PAHAD Membership 

Welcome
PAHAD is delighted to welcome to the following New Members to the organisation:

Mr. Santosh Puri 
Mrs. Kalyani Moktan 
Mrs. Sangita Pandey   
Major Kishan Singh Gurung 
Miss Sonam Lamu   
Mr. John Dilger		  Captain HS Thapa 
Major Biswa Nath Rai 
Captain Bir Bahadur Newar (Pradhan)
Major Dal Bahadur Gurung 
Mr. Svante Pahlson-Moller          
Ms. Indu Nepal

PAHAD is honoured to welcome POCT Trustees Mr. John Dilger (Friend of PAHAD) and Mr. Svante Pahlson-Moller (Honorary Member) to the organisation. 

PAHAD now has a total of 110 Members, as follows:

Membership Type  Numbers
Students
Ordinary
Life
Well Wishers
Friends
Honorary		 17
 6
 71
 11
 3
 2
Total  110

Notice to all PAHAD Members

In order to widen the discussions before taking decisions and to encourage your participation in PAHAD activities, the Committee would like to invite you to attend future Committee Meetings (attendees' ideas will be most welcome but they will have no voting rights). Potential Members may also be invited with the Chairman's permission. We hope this move will generate a lot of interest and many Members will ask to attend.

Committee Meetings take place once every three months at Malpi International College in Maharajgunj. To confirm the dates, visit our website or contact the Secretary (preferably by e-mail). Those wishing to attend these Meetings should give notice in advance so that the Secretary can make suitable arrangements.

IN MEMORIAM 
Gurkha Major Ombahadur Chhetri - A Brief Obituary

Most people know that Major Ombahadur Chhetri has been involved for some years running the Asia Venture Foundation (AV) Nepal which places gap-year students from the UK in Nepali schools for a unique cultural experience. In 2000, he was a founding member of the PAHAD Association. He served in its Executive Committee from 2000 to 2002. In 2002 he was also involved with delivering food aid to the victims of the terrible monsoon landslides in Eastern Nepal.

He had been suffering, unknowingly, from cancer of the esophagus. He lost weight and his appetite. The doctors did not identify the cause until the end of December 2003. Dheeraj, his eldest son came back from his job in the UK to take Om to Delhi for the treatment to enhance his eating ability. The surgery to implant a feeding tube was successful. However, even this did not give Om the physical strength he needed to fight for his life. He passed away peacefully but unexpectedly for his many friends and family on 19th February 2004, in Kathmandu. Om's earthly remains were cremated by the holy Bagmati River at Pashupati temple attended by many former army as well as civilian friends who thought highly of this intelligent and energetic man that God had chosen to call back to Himself at the prime of his life.

He is survived by his wife Sandhya, sons Dheeraj (a racing car mechanic), Gautam (serving in the RAF) and Gaurav (at college).

May his soul now rest in peace. And May his family find the strength to live on knowing his spirit watches over them.