Nagpur: Lt General Manoj Pandey who took over as vice-chief of the Indian Army is remembered as a promising and down to earth class fellow by his peers in the city. Pandey becomes another Nagpurian to have made it big in the armed forces.
He joins the line of senior officers like Admiral Sushil Kumar, the naval chief who was a student of Bishop Cotton School, Air Marshall (retd) VP Naik who was born in Nagpur, and lately Air Marshall (retd), the vice chief of IAF , who also belongs to the city.
Pandey was a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya. His father CG Pandey continues to live in the city and he was a professor of psychology in Nagpur University. His mother Prema worked for the All India Radio and was the announcer for Madhu Malti, a popular program those days.
“Manoj, wing commander Deepak Mokashi and I were together since Kindergarten days and later joined Kendriya Vidyalaya,” says his friend Dili Athlay, a retired banker.
Pandey had appeared for the NDA exams when he was in school. He was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1982. “We had organized a party to celebrate his commissioning in the Army at Chorbauli over 14 kms from Mansar . It must be a forest now but those days it was just like any other spot. We went by bus, spent some time there and then came back. It was New Year’s eve that day and we celebrated Manoj getting a commission in the Army there,” remembers Athlay.
“Three of us also saw our first movie on our own. I had passed class nine and my father was transferred and there was a likelihood that I may shift. So Manoj’s father booked tickets and we went to see Rock a Bye Baby at Saroj talkies which his now Sudama theater,” he recalls.
Athlay also remembers Pandey as a good sportsman and says both of them had a long partnership beating New English School’s Under-19 team though it had many members playing for Vidarbha.
Major General (retd) Anil Bam also remembers him as one of the most systematic persons who would note down each and every minute detail.
Bam remembers working with him at different formations since early days. At one of the places Bam was posted as a Major General and Pande was a Brigadier.
Another classmate Swarup Kumar Handa says theirs was the first batch of 10 plus 2. While he shifted to state board, Panda remained in Kendriya Vidyalaya.
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