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Krishnaswamy Sundararajan | |
|---|---|
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| 13thChief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 1 February 1986 – 31 May 1988 | |
| President | Zail Singh R. Venkataraman |
| Prime Minister | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Arun Shridhar Vaidya |
| Succeeded by | Vishwa Nath Sharma |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Krishnaswamy Sundararajan (1928-04-28)28 April 1928 |
| Died | 8 February 1999(1999-02-08) (aged 70) |
| Spouse(s) | Padma Sundarji(Died) Vani Sundarji |
| Children | Vikram Sundarji (son) |
| Awards |  Param Vishisht Seva MedalMentioned in dispatches |
| Nickname(s) | KS Sundra, Sundarji |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  British India India |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1945–1988 |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit | .svg) Mahar Regiment |
| Commands |  Western Army XXXIII Corps 1st Armoured Division |
| Battles/wars | Second World War Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Congo Crisis Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Brasstacks Sri Lankan Civil War Sumdorong Chu standoff |
GeneralKrishnaswamy "Sundarji" Sundararajan,PVSM (28 April 1928 – 8 February 1999)[1] was theChief of the Army Staff of theIndian Army from 1986 to 1988.[2] He was the last formerBritish Indian Army officer to command the Indian Army.[1]
During his army career, he had commanded theOperation Blue Star under orders fromIndira Gandhi to clear theGolden Temple shrine. Widely respected as a scholar warrior, he was regarded as one of the most promising generals of IndependentIndia. He introduced a number of technology initiatives to the Indian Army.[3] He was also questioned for his role in recommending theBoforshowitzer in theBofors scandal. As the Chief of the Army Staff, he planned and executedOperation Brasstacks, a major military exercise, along theRajasthan border.
Sundarji was born in a Tamil Hindu Brahmin family inChengelpet,Madras Presidency,British India on 28 April 1928.[1] His official name was Krishnaswamy Sundararajan, but he was popularly known by the informal name of Sundarji. He studied at theMadras Christian College only to leave it before receiving a degree. Later in his career, he graduated from theDefence Services Staff College atWellington, Tamil Nadu. He also studied at theArmy Command and General Staff College atFort Leavenworth in the US, and theNational Defence College inNew Delhi. He held aMaster of Arts in international studies from theUniversity of Allahabad and anMSc indefence studies fromMadras University.
Sundarji joined theBritish Indian Army in 1945 during theSecond World War, though the war ended before he could see any active service. On 28 April 1946, he was given an emergency commission as asecond lieutenant in theMahar Regiment.[1] His early career as an army officer involved operating in the troublesome areas of theNorth-West Frontier Province and then inJammu and Kashmir.
In the period following India'sindependence, he saw action inKargil district, Jammu and Kashmir, during the decisive victory inIndo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. In 1963, he served in theUN mission inthe Congo, where he was chief of staff of theKatanga command and wasmentioned in dispatches for his gallantry.
Sundarji served as the commanding officer of aninfantry battalion during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965 won comprehensively by India. He played an important role as brigadier general staff of a corps in theRangpur sector ofBangladesh, during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971. This war led to theliberation of Bangladesh. As an acting brigadier, he was appointed Deputy Military Secretary, Army HQ, on 20 January 1973.[4]
Sundarji was promoted tomajor general on 26 July 1974.[5] For the first time in the history of the Indian Army, an infantry officer became thegeneral officer commanding of the elite1st Armoured Division. He was chosen by GeneralK. V. Krishna Rao to be part of a small team for reorganising the Indian Army, especially with regard to technology. He raised theMechanised Infantry Regiment by amalgamating various battalions from the army's premier infantry regiments.
He was promoted tolieutenant general on 5 February 1979.[6] In 1984, he ledOperation Blue Star, intended to evict extremists who had occupied theGolden Temple inAmritsar. He later said "We went inside with humility in our hearts and prayers on our lips". According to his wife, Sundarji emerged a changed man after this operation.[7]
In 1986, he was promoted togeneral and appointedChief of the Army Staff (COAS). After taking over as COAS, he wrote a letter to his soldiers warning of deteriorating standards, and the evil ofsycophancy. His operation atSumdorong Chu in 1986, known asOperation Falcon, was widely praised. The Chinese had occupied Sumdorong Chu, and Sundarji used theIndian Air Force's new airlift capability to land a brigade inZimithang, north ofTawang. Indian forces took up positions on the Hathung La ridge, across theNamka Chu river, where India had faced a humiliating defeat in 1962. The Chinese responded with a counter-build-up and adopted a belligerent tone. Western diplomats predicted war, and some of Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi's advisers blamed Sundarji's recklessness. But Sundarji stood by his steps, at one point telling a senior aide, "Please make alternate arrangements if you think you are not getting adequate professional advice." The confrontation petered out.
