THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When her son expressed his desire to join the defence forces, B Vijayalekshmi thought it was natural as many in their family had already been part of the service. Yet, she was a bit reluctant as she feared he would end up drinking too much liquor.
But the young boy promised he would not drink at all. It is a word Vice-Admiral R Harikumar has kept ever since. As her son gets ready to take charge as Indian Navy chief on November 30, Vijayalekshmi says she is proud that he is a teetotaler though his colleagues are amused as it is something rare in the armed forces.
“Harikumar has always been a keen observer and I had thought that he would pursue a career in the medical field. But he decided to join defence forces. Since many members of the family were in the forces, it was natural for him to join the National Defence Academy. I was apprehensive as I was under the impression those days that a majority of them would end up drinking a lot. Seeing my dilemma, my son gave me a word that he would remain a teetotaler. He has stayed that way,” said Vijayalekshmi.
At Madhurima, her house in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayalekshmi is busy attending to the phone calls and visitors who turn up to congratulate Harikumar.
Mom may fly to Delhi for function
A l aw graduate, she is also keen to attend the ceremony in which her son takes charge as Navy chief, though she is a tad worried about the cold Delhi weather. But Harikumar wants her to be present at the
function and has sent his wife Kala Nair to take her to the capital.