Page 17 - Leadership in the Indian Army

exemplifies national integration. The Indian public must recognise the
sterling contributions of its military leaders, not only to protecting the
Nation’s sovereignty, but also her social fabric, cultural identity and

democratic traditions.
The generals included in this book were all leaders. It should be
remembered that the government appoints generals while leaders have to
prove themselves. Not all generals are leaders—if they were, Norman
Dixon would have had a difficult time finding subjects for his book, On The
Psychology of Military Incompetence. Unlike other callings, the military
profession provides the ideal platform for a good leader to prove himself, as

it does for the incompetent one to be exposed. One quality which all these
leaders share is strength of character—a virtue which has all but vanished
from public life; even among soldiers, only vestiges remain. It is hoped that
their stories will inspire our youth, especially those who intend joining the
profession of arms.
I must confess that the major difficulty was not in deciding which general

to include, but the ones to be left out. There are scores of others who merit
inclusion, if the criteria of good leadership and strength of character alone
were to be applied. The only reason that I can offer for keeping the list short
is space and time. To those who have not found a place in this book and
their admirers, I can only say that this in no way reflects on their leadership
and standing in the Indian Army. I am certain that their valuable
contributions will be recognised and documented, if this has not already

been done.
Work on this book was begun more than 10 years ago, and it was not an
easy task to get information about the leaders who are no more. Since the
intention was not to write a purely professional biography but also to bring
out characteristic traits, reliance had to be placed on personal accounts of
people who knew these leaders, rather than written records such as

regimental histories, war diaries, etc. Of course, biographies have been
written of Cariappa, Thimayya and Bhagat, and autobiographies of Thorat
and Sinha. These have been extensively relied upon and quoted. But for the
rest, whatever appears in this book has been culled from various sources,
including books, articles and personal narratives. Some of these leaders are
legendary figures and their exploits are part of the folklore of the Indian
Army. Many of the incidents and anecdotes described in this book are based

on stories that have been told and heard in mess halls and ante-rooms for