inter-Services Handball Championship was held at Mondo Indoor Stadium at MEG & Centre, Bangalore. Army Red and Army Green and teams of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force participated in this championship. The matches were played on league-cum-knockout basis. In the semi-finals, Army Red defeated Indian Air Force by 33-10. In other semi-finals, Indian Navy defeated Army Green by 27-26.

Army Green defeated Indian Air Forces by 39-21 for the third place. Finals were played between Army Red and Indian Navy. In an exciting match, Army Red defeated Indian Navy by 35-34. Air Marshal BK Pandey, AOC-in-C, Air Force Training Command, Bangalore gave away prizes to the winning and the runners-up teams.

The 53rd Inter-Services Aquatic Championship was held at Air Force Academy, Hyderabad. In all, four teams from Air Force, Army Red, Army Green and Indian Navy participated in the championship. The championship include swimming, water polo and diving events.

The national and international level players like Sub Sujit, Hav Wadve, Hav Rehman, Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) Abe Jose, JWO C Madhu, JWO Brij Mohan, JWO Martin Joseph, JWO Sibu Sebastian and Sgt John Siddique participated in this championship. Air Cmde AD Chhibbar, Deputy Comman-dant, Air Force Academy inaugurated the championship.

Army Red with an overall tally of 156 points emerged as the champions. Army Green finished second with 66 points while the Indian Navy and Air Force were placed in third and fourth position respectively TA Sujit of Army Red was adjudged the best swimmer of the meet. In water polo, Air Force, Navy and Army Red secured first, second and third place respectively.

Air Marshal BK Pandey, AOC-in-C, Training Command, IAF, Bangalore gave away trophies to the winners.

Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral John Colin DeSilva relinquished his office after a glorious innings that spanned across 40 years in the Navy.

The Admiral held a variety of command and staff appointments. His command assignments afloat included the command of missile vessels INS Sindhudurg, INS Vijaydurg and commissioning of the guided missile destroyer INS Ranvijay in the erstwhile USSR. He was at the helm of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy in 1995-96.

The President of India decorated Vice Admiral DeSilva with Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 1993 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2001 for meritorious service of an exceptional order.