Page 19 - Leadership in the Indian Army

In most nations, the contributions of famous military leaders are
recognised by national awards. In Britain, they are elevated to the peerage,
or knighted. Even Indian military leaders were given such honours, for

example, Cariappa and Batra were given the Order of the British Empire
(OBE). After Independence, a new series of awards was instituted. Starting
from the Bharat Ratna, in descending order, they are the Padma Vibhushan,
the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. Of the military leaders profiled in
this book, Manekshaw and Sagat were awarded the Padma Vibhushan;
Thimayya the Padma Bhushan; and Thorat the Padma Shri. Strange as it
may seem, none of our military leaders was awarded the Bharat Ratna. Are

the contributions of Cariappa and Manekshaw towards the Indian nation in
any way less than those of the politicians, scientists, academics,
industrialists and musicians who have been honoured with the nation’s
highest award? The adage about soldiers being remembered only during
adversity and being quickly forgotten afterwards was never so true.

Major General V.K. Singh
New Delhi
March 2004