Dear Friends,
2022 seems like such a distant memory. Those who were not fortunate enough to endure the unique challenges that 2022 had to offer, will never understand what it felt like. To write off 2022 as a ‘Nothing’ Year, would not only do injustice to the dichotomous facets the year has shown, but also be patently unfair because 2022 did bind all of us in Beijing together, in a unique sense of camaraderie that only men and women in the Armed Forces, and their families, can understand – solidarity that comes from enduring challenges together. And the challenges we faced were not small.
If those before us thought that CoVid was a challenge, we can certainly assure them that we saw its toughest side and saw it off too. For most of the year, it was the ‘bark’ that was the hurdle, rather than the ‘bite’ itself, of the epidemic. But towards the end of the year, many of us fell ill, and from our comfortable homes, we felt a tinge of the struggle that others everywhere went through. Many amongst us stepped beyond our nationalities and reached out with advice, suggestions, and if nothing else, words of comfort that helped us endure.
Geo-political turmoil rocked our ship, tested our keel, and often threatened to run us aground. It is to our collective credit that we managed to steady the ship and steer her capably in troubled waters.
It is a miracle then, that we succeeded in conducting two of our bigger events, the Sports Social and Family Day and the year’s only Hail and Farewell! We did this essentially by improvising on the situation and thinking ‘out of the box’.
Although we had to cancel the other two Hails and Farewells, the International Night, and the Annual Gala Dinner, we planned and worked hard to execute all of them, rather than taking the easier approach of giving up without trying. I am in gratitude for the efforts of several individuals who worked earnestly for these events, even when hope spread thin.
We realized early on, this year, that major events would be challenging to conduct. And to ensure that the ship kept sailing, we started several small club activities with the help of some of our kind members. We ran (quite successfully too), the BMAC Dance Club, Happy Kitchen Club, a Theatre and Opera Club, the Photography Club, and the Music Club. We kept our members engaged, and to their credit, the community came forward and earnestly participated in whatever was possible.
On the Sports front, we overcame multiple COVID-19 restrictions and organized several running events, Hiking, a Body Transformation Challenge, and Golf. This year, we have been able to form a new club for cycling and conducted several cycling trips for the enthusiasts. We also capitalized on the ongoing World Cup and organized a BMAC Football Cup!
One of our core ideals in 2022 was to strengthen ‘Lines of Communication’ and increase inclusive interactions. Intangible as assessing these may be, I am happy to note that we seem to have a more ‘clutched-in’ community now, with information breaching language barriers; our numbers are healthier than ever, and there is visibly greater participation from all regions.
I think the most gratifying indicator of a lively community is the number of members who have come forward to run for Core ExCo in 2023.
In the midst of politics, geopolitics, and the epidemic, we retained our sanity and it would not have been possible but for a trusted band of colleagues that I have the privilege to call friends: Mehmet Ekizer, Freddy Etoua, John Karangwa, Javier Fernandez and Richard Taylor.
BMAC is unique. The uphill struggle of leaving family and friends and living in a foreign country is made a tad easier by our community. As we walk into Beijing, we are touched by the absolute selflessness with which other BMAC members come forward to help us settle; and in no time, we don those roles ourselves, and reach out to those arriving after us. Advice, information, bonhomie, and sumptuous food (and wine) flow freely, instantly making us more of friends, rather than just colleagues and counterparts.
I have often asked those returning from a holiday back home, how their trip home was, and they always said it was great, but also that it was good to be back amongst friends in Beijing. As I come to the close of my tenure in Beijing, I can say the same; I look forward to returning home and getting back to my ‘day job’, but I will miss the friends I have made in BMAC.
Thank You BMAC!
Capt Hemanth Gopal
NA India
BMAC Chairman 2022