Thread by @srikantkesnur

OTD, 11 May 2009, one of Indian Navy's biggest legends passed away. Admiral SM Nanda, the 7th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) presided over the Navy during 1971 war & is revered for his bold & imaginative leadership during/ preceding the war which gave the Indian Navy it's finest

2/n. hour. Born on 10 Oct 1915, Nanda rose up the ranks & was the Chief from Mar 1970 to Feb 1973. His departure after a brief illness in 2009, at the venerable age of 94, was mourned by not just the naval community but the nation at large. Charles as he was popularly called

3/n. was the architect of Indian Navy's spectacular show in the war spread over two Ocean spaces - Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal and which witnessed the entire spectrum of naval operations. This is important to the context. If Junagadh was the first time in 400 plus years that the

4/n. Indian Navy operated as an instrument of representative Govt of Free India & not as an adjunct of Royal Navy & if Goa was the first time that the Navy fired in anger, albeit in a limited conflict, then 1971 was when Indian Navy came of age. Nanda beautifully harnessed the

5/n. slight disquiet among naval rank & file on being deprived of action in 1965 & assigned a defensive role. In an interview to the 'Blitz' newspaper of 15 Mar 69, Nanda asserted "And if war comes again, I assure that we will carry it to enemy's biggest ports like Karachi. And

6/n. you have my word that given the opportunity, the Indian Navy will make the world's biggest bonfire of it". He stayed true to his promise with the audacious Missile Boats attack on Karachi in early days of war & earned himself the moniker of 'The man who bombed Karachi' the

7/n. title of his autobiography. Incidentally, this name for the book was suggested by legendary author & columnist Khushwant Singh. However, limiting Charles Nanda's canvas to Karachi attack does disservice to not just the war planning effort but his whole multifaceted career.

8/n. As subsequent & recent accounts prove, Nanda summoned his strategic savvy, operational chutzpah & leadership acumen across range of situations be it persuading the political apex about deployment of Navy in offensive role or using the aircraft carrier in Eastern theatre,

9/n. Or in the training of commandos for Operation X, in deploying both Fleets well out in time and well away in space or for that matter in visiting naval stations to personally exhort the cadre. Similarly, his illustrious career was not about war alone, though that was his

10/n. crowning glory. He was highly regarded for range of other qualities - shiphandling skills, quick decision making cutting through bureaucracy, thinking out of the box, charismatic leadership, management of high voltage events, giving visibility to the navy and for thinking

11/n. big always. He was a man of 'big picture, big vision, big impact'. While his career and persona deserve a seperate complete article at a later stage, his autobiography republished by the Nanda family in 2015 under @HarperCollinsIN imprint is worth reading. A quick primer

12/n. Is also available on the Wiki profile that owes a lot to @zwerubae a keen navy enthusiast.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardarila…
Here, it bears mention that one of Charles Nanda's last public appearances was when he stepped out on 01 Jul 2008 to write pay his respects to Sam Manekshaw

13/n. and write his remarks in the condolence book at a function at India Gate. Somewhat frail at 93, Nanda refused a wheelchair, walked with his stick & wrote a message about the great Sam. It was a fitting tribute from one Commander to another, from one warrior to another.

14/n. It is with same spirit of gratitude that we salute & acknowledge Padma Vibhushan Admiral SM Nanda today. The Indian Navy owes a great deal to you sir.
My thanks to Cdr Arun Saigal (Retd) for the photographs.
@indiannavy @arunp2810 @JaggiBedi @ShekharGupta @sanjeevsanyal

15/n. Thread Admiral SM Nanda on his death anniversary
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16/n. Thread Admiral SM Nanda on his death anniversary.
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17/n. Thread Admiral SM Nanda on his death anniversary.
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18/n. Thread Admiral SM Nanda on his death anniversary.
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19/n. Thread Admiral SM Nanda on his death anniversary.
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