Army Day: Remembering Kodandera M Cariappa, The First Indian Field Marshal of Army

New Delhi, Jan 15: India is celebrating the 70th Army Day today. Army Day is celebrated in recognition of Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa's (then a Lieutenant General) taking over as the first Comm

New Delhi, Jan 15: India is celebrating the 70th Army Day today. Army Day is celebrated in recognition of Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa’s (then a Lieutenant General) taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15th January 1949. Army Day also marks a day to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country and its citizens.

Born on 28 January 1899 in Madikeri, Kodagu, Field Marshal Kodandera “Kipper” Madappa Cariappa was a man known for many firsts, but most significantly, he is known as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Cariappa joined the British Indian Army shortly after the end of World War I and was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant into the 2/88 Carnatic Infantry.

Known as “Chimma” to his relatives, Cariappa became the first Indian Army Officer who was passed on to command a unit in 1942. In 1947, Cariappa became the first Indian to go to the UK for a training course at the Imperial Defence College. Before taking over as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949, he served as the commander of the Indian Army’s Eastern and Western Commands.

In 1951, he became the first Indian General to receive ‘Order of the Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit’ award. In 1953, he retired from the Indian Army. Post-retirement, he served as High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand till 1956. In 1983, Cariappa was given the title of the Field Marshal (five stars), the highest honour in the Indian Army.

Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa died in Bangalore on 15 May 1993 at the age of 94. Last year, Army chief General Bipin Rawat had announced, “it is time to recommend Field Marshal KM Cariappa for the Bharat Ratna.”