Time for Bharat Ratna for Field Marshal Cariappa: Army Chief Rawat

“It is time to recommend Field Marshal KM Cariappa for the Bharat Ratna,” Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat said at an event in Coorg on Saturday, 4 November.

Gen Rawat’s statement follows years of demands and requests by members of the ex-servicemen community to have independent India’s first army chief honoured with the country’s highest civilian award.

No military person has so far been awarded the Bharat Ratna.

If others can get it (Bharat Ratna), I see no reason why Field Marshal KM Cariappa shouldn’t be a deserving personality for the same.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat

Cariappa: 1st Indian to Take Charge of the Indian Army

Kodandera M Cariappa is a man known for many firsts, but most importantly, he is known as the man who took charge of the Indian Army from its last British Commander in Chief, General Sir Roy Bucher.

A Timeline of Cariappa’s Life

• In 1947, Cariappa became the first Indian to go to the UK for a training course at the Imperial Defence College.
• Also in 1947, Cariappa led the Indian forces on the western front during the 1947 India-Pakistan War. During the entire span of his career, which lasted three decades (1918-53), he served in Syria, Iraq and Iran.
• In 1949, Cariappa took over the reins of the Indian army from Sir Roy Bucher, and took it upon himself to transform the army’s identity from an imperial to a nationalist one.
• In 1951, owing to his efforts in improving Indo-US relations, US President Harry Truman conferred on him the ‘Order of the Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit’ – the first ever award of its kind given to an Indian General.
• In 1953, he retired from the Indian Army and served as High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand till 1956. After his retirement from the Indian Army, he was expected to have been appointed governor in one of the North Eastern states by Nehru. Instead, he was made the High Commissioner.
• In 1983, he was given the title of the Field Marshal (five stars), the highest honour in the Indian Army. The title has been conferred only twice so far – on Cariappa, and on Sam Manekshaw (Sam Bahadur or Sam the Brave) (Source: Dawn) in 1973.
• In 1993, Field Marshal KM Cariappa breathed his last in Bangalore at the age of 94.

The Genesis

Following India’s Independence from its colonial masters, Prime Minister Nehru called a meeting comprising the Defence Minister and senior party officers. The agenda at hand was to appoint the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).

Nehru has credited to have proposed at the meeting:

I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of the Indian Army, as we don’t have enough experience to lead an army.

While those present seemingly agreed with the Prime Minister, Lt Gen Nathu Singh Rathore disagreed:

You see, sir, we don’t have enough experience to lead a nation too, so shouldn’t we appoint a Britisher as the first Prime Minister of India?

When Rathore was offered the post by Defence Minister Sardar Baldev Singh, he is believed to have declined. He said instead:

My senior Lt Gen KM Cariappa is better for the job.

And so it came about that Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became the first Indian to become the Chief of Army Staff on 15 January 1948, a day also celebrated as the Indian Army day.

Nicknamed ‘Kipper’ by the British officials and their wives who couldn’t pronounce his name, Cariappa was known to be fond of reading and sports.

Involved With His Troops and Immaculately Dressed - Always

(He was) Known for his personal touches... he believed in the necessity and power of personal communication, addressing his troops frequently. He was immaculately dressed at all times and wore a flower in his button hole.

Rohit Singh, Associate Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies

I Ramamohan Rao, Former Principal Information Officer, Government of India, attested the same and said to ANI:

I was touched by his sense of involvement with the welfare of the troops... He went round the parade ground distributing black pepper to each row of soldiers. He asked them about their food, general comforts, whether they received letters from home-and when he met Sikhs and Punjabis, inquired whether they got mustard oil. He knew the habits of soldiers of the Indian Army.

Cariappa died in May 1993. On his death, Pakistan President Ishaq Khan remarked:

What a sublime soul. Pakistan has lost a brother.

Source: Field Marshal KM Cariappa: His Life and Times by Brig CB Khanduri

(We are republishing this story from The Quint’s archives to mark the death anniversary of Field Marshal KM Cariappa.)