An interesting bit if Indian military history..! > Soon after getting freedom from British rule in 1947, the de-facto prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru called a meeting of senior Army Officers to select the first General of the Indian army. > > Nehru proposed, I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of The Indian Army, as we dont have enough experience to lead the same. > Having learned under the British, only to serve and rarely to lead, all the civilians and men in uniform present nodded their heads in agreement. > > However one senior officer, Nathu Singh Rathore, asked for permission to speak. Nehru was a bit taken aback by the independent streak of the officer, though, he asked him to speak freely. > Rathore said, You see, sir, we dont have enough experience to lead a nation too, so shouldnt we appoint a British person as the first Prime Minister of India? > > You could hear a pin drop. > > After a pregnant pause, Nehru asked Rathore, Are you ready to be the first General of The Indian Army?........ Rathore declined the offer saying Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior, Lt. Gen. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us. > > This is how the brilliant Gen. Cariappa became the first General and Rathore the first ever Lt. General of the Indian Army. > > (Many thanks to Lt. Gen Niranjan Malik PVSM (Retd) for this article.)
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:10:13 +0000