AC5PN 1960 Bhutan

AC5PN, N.Chhawna was the first Bhutanese to go on the air in 1955. He was followed 7 years later by a group sponsored by the "Amateur Radio Society of India". The April 1962 VU2US/AC5 team was recruited from licensed army operators from India stationed close to the border. The operators were Lt. General K. Umaro Singh VU2US, Brigadier Ram Z. Kabraji VU2BK, Colonel P. S. Gill VU2PS, and Captain T. A. "Ram" Ramakrishan VU2TN.

AC5PN was also instrumental in helping Gus Browning W4BPD get operating permission for his Bhutan DXpeditions.

Info from an email by W4ZV:
I was reading your very interesting website about amateur operations from Bhutan and would like to share the attached QSL scans of AC5PN. This card was received direct and not via W8PQQ, which is the only AC5PN card I've ever seen on your or other online websites (W7HR or K8CX). There are several interesting points about this contact.
1. The actual QSO was on 11 DEC 60 at 1254 UTC on 14077 kHz. I sent Chhawna 569 and he sent me 579. I also made a notation in my log that he gave "W3CRA 559". This was very notable because any time you got a better RST than Frank Lucas (W3CRA) of Canonsburg, PA, it was worth noting in your log!
2. 11 DEC 60 was my 16th birthday which I mentioned on my QSL to Chhawna...and he acknowledged this on his direct card to me:
"many thanks for your QSO and QSL and hpe to cuagn.
Happy new year and very happy birth-day. N.Chhawna"
3. Strangely, both Chhawna's direct card and the one I received via W8PQQ had the date incorrect as 12 DEC 60! Chhawna's time was closer (1305 UTC
versus 1245 by W8PQQ) and the 579 RST was the same I copied (W8PQQ's card says 559). This makes me wonder if W8PQQ actually used logs from Chhawna?
4. It's not visible in the scan, but this card was individually typed. The indentations from the typewriter are visible on the picture side of the post card. The post card shows India's Prime Minister Nehru at Nathula Pass between Bhutan and India, with the caption in English and two other languages I do not recognize.
5. I recall sending my QSL to AC5PN's direct address which was in the Callbooks of that era (similar to the "via Kalimpong, India" address typed on the card). Apparently the mail was carried overland into Bhutan from India. I think I still have the return envelope which used Indian stamps.

Info taken from http://www.qsl.at/common/bhutan.html :
"As an amateur radio entitiy, Bhutan was until 1945 part of India (AI, from 1929: VT). There is no recorded activity from Bhutan. Bhutan was first activated in grand style after 1945 by an expedition sponsored by the "Amateur Radio Society of India".
This leaves one with the impression that Bhutan was "first activated" by the ARSI expedition which is not true. You clarify that in the next section but I would move the section about the first genuine activity being done by N. Chhawna, AC5PN.
I'm glad you clarified that A51PN is not the same person as AC5PN. I think many may be confused by the similarity in calls but they were actually 2 different operators as you stated.

73, Bill W4ZV (ex-K4RID)

Courtesy of W4ZV