Fountain of inspiration
Dedicated to
Padma Bandopadhyay
Fountain of Inspiration
On 4 November 1944 in Tirupati a girl child is born to Alamelu and Swaminathan couple.
The couple were highly devout and dedicated to Lord Balaji and they considered this child to be the boon from the Lord himself and named the child 'Padmavati', the holy consort of Lord Venkateshwara. The girl grew up in a highly traditional and spiritual environment. Right from the very young age she displayed her intelligence in studies and also excelled in extra curricular activities. Unfortunately the mother, Alamelu constantly suffered from illness which made young Padma very sad. She dreamt of becoming a doctor when she grew up so that she could treat her mother and bring her back to good health. The distant dream gradually turned into a reality when she cleared her entrance test to Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC). But the news is received by the parents with mixed feelings. To become a doctor is alright but to send the only daughter to far away Pune to be a doctor in Military..? No.. no that's not acceptable. The parent's reaction is a firm NO. Padma was also equally adamant to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor in the Defence Forces to serve the suffering soldiers. Next year again she appeared for the AFMC entrance exams and came out with even better results than the previous year. Now the parents had to relent and consider this to be what God has decided for her and submit to the will of Lord Venkateshwara.
The new phase of life begins for Padmavati in Pune.
During the five years MBBS course at AFMC Pune she excelled in her studies and came out with flying colours. In 1968 she went to Air force Hospital Bangalore for advanced studies and training. The friendship between Padma and the young and handsome Flight Lieutenant Satinath Bandopadyay blooms into love and ties them together in betrothal.
Middle of 1971, the war clouds started gathering over the borders of India and Pakistan. The preparation for the imminent war begun in full swing in both eastern and western sectors. Padma Bandopadyay along with her husband were posted to Air Force Station Halwara in Punjab, very close to the Western border. On 3 December 1971 the war is declared between India and Pakistan and Halwara witnessed some heavy action. While Flight Lieutenant Bandopadyay gets busy with the safety and security of the Airforce Station, Padma is in the hospital round the clock treating the injured soldiers. The thirteen day war ends with massive victory to India over Pakistan in which 93000 Pakistani soldiers were taken as prisoners of war.
The nation celebrates the unprecedented victory. Later, in a memorable event in Rashtrapathi Bhavan both Padma and Satinath Bandopayay were awarded
'Visisht Seva Medal' for their exemplary service during the war.
Well, that is just the beginning of series of awards for Padma Bandopadyay, which she, anyway wears them very lightly on her sleeves. The trail of awards that followed included; Ati Visisht Seva Medal, Param Visisht Seva Medal and in January 2020 she was awarded "Padma Shri". The speciality of the award is, it is the first time a military personnel has ever received a Padma award. So that sums up the versatility of a fountain of inspiration called “Padma Bandopadyay”.
Padma’s Airforce career concluded with her promotion to be the First lady Air Marshal and was appointed the First woman Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).
Now comes my good luck of having worked with such 'Mother of Motivation'. I was fortunate to receive blessings from her during my year long interaction with her when Bandopayay couple were posted to Airforce Station Halwara for the second tenure in early eighties. I was serving as a Medical Assistant then in the hospital. It was a period of transition for me to jump the orbit, from being the medical staff into the field of aviation.
She inspired the likes of me and many others by just being around us, smiling, talking, cautioning, advising and sharing our joys and sorrows. When I finally made it to being a pilot she rejoiced the moment as if her own family member got selected.
Even till date we keep in touch through emails, with a hint of sadness she wrote; wish my husband was alive to hear about your achievements… I too remember Group Captain Satinath Bandopadyay, Sir, bless us from above.
When I wrote my second book in Kannada titled 'Yodha Namana' I sought her permission to feature her life story. Around same time even her book 'Lady in Blue' was published. The book is exactly like her, simple, humble, innocent narration of events.
Want to feel the touch of her magnificence? Please read her book, available through Amazon.