He was also involved inOperation Brasstacks, a large-scale mechanised artillery and war gaming effort in July 1986 near the Pakistan border, which led to similar Pakistani buildup. The situation was defused through diplomatic talks in February 1987.
In 1987, the Indian government forced Sri Lankan president to accept a ceasefire agreement with LTTE and theIndian Peace Keeping Force was sent toJaffna to disarm theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). However, the Indian Army had no experience in unconventional jungle warfare and took heavy casualties. Among the few successes was the bombing of the LTTE controlledjetties by the Indian Navy Marine Commandos, then known as the Indian Navy Special Commando Force. TheIndian Peace Keeping Force force was withdrawn in 1990.
Sundarji was amongst the core team that created Indian nuclear policy. As a senior army general, he wrote the Indian Nuclear Doctrine along with AdmiralR.H. Tahiliani. Post retirement, he was unhappy with the lack of response among politicians regarding nuclear security, and wrote the bookBlind Men of Hindustan in 1993, which discussed nuclear strategy for India and compared India's nuclear policy to six blind men who misinterpret an elephant by touching parts of it.
Sundarji was amongst the most far-sighted armoured corps commanders in the Indian Army.[8] Despite being commissioned in the infantry, he was a keen student and admirer oftank warfare. He pioneered various operational guidelines and challenged his commanders to push the machines and men to the limits. In various exercises, he is known to have ordered tanks full speed up sand dunes in theThar Desert in 70 degree heat. Amongst other things, he designed the all black uniform of theArmoured Corps. He then went on to create the Mechanised Infantry Regiment. With emphasis on speed, technology and mobile weaponry, it is now an integral part of the Indian strike corps.
Sundarji can also be credited for shaping modern Indian Army thinking. In his stint as the commandant of the College of Combat (nowArmy War College, Mhow), he practically rewrote the war manual with emphasis on speed, decisive action, technology and armour. Sundarji was also one of the few to predict the total rout of the Iraqi forces in theGulf War. Writing forIndia Today, he saw what superior air power and technology could do.
He also left behind a partially completed autobiography titledOf Some Consequence: A Soldier Remembers, of which he had completed 33 episodes out of a planned 105.
Sundarji married Padma Sundarji when he was a major. They had two children, Pria and Vikram. In 1978, when he was serving asgeneral officer commanding XXXIII Corps in the Eastern Command, she died of cancer at the Army Hospital,Delhi Cantonment. Later, he married for the second time. His second wife, Vani, wrote the introductory chapter of Sundarji's memoirsOf some consequence – A soldier remembers, which was published after his death.[9]
In January 1998, Sundarji was diagnosed withmotor neuron disease, from which he died on 8 February 1999 at the age of 70.[10]
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| Param Vishisht Seva Medal | General Service Medal 1947 | ||
| Samanya Seva Medal | Samar Seva Star | Paschimi Star | Raksha Medal |
| Sangram Medal | Sainya Seva Medal | Indian Independence Medal | 25th Anniversary of Independence Medal |
| 30 Years Long Service Medal | 20 Years Long Service Medal | 9 Years Long Service Medal | War Medal: 1939–1945 |
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
_OF-1a.svg) | Second Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 28 April 1946 (emergency)[1] 28 January 1947 (substantive)[11] |
| Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 15 August 1947[note 1][12] |
_OF-1b.svg) | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 30 October 1949 (seniority from 28 July 1948)[11][note 1] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[12][13] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 1953 |
 | Major | Indian Army | 28 January 1960[14] |
 | Lieutenant Colonel | Indian Army | 26 November 1965[15] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 17 December 1970[16] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1971 (acting) 24 January 1972 (substantive)[17] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 26 July 1974[5] |
 | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 5 February 1979[6] |
| General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 February 1986[18] |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee 1 December 1987 – 31 May 1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Army Staff 1986–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by G S Rawat | Vice Chief of Army Staff 1985–1986 | Succeeded by K K Hazari |
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefWestern Command 1983–1985 | Succeeded by Hriday Kaul |
| Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1948) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1948–1955) | ||
| Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present) |
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(**Seconded from theBritish Army) | ||
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