Commanded by Destiny

A General's Rise from Soldier to Statesman

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‘. . . for only men with courage and a sense of patriotism join the Armed Forces’.

That is what General Satyawant Mallanah Shrinagesh wrote to his son Satish as he contemplated a career in the army.

As one of the earliest chiefs of the army staff of newly independent India, he truly believed that no services or association in India provides a greater measure of unity or a finer example of nationalism than the armed forces. Witnessing the transition of the Indian Army from a colonial to a national one, he was steadfast in his belief that a free India needed a strong army to defend it.

He was instrumental in modernizing the Indian Army as we know it today, and broke the myth that Indians were incapable of strong military leadership. As Corps Commander of Jammu & Kashmir during the 1947-48 War with Pakistan, he was the first to introduce tanks at Zoji La to overcome well-entrenched Pakistani defences at such heights. From missions abroad and senior appointments in the Army to becoming Chief of Army Staff, and later, the first ever military officer to be appointed as governor of a state, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Mysore (now Karnataka), this recounts in vivid detail the life of a man who led a distinguished career of service to the nation.

Based on notes left by the late General and preserved by the family, is an exhaustive and inspirational account of an extraordinary soldier who would become one of India’s greatest generals.