“I was born to a middle-class family in a quaint village of Kerala in 1945. After completing engineering, I was confused about my career path. During that time, the economic condition in India was bad. The Indo China War of 1962 & the Indo Pak War of 1965 became a turning point. As a voracious reader, I was keen to know about warfare & defence. My desire to join the defence forces became stronger, as I discussed it with a few family members who were serving in the defence.
In December’1969, I was finally commissioned into the Engineering Branch of the Indian Navy. After my basic training and a special course in Marine Engineering, I joined the active drive in June’1970.
In defence they say, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war”. As a young officer, I got the opportunity to participate in the Indo Pak War of 1971. I would call it one of the most challenging yet enriching experiences of my life. Amidst all the warfare and my responsibilities as the Indian Navy Captain, I saw my fellow companions losing their lives for our country. As defence personnel, you are trained to be strong to accept the loss of your dear ones, but I lost a close friend who was stationed at INS Kukri, which was destroyed by the Pakistani Navy. In spite of being strong, my whole world came crashing down. It took me a long time to get over this early loss of a young friend.
However, all the challenges and tragedies have taught me ‘honesty’, ‘integrity’, ‘discipline’, ‘punctuality’ and the courage to face precarious situations without losing my calm.
As I turn 76 this year, I can humbly say that I have completed innumerable 10 km & 21 km Marathons. I have been consistently running even when the nationwide lockdown happened, ’cause they say ‘Life is like a show & we are all artists, so the show must go on’. I recently fell while running & suffered a fracture, but that didn’t stop me from doing anything.
When I look back, I am happy to reminisce all my life’s experiences with my loving family. I have no complaints from life and my only wish is to stay happy every day, help the needy & spend the rest of years in good health.
To sum up, I am retired, but not tired”