To a father extraordinary
The Hindu :
This is a son’s tribute to an extraordinary father. Titled “Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa”, it is a biography of this illustrious army chief written by his son Air Marshal K.C. Cariappa (Retd) and published by Niyogi Books.
A forthright account
Released recently, it is one of those biographies written in a very forthright fashion, as biographies ought to be written. That’s probably why it holds much connectivity. The facts and incidents related to the late Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa simply flow out.
It’s a thick volume complete with many pictures and not a single detail seems to have been bypassed, neither personal nor professional, revolving around his illustrious career in the Army spanning over three decades (1918 - 1953 ). After all, K.M. Cariappa was the first Indian officer to enter the Staff College, Quetta. He was also among the first Indians to enter the Imperial Defence College in the UK. Cariappa was the first Indian Major General in 1947. The first Indian Commander-in-Chief, he is hailed as Father of the Indian Army.
Setbacks
Field Marshal Cariappa, however, suffered a major setback on his personal front. His son mentions his parents’ divorce in this biography, in a matter-of-fact, no-fuss manner. In our hypocrisy-ridden society, it does come as a refreshing surprise to read these lines. “His tenure in Bannu was short lived as he had been detailed to form part of the Army’s Reorganisation Committee. It was about this time too that his personal life was in turmoil. Nalini was born on 24 February, 1943, and soon thereafter, mother joined him in Dehra Dun with the two of us. Though he was posted in Dehra Dun, he was on the…More