✍️... Wing Commander Sudarshan
Padma Bandopadhyay
Fountain of Inspiration
On 4 November 1944 in Tirupati a girl child is born to Alamelu and Swaminathan couple.
The couple were highly devout and dedicated to Lord Balaji and they considered this child to be the boon from the Lord himself and named the child 'Padmavati', the holy consort of Lord Venkateshwara. The girl grew up in a highly traditional and spiritual environment. Right from the very young age she displayed her intelligence in studies and also excelled in extra curricular activities. Unfortunately the mother, Alamelu constantly suffered from illness which made young Padma very sad. She dreamt of becoming a doctor when she grew up so that she could treat her mother and bring her back to good health. The distant dream gradually turned into a reality when she cleared her entrance test to Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC). But the news is received by the parents with mixed feelings. To become a doctor is alright but to send the only daughter to far away Pune to be a doctor in Military..? No.. no that's not acceptable. The parent's reaction is a firm NO. Padma was also equally adamant to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor in the Defence Forces to serve the suffering soldiers. Next year again she appeared for the AFMC entrance exams and came out with even better results than the previous year. Now the parents had to relent and consider this to be what God has decided for her and submit to the will of Lord Venkateshwara.
The new phase of life begins for Padmavati in Pune.
During the five years MBBS course at AFMC Pune she excelled in her studies and came out with flying colours. In 1968 she went to Air force Hospital Bangalore for advanced studies and training. The friendship between Padma and the young and handsome Flight Lieutenant Satinath Bandopadyay blooms into love and ties them together in betrothal.
Middle of 1971, the war clouds started gathering over the borders of India and Pakistan. The preparation for the imminent war begun in full swing in both eastern and western sectors. Padma Bandopadyay along with her husband were posted to Air Force Station Halwara in Punjab, very close to the Western border. On 3 December 1971 the war is declared between India and Pakistan and Halwara witnessed some heavy action. While Flight Lieutenant Bandopadyay gets busy with the safety and security of the Airforce Station, Padma is in the hospital round the clock treating the injured soldiers. The thirteen day war ends with massive victory to India over Pakistan in which 93000 Pakistani soldiers were taken as prisoners of war.
The nation celebrates the unprecedented victory. Later, in a memorable event in Rashtrapathi Bhavan both Padma and Satinath Bandopayay were awarded
'Visisht Seva Medal' for their exemplary service during the war.
Well, that is just the beginning of series of awards for Padma Bandopadyay, which she, anyway wears them very lightly on her sleeves. The trail of awards that followed included; Ati Visisht Seva Medal, Param Visisht Seva Medal and in January 2020 she was awarded "Padma Shri". The speciality of the award is, it is the first time a military personnel has ever received a Padma award. So that sums up the versatility of a fountain of inspiration called “Padma Bandopadyay”.
Padma’s Airforce career concluded with her promotion to be the First lady Air Marshal and was appointed the First woman Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).
Now comes my good luck of having worked with such 'Mother of Motivation'. I was fortunate to receive blessings from her during my year long interaction with her when Bandopayay couple were posted to Airforce Station Halwara for the second tenure in early eighties. I was serving as a Medical Assistant then in the hospital. It was a period of transition for me to jump the orbit, from being the medical staff into the field of aviation.
She inspired the likes of me and many others by just being around us, smiling, talking, cautioning, advising and sharing our joys and sorrows. When I finally made it to being a pilot she rejoiced the moment as if her own family member got selected.
Even till date we keep in touch through emails, with a hint of sadness she wrote; wish my husband was alive to hear about your achievements… I too remember Group Captain Satinath Bandopadyay, Sir, bless us from above.
When I wrote my second book in Kannada titled 'Yodha Namana' I sought her permission to feature her life story. Around same time even her book 'Lady in Blue' was published. The book is exactly like her, simple, humble, innocent narration of events.
Want to feel the touch of her magnificence? Please read her book, available through Amazon.
✍️... Wing Commander Sudarshan
Comments
Post a Comment