Field Marshall Cariappa - The Legendary Army Man On & Off The Battle Field.

On his Jayanti, a sincere tribute for our First #FieldMarshal.

Cariappa, a 5 Star Rank Holding Field Marshal (Another is Sam Meneckshaw) on whose memory ARMY DAY is celebrated.
Kodandera Madappa Cariappa was born on 28-Jan-1899 at Madikeri, Karnataka.
I HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF GOOD MUSLIM FRIENDS WITH WHOM I TALK FREELY, IN THESE TALKS SOME HAVE GIVEN ME, MUCH TO MY SADNESS, THE IMPRESSION OF THEIR HAVING THEIR FEET IN 2 BOATS - INDIA & PAKISTAN.
THEIR LOYALTY SEEMS TO BE PRIMARILY TO PAKISTAN.
THIS IS A CRIME UNPARDONABLE.
(Quoted by Cariappa and Newspaper article attached)

He was widely acclaimed for his treatment of the Indian National Army's (INA) prisoners. When Cariappa visited one of the camps that held INA
prisoners, he was moved by the conditions in which they lived. He immediately wrote to the Adjutant General recommending that their
living conditions be improved and to pardon some of those who were not guilty.
These included Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal, Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon
and Shah Nawaz Khan. Cariappa pointed out that these prisoners had considerable support from the Indian leaders, who would later rule the country. This led the British to release most of the prisoners.
The day Cariappa took over the reins of the Indian Army, 15 January 1949, was
marked as official Army Day and celebrated annually.
INA's slogan Jai Hind which means "Victory to Bharat",
was adopted by Cariappa and later it became a formal phrase between personnel to greet each other. He also turned down the proposal to reserve vacancies in the Army for
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as had been done in other government services.
Towards the end of his tenure, Field Marshal Cariappa publicly aired his views on India’s preferred model of economic development. In October 1952, then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru advised
him in writing to give fewer press conferences and stick to safer subjects, implying
that he should not play the role of a “semi political” leader.

Historians have speculated that one of the reasons Cariappa was appointed as the High Commissioner to Australia (1953-1955) was so
that he could be kept away from national politics. Even in Australia, he went beyond diplomacy to repeatedly question the “White Australia” immigration policy in vogue since 1901. His campaign went a long way in shaping liberal thought in Australia and the policy was finally
changed in 1973.

Cariappa was not an exception. Many Indian generals have talked about military coup.
India's military generals must remember the impact of what they speak lasts for a long time. Field Marshal Cariappa's 1970 remark is a case in point.
theprint.in…/cariappa-not-an-exception-man…/353354/

Infact, like many patriots, K M Cariappa also was disgusted at Nehru's governance, he publicly said
SCRAP CONSTITUTION, BRING MILITARY RULE.
For a moment we see dictatorship here, but no, he was protecting his
country and its citizens.
General Cariappa in 1971: Scrap Constitution, need military rule
Signed note by Army’s first Indian chief KMCariappa found in archives: Military rule temporary measure, scrap political parties
indianexpress.com…/general-cariappa-in-1971-scrap…/
In 1965 war, his son, Nanda, was shot down over Pakistan. He was captured, held as a prisoner of war (POW). On realizing the identity of the wounded soldier at Kargil, Radio Pakistan immediately announced the capture of the younger Cariappa. General Ayub Khan himself contacted
General Cariappa, who was living a retired life at Madikeri, his hometown, with information about his son's safety. When Ayub Khan offered to release his son immediately, Cariappa is reported to have scoffed at the idea and told him to give his son no better treatment than any
other POW. Cariappa replied, "He is my son no longer. He is the child of this country, a soldier fighting for his motherland like a true patriot. My many thanks for your kind gesture, but I request you to release all or release none. Give him no special treatment."
Cariappa was
also greatly disappointed when the government settled for a UN-brokered ceasefire on January 1, 1949. He sent a letter of protest to Prime Minister Nehru but stopped short of resigning. Instead, he took up the responsibility of transforming the army’s identity from an imperial
to a nationalist one.

A tireless worker whose hobbies included reading and playing sports, Cariappa always led from the front, and by personal example. A strong believer in the power of personal communication, he would make it a point to spend time with his troops to ask them
about their food, their comfort and whether they had received letters from home.

Soldiers who served under him also remember him motivating them frequently, saying, “I will never ask you to do anything that I am myself incapable of doing.”
theprint.in/theprint-profi…

Military historian and national security analyst Mandeep Singh Bajwa said of Cariappa: “He accepted pay and ration cuts for the forces because he felt that it would help the cause of nation building.”
thebetterindia.com/120105/field-m…

Interestingly, till date, no military person has ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, perhaps this is why General Bipin Rawat, the Ex Indian Army chief, feels that the time has come to honour the late Field Marshal with the Bharat Ratna award.
Years after his release, K.C. Cariappa revealed: “My dad was a man of high principles. For him, his son and all other soldiers were the same, though Ayub was his junior and was close to him, he refused to get me released before the others. I was later released with all others.”
Though the National Cadet Corps (NCC) had been already raised in 1948, it was Cariappa who strengthened and supported it during its formative years. All these branches of the Army would prove to be of great value during the wars India fought in later years.

In 1947, the war was
raging in Kashmir and it had resulted in a severe food scarcity in many villages of the region. Once, while chasing the raiders beyond Uri, Cariappa was stopped by a group of hungry people at Baramulla who told them about their suffering. After assuring them that he would do
his best to help them, he resumed the chase.

The next day, he fulfilled his assurance by returning to the town with flour, rice and salt that he distributed to the needy families. He also ensured that this was repeated in other villages that were suffering from food scarcity,
inspiring K S Thimayya to do the same.

Cariappa's health began to deteriorate in 1991; he suffered from arthritis and heart problems. He joined Eshwara’s feet in his sleep on 15 May 1993, at the Bangalore Command Hospital.
#KotiPranam
#VandeMataram
#JaiHind

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