AFG 2628 Anand Vardhan

Name: Anand Vardhan
AFG 2628
Anya AFG 2628 Roll no 96

I always wanted to be a fighter pilot but then .....AFMC had been sold to me as the place to be by the brothers Anurag (S) and Parag (T). Thanks to Major Jodh Singh and his New PT College in Defence Colony my name appeared in the beginning of the waiting list. At New PTC I met the Singh brothers Ravjit and Harni and possibly Bhat or did I? My call letter arrived without several essential details. I was to learn later that my photograph had been sent to Thary with the usual 'military efficiency'.

My Interview in New Delhi was interesting. 'What do you know about gears?' I thought, well, that's an interesting way to start. I guess by 2:30pm having sat all morning everyone was too bored of carrying out any formalities of introduction. Having established I was from this dusty old steel town in Bihar called Bpkaro Steel City the next question was on Avenue Trees in New Delhi?? Thanks again Major Jodh Singh, he had warned us and I was prepared....



Arrived at AFMC with my dad and fell in love with the city, the college and almost everything instantly. I think it may have had something to do with a sense of impending freedom from the parental home. Loved Mohit Goel announcing and insisting on writing he had 'Orthodontic Treatment' for irregular teeth in the medical form. We rolled our eyes but were suitably impressed. I had never heard this term before. I felt I was going to be in exalted company. Then came the Cardiologist Col RDH, 'Grade 4 Ejection Systolic murmur at the apex and aortic areas, well transmitted to both carotids' suspicion of bicuspid aortic valve - medically rejected. I couldn't hide my tears and the deep disappointment. Cried my eyes out that afternoon - dad had gone somewhere to fix something. Thank you Vasu Takle for your comforting words. You said everything will work out in the end. I thought this was the end. Someone else then asked are you a civilian? On hindsight I could have said to him and to Col RDH, I am just a young excited fella with a hyper dynamic circulation and will grow out of this murmur-shurmur. I shared the bad news with dad that evening, he looked concerned for a bit then turned to me and said they cannot do this to you. Why, I asked. Because you were on the Merit List for Airforce for the 67th NDA barely a year ago. If you were fit then you must be fit now. But how do we prove that I asked? I have all the paperwork with me, he said. He then like a true dad pulled out a fat document which was my medical report from the Air Force Hospital in Delhi - he had remembered to carry it with him. This was duly submitted to the appeal board and I got referred to Col Dorairaj at CTC who after brandishing his echo probe and prodding me in the ribs with it for several long seconds said 'Welcome to AFMC' And so it all began......They said there is heavy ragging. I thought 'fuck the ragging - who cares, I am in'!!!


Some stuff about the family........

Madhur is my better half. She is from MAMC and contemporary of Z batch. We met on Jhelum Express for the first time travelling to Pune for the Intermed Basketball in 1988. Having finished my Internship at Safdarjang Hospital I had just secured a short term House Job in Medicine at MAMC and she was a fresher. Both of us were representing MAMC but never met before during practice as she was a day-scholar and I would arrive for practice after work. She is now a Microbiologist having first done her MD at UCMS and subsequently FRCPath and works as a Consultant.



My first born is Vidyut, known to his friends as Vid or Vidster. We call him by many names like Bijul and Bijli. He is naturally inclined towards music and maths and is currently pursuing an Integrated Masters Degree in Mathematics and Statistical Sciences at University College London. He is passionate about his drumming but can play the piano under duress and will dabble with the guitar to avoid boredom. He is fiercely independent.






Then we had Ash, short for Ashima; the first and still the only girl in three generations in my family. Spoilt silly to the core and deserving of it I think. Her natural trait is people-skills, apart from that she captains her school hockey team and also represents Liverpool College (Name of her school) in Netball and Rounders. She loves crushing her dad in tennis if she can find the time. She is due to take her GCSE exams next year.