THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More than 600 ex-servicemen belonging to one of Indian Army’s oldest infantry regiments are expected to converge for a get-together at the Pangode Military Station here the coming Saturday. Ex-servicemen and their families will come together at the Kariappa Auditorium for the meet organised by the Madras Regiment Ex-Servicemen Association at 9 am. ‘’We expect between 600 and 700 retired personnel this year from all four southern states. The get-together was held for the first time last year, and we had around 600 people,’’ Capt (Retd) C R S Menon, convener of the two-year-old association, said. A help desk also will function at the venue to sort out problems faced by ex-servicemen, Capt Menon said. The function will be held from 9 am to 2 pm. Brigadier S S Jadhav, Commandant, Madras Regimental Centre (MRC), Wellington, will be chief guest on the occasion. One of the oldest regiments in the Indian Army, the Madras Regiment celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009. The regiment includes 20 infantry battalions, two Infantry (Territorial Army) battalions and one mechanised infantry. It has a total strength of about 30,000, and the men are fondly referred to as ‘Thambis.’ Retired personnel from the regiment number over a lakh. One of the two former Travancore army units which was later merged with the regiment, 9th Battalion Madras Regiment, was raised in 1704 in Padmanabhapuram.
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