S K Nanda, Managing Director of the Gujarat State Financial Corporation, swung into action as soon as he learnt about the cyclone having struck his native state on October 29. He phoned Dr S Suri, Director of the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Amateur Radio, and requested him to rush a team of volunteers to Orissa.

``Dr Suri dispatched a team armed with ham radio sets on October 30 evening; it reached Bhubaneswar the next day,'' Nanda said. They immediately set up provisional ham stations at the Orissa Chief Minister's official residence and at the Secretariat, thus helping the State administration establish communication outside.

The IAS officer said that the ham operators then moved to the worst-affected parts like Puri, Cuttack and Paradip, and set uptemporary ham stations there. ``On the same day (Oct 30), I also contacted a Delhi-based ham radio user Bharatiben and requested her to rush a team of her Ham Radio Club to Orissa.''

President of the Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad Ham Radio Club, Nanda is always in demand by the Government whenever a natural calamity strikes Gujarat. Besides handling the Amarnath tragedy, Nanda was praised for his work during the 1996 Amreli and Veraval cyclone.

Perhaps keeping his track record in mind, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has asked Nanda to accompany Sports Minister Mahendra Trivedi to visit Orissa and personally hand over a cheque for Rs 2 crore as relief assistance for the cyclone-affected. Nanda and Trivedi will be leaving for Orissa on Thursday. ``I have already spoken to my mother in Puri on a ham set. Now, I will meet her personally,'' says Nanda.