The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : BRAVO, a force to reckon with

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 19, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

BRAVO, a force to reckon with

Staff Reporter

Proud creator: Lt. Col. Padmanabhan with BRAVO

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BRAVO, the majestic bison and mascot of the 4th Military World Games being held at Hyderabad, has, indeed, captured the minds of viewers. Like Appu, the famous mascot of the 1982 Asian Games, BRAVO would remain in the minds of people for a long time even after the Games are over. The mascot and the logo of these games were designed by Lieutenant Colonel H. Padmanabhan, hailing from Thrissur.

It is for the first time that the Games, considered to be the biggest after Olympics, are being held outside Europe. As many as 5,000 athletes from 101 countries are participating in the Games, which was inaugurated by President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on October 14. The event will conclude on October 21. The Military World Games are held one year before the Olympics.

“It all originated from a P3 computer at my home,” says Lt. Col. Padmanabhan. In 2003, India bid to host the Fourth Edition of the Games. After the Games were awarded to India, the exercise to make a logo was begun by the Indian Army in 2006 and entries were invited from across the country. The response was huge but not satisfactory.

Lt. Col. Padmanabhan was part of the team that had designed the web site of the Games. Secretary General of the games Commodore Joshi then asked him to give his ideas on the logo. He began working on it and did extensive research. Five options in different formats were made, of which one was accepted.

The theme drew inspiration from the five rings of the Olympics logo, which is meant to depict the five continents. The logo is also a graphic depiction of five petals, each in a vibrant colour, of India’s national flower – the Lotus. Seeing his creativity, the Organising Committee gave Lt. Col Padmanabhan the responsibility of creating the mascot of the Games too. Initially, he thought of five animals, elephant, lion, tiger, panther and peacock. Then came the idea of Bison.The Indian Bison is an endangered herbivore commonly known in India as Gaur. It is generally calm and peace loving. But when provoked, its ferocity and speed of charge spreads terror. These characteristics are very similar to the reputation of the Indian Armed Forces.Another plus point was that the Bison is the sign of the local Army Formation in Hyderabad, the host city. The mascot was nicknamed ‘BRAVO’.

Lt. Col Padmanabhan entered the Indian Army in 1989 in Corp of Signals and is at present posted at 54 Inf. Division Signals Regiment at Hyderabad.He holds the responsibility of Communications at games. The entire logistic support in terms of telephone, signals, and information technology is being handled by his team.

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