Four friends who graduated from Sainik School Kazhakoottam in 1985 and went on to serve the nation in top military roles returned to their alma mater for an emotional alumni reunion on Saturday.
Lieutenant General Vijay B Nair, Major General Vinod T Mathew, Major General Hari B Pillai and Air Vice Marshal K V Surendran Nair were the guests of honour at the event. Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan, also an alumnus, was the chief guest.
During their visit, the officers inaugurated a 150 KW solar power plant on the school campus, marking a step towards greener energy and a lasting contribution to the institution that shaped them.
M A Anil Kumar, a fellow 1985 batchmate and former regional manager of the Kerala State Co-operative Agricultural Rural Development Bank, said around 14 students from their class had joined the armed forces. He added that talks by serving officers during their school days had been a major source of inspiration.
Lieutenant General Vijay B Nair, from Palakkad, currently commands the Indian Army’s Northern Command headquartered in Udhampur. He has led key counter-terrorist operations in Kashmir, played a major role in Operation Sindoor, and has served with distinction in Sri Lanka and as head of the UN Multinational Force in Congo.
Major General Vinod T Mathew, a native of Thodupuzha, is the General Officer Commanding of the Karnataka-Kerala Sub-Area. He led relief efforts during the Chooralmala-Mundakai landslide in Wayanad and has operational experience in insurgency-affected areas of Assam and Manipur. He has served in UN missions in both Congo and Sudan.
Major General Hari B Pillai, from Kundara, is currently serving as Additional Director General of the Bengaluru Regional Recruitment Zone. He has extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and the North-East and has also been deployed with the UN in Congo.
Air Vice Marshal K V Surendran Nair, from Thrissur, is among the Indian Air Force’s most accomplished fighter pilots. He has flown MiG-21s, MiG-29s and Sukhoi-30s, and now serves as Chief Instructor at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.
The alumni gathering included professionals from across the globe including doctors, engineers, civil servants, commercial pilots and UN officials. Yet, the most inspiring story was that of these four friends whose childhood dreams led them to serve the country with honour and distinction.
