Invitation Cards : 5 B R D A F

It has been a very long time since I wrote last in contributions or to Gnat 50 Years addresses. One reason was that I was put off by the fact that my reports on the proceedings on 21 , 22 November did not see the light of the day and were never published . I finally put them on my blog which you can visit at this site http://velusr.blogspot.com/. The heading for this piece is

Invitation Cards for parties in 5 BRD circa 1978 to 1983.

During the spring cleaning and getting the house painted for Diwali we found few invitation cards for the parties held at 5 BRD which Priti and I had made , with the help of Nanku and had preserved them all these years due to their sentimental value . Those cards have inspired me to sit on the key board again and write this piece.

I did two tenures in 5 BRD spread between the period 1976/78 to 1984 . I was doing the post production , Storage and calender Air Tests on Gnats , Kiran Mk I , Cheeta , Chetaks , HT-2 . For the choppers Nanku Pande , my course mate and a chopper TP was great help and taught me quite a bit about helicopter flying !

As during most of the year flying was minimal , it picked up only by November or so of the year and or may be for other reasons as well about which I remained ignorant, during most of my stay I was PMC , Entertainment Member , Library Member ( by choice ) .

Conducting Ladies Night and Husband Night parties were couple of highlights of the Officers Mess Social life . We , Naku , Priti and I spent long hours thinking different and innovative invitation cards for these occasions . Some of the cards found from the old saved papers were badly damaged and I could not do any thing with them . The photos of three of the invitation cards which were in reasonably good condition are a attached . If any of the Gnat / 5BRD old timers of those days remember those glorious days I will consider my efforts well rewarded .

After having a look at the photos it will be realised as to the efforts which must have gone in to making them and why I consider it worth writing about them :)

Invitation Card 1



This was a card for husbands night party . Unfortunately I now find that date of the party is not mentioned any where on the card . Now of course I can not think how such a slip -up had occurred still it should be around years 1979 to 1981.. Getting 40 odd identical plastic photo frames itself was problem . Brother Officer's cooperation in providing their photograph and their wedding dates was commendable . Alongside the photo couples wedding date was given . The party itself we had erected KalayanMandapam and conducted marriage ceremony of Ashish Naik ( Bridegroom) and the young doc as Bride , Poor fellow had to shave off his mu stash of which he was quite proud.

Invitation Card 2


This was another card for the Husbands Night party held on the Independence Eve of the year 1982.It was a scroll printed on satin cloth mounted on wooden baton turne out by the carpentry shop of the unit and had provision to hang it for display , if one had an inclination to do so we had done it for some time ! It was " designer card " ( a term not in vogue in those days ) , in the sense that the card was made specifically for "A" lady whose photo in the left seat of a Cheeta Helicopter was affixed to the card . A Cheeta was positioned on the tarmac and all the ladies were taken to the tarmac for the photo session . One has only to imagine the efforts it must have taken to get all the ladies with family and kids on the tarmac at the appointed time on the appointed date . So Photo Section , the Carpentry Shop the MT Section , all were involved . Needless to say that all this was possible only because of the support and the backing of the C O .

Invitation Crad 3.



This was made for a " Husband Night " party to be held on 17 March 1984 . As was appropriate it was made by the ladies . We , the men folks were not involved as will be also apparent from the material and artistry used in making of the card . If I recollect rightly the idea and "manufacture " of cards was done under the supervision of Mrs Sanjeevan .

Invitation Card 4



As can be made out from the material used , dry decorations , fevicol , stiff paper , etc that this card was also made by the ladies for "Husband Night " party to be held on 23 Jan 1982 . This was also a " designer card " in the sense it was made "Rank Specific " The photo here is a card for an officer of the rank of "Squadron Leader"( yours truly a S/L at that time ) . You will notice that all the rank tapes are not similar . That is because some where some time in all these years the top flying officer's rank tape had gone missing and I found the card with bottom two tapes one of a P/O and one of F/O tape only . As getting a fresh F/O's tape was just not possible I used some imagination and used coloured felt pens to make the additional tape to make it a S /L "rank" . Priti tell me the idea for the card and making of it was done under the guidance of Mrs Ramdas .

PM Velankar " VELU"