Defence PRO dies after road mishap

A Defence Public Relations Officer, who recently met with a road accident here, today died at a hospital.
52-year-old Natesan Andavan, the PRO of the Ministry of Defence in Chennai succumbed to a grievous injury he had suffered in a road accident on Monday, a PIB release said.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar expressed shock and grief over Andavan's death even as Defence Secretary R K Mathur condoled his demise.
"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," Parrikar was quoted as saying.

An M Phil degree holder in Mass Communication, Andavan joined the Indian Information Service in 1992 and had served in various positions of PIB, including News Editor of Doordarshan, Chennai.
Later, he was promoted as Deputy Director and joined as PRO in the Defence Wing of PIB in 2009, it said.
Andavan is survived by wife S Joy, a News Editor with All India Radio Chennai, a son and daughter.