The Public Relation Officer of the Ministry of Defence in Chennai, Shri Natesan Andavan passed away this morning, succumbing to a grievous injury he had suffered in a road accident on Monday. He was 52. Shri Andavan had joined the DPR set up of MoD in 2009 and in a very short time, he endeared himself to the media fraternity for his professionalism, amiable personality and an abiding interest in defence related issues.
During his tenure, he had travelled to almost all defence establishments in South India and provided publicity to their activities and achievements. He took active interest in Recruitment Rallies held at various locations in his area of responsibility and his contribution in generating enthusiasm among the youth for a career in the Armed Forces will be remembered for long. He also worked for the publicity of several editions of Aero India, held in Bengaluru, the premier aero show of Asia.
With an academic bent of mind, Shri Andavan had earned an M.Phil Degree in Mass Communication. He belonged to the 2009 batch of the prestigious Defence Correspondents’ Course conducted by the Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence. He was a regular contributor to the fortnightly Sainik Samachar, the oldest defence journal of the country. Before joining the DPR, he had worked with various media units of Ministry of I&B, including AIR, Doordarshan, DAVP, PIB and DFP.
Shri Andavan is survived by his wife Mrs S Joy, a News Editor with All India Radio, Chennai, a son and a daughter.
The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar has expressed shock and grief at the untimely demise of Shri Andavan. In a message, Shri Parrikar said, “Shri Andavan was a professional communicator who excelled in every aspect of journalism and public relations. He made a definite impact among the media fraternity. My heart goes out to the bereaved family at this critical moment in their lives.”
The Defence Secretary Shri RK Mathur and the Director General (Media and Communication), Shri Sitanshu Kar have offered condolences at the tragic passing away of Shri Andavan.