Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, Army Chief General Manoj Pande and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar at the Guard of Honour on Sunday. The three service chiefs are batchmates from NDA. Amit MehraAs the new Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande received the Guard of Honour on Sunday morning in front of the South Block, some new precedents were set. First, as is known, is that he is the first Army Chief from the Corps of Engineers. Second, in a rare instance, the Chiefs of Navy and Air Force, too, were present at the ceremony along with their wives. It turns out that the three chiefs have a long history together, as they were in the same batch of National Defence Academy. When asked about their presence at the ceremony, as the three posed for a photograph together, Gen Pande said, “I have known the other two service chiefs well.” He said “all three of us have trained together during our formative years” and later in their careers too. “Fortunate once again to have got this opportunity or chance to work together at the helm of our respective service,” he said. “All three of us will work together and take things forward in ensuring national security and defence.”.
Fresh Assignment?
Usually when a service chief retires, his last weeks in office are packed with farewells. Apart from the official banquet in Delhi, usually farewells are also planned in various commands when the chief makes his last trips. These are not mandatory, but through the years they have become a regular feature. But Gen M M Naravane retired over the weekend with almost no farewells in the commands, largely because almost everyone expects him to be appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff. Apart from the official banquet in Delhi on Friday, one farewell was organised at the headquarters of the Bombay Sappers in Pune. New Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande is the commandant of Bombay Sappers.
Cricket Bonding
INDIAN EMBASSIES are finding novel ways to celebrate the 75th year of Independence as Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. In this context, the embassy in Oman organised a cricket tournament, in which teams from Oman, British and American embassies also participated. Captained by Indian ambassador in Muscat, Amit Narang, the Indian embassy team played the final against the Oman Cricket Association’s team for the inaugural Friendship Cup. It posted 103 in 15 overs, but lost to the Oman team in a nail-biting finish in the last ball of the match. Now, there is a plan to make this an annual affair.
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