In a daring mid-sea search and rescue (SAR) operation, the helicopter pilots of the Indian Air Force rescued four crew members of a sinking Indonesian vessel. The operation, carried out in the deep Andaman seas, 100 km south of the Indian Air Force base at Car nicobar, began with a distress R/T call from a woman of American nationality. The woman was traversing in a yacht when she found her vessel in distress. She gave a distress call giving the location of the vessel which was picked up by the Indian Air Force base.

An Mi-8 helicopter of the Indian Air Force, captained by Sqn Ldr Nair and co-piloted by Sqn Ldr Sunil got airborne from Carnicobar. In addition to the Flight Gunner, Sergeant Roy and Flight Engineer Sergeant Liju, an Air Force Diver, Sergeant Kumar was taken onboard for the operation. The location of the vessel near Kamorta island, 100 km south of Carnicobar in the Andaman seas, was successfully located by the crew.

The vessel was gradually sinking when the SAR helicopter located it. The four crew members of Indonesian nationality rescued were Yulimuzaro, Samsudin, Ibu Una Zaro and Mintadr. All four members were winched up successfully in a dehydrated state. They were then evacuated to Carnicobar and admitted in the civil hospital there.

INS Kursura, a Foxtrot class submarine of the Indian Navy, was decommissioned and inaugurated as a museum at an impressive ceremony held at RK Beach, Visakhapatnam. Admiral VS Shekhawat (Retd), ex-Chief of the Naval Staff described the submarine museum as the first of its kind in Asia. The ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral RN Ganesh and a number of ex-Commanding Officers.

The idea of converting a decommissioned submarine into a museum was conceived by Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command with an aim to bring the Navy closer to the civilian population. This museum provides a layman an exclusive opportunity to have an invaluable experience of boarding a submarine and getting an insight into various aspects of its weaponry, machinery, confined spaces and life onboard. Visakhapatnam is the home station for all the submarines of the Indian Navy where the premier submarine operational establishment INS Virbahu and a training establishment, INS Satavahana are located.

The arduous task of beaching the submarine was undertaken by the Naval Ship Research and Design Centre at Visakhapatnam. It has indeed been a marvel of engineering to bring the submarine on to the beach.

Mrs Suman Krishan Kant, the President, Mahila Dakshita Samiti inaugurated a new complex for Balwadi and Kalyan Kendra at Naval Park, Visakhapatnam. At a colourful ceremony, she lit a traditional lamp and unveiled a plaque marking the commissioning of a permanent facility for providing preprimary education to children and vocational training to youth.

Mrs Uma Pasricha, the President Naval Wives Welfare Association, (NWWA) Eastern Region took the chief guest around various facilities established at the centre. She was introduced to the members of NWWA who have been rendering voluntary service for the welfare of Naval community as well as the domestic helps. She distributed sweets to the children of the Kendra.

The Balwadi Kendra was established in 1990 at Naval Park and was run hitherto with adhoc arrangements. More than 80 children are at present availing the facility of nursery, LKG and UKG education at a very concessional fee of Rs 5 per month and even that is waved off for those who can not afford. They are provided with free meal sponsord by the Eastern Fleet. The vocational centre, which aims at providing skill training including repair of scooters and refrigerators, has started functioning since January.

Territorial Army will be recruiting officers and advertisement in this respect has already been floated in the Press.

All male citizens of India and ex-service officers who are gainfully employed and medically fit, graduated from a recognised university and between 18 and 42 years as on April 27, 2001 can apply for this job. In the first year of commission, they will be imparted one month basic training, two months annual training camp every year including the first year and 75 days post-commissioning training within the first two years.

Officers commissioned in Territorial Army Infantry may be called out for military service for longer duration depending on requirement. Pay allowances and other facilities are same as in the case of the regular Army officers when embodied for training and military service. Promotions upto Major are by time scale subject to passing the promotion examination. Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel and Brigadier, however, will be on selection basis.

Civilian candidate may obtain application form by sending a postal order of Rs 10 in favour of TA Group Commander concerned as given below :

Residents of States/Union Territories,

Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Chandigarh

Commander, TA Group Headquarters

Western Command, Bldg. No. 750 Sector-8B, Chandigarh-160018

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh

Commander,

TA Group Headquarters,

Central Command,

Lucknow-2

Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karanataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Pondicherry, Lakshwadeep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli

Commander,

TA Group Headquarters,

Southern Command,

Pune-1

West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh

Commander,

TA Group Headquarters,

Eastern Command

Calcutta-21

Ex-service officers may apply for application forms to Additional Directorate General, TA, Army Headquarters, ‘L’ Block, New Delhi-110001 by sending a postal order of Rs. 10 in favour of ADG, TA, Army Headquarters. Filled application forms in respect of ex-service officers may be submitted to Additional Directorate General, TA, Army Headquarters, ‘L’ Block, New Delhi-110001.

Request for the issue of application forms should contain a self-addressed stamped envelope of Rs. 6 of size 28 x 12 cms and a brief bio-data describing civil/self employment and monthly income. All applications other than of self-employed persons will be routed duly recommended through their civil/Government employers. Request for application forms should reach concerned address by March 30, 2001. Forms duly complected will be submitted by April 27, 2001.

Futher information in this regard can be had from Additional Directorate General, Territorial Army, Army Headquarters, ‘L’ Block, New Delhi.

Articles are invited from ex-soldiers in which they should narrate their cherished experiences of the period while they were in active service. They can recall their sweet moments of friendship with their fellow soldiers. They can also include unusual anecdotes while on rescue mission in some calamity or disaster-affected area.

The articles in English, duly typed in duplicate, with name and complete address of the sender in capital letters should be sent to
Editor-in-Chief, Sainik Samachar, L-1 Block, New Delhi-110001. Unnecessary comments on any individual or institution should be avoided.

The authors of the published articles would be suitably remunerated.

Nb Sub Narendra Rana of 2/8 Gorkha Rifles who is an outstanding boxer has been adjudged the ‘Best Services Sportsman’ for the year 1999-2000. The award was presented to the JCO by the Chairman, COSC.

Nb Sub Narendra Rana was enrolled in Army on December 8, 1990. He joined 2/8 Gorkha Rifles on April 11, 1991. He was promoted to Naib Subedar in 1999 for winning medals in international boxing events.

The JCO got his initial exposure in 2/8 Gorkha Rifles during the Inter Company Championship. In 1993, he represented the Eastern Command in the Services Boxing Championship. He went from strength to strength and, at the 4th National Games 1997, became the national champion.

At national level his achievements include a bronze medal in 43rd Senior National 1997, a gold in 4th National Games 1997, 44th Senior National 1998, 45th Senior National 1998-99 and 46th Senior National 1999, a silver in 5th National Games 1999 and a gold medal in 23rd All India YMCA 2000. At the international level he has won a bronze in YMCA International 1996, a silver in YMCA International 1997, a gold in YMCA International 1999, a bronze in the World Ranking Boxing at Mauritius, a gold in the 8th SAF Games at Kathmandu and a bronze in the 20th Asian Boxing, Tashkent in 1999.