Like a good boxer, Gen Rawat knew how to deliver the knockout

As I stood at Brar Square in Delhi Cantt, it seemed surreal as I began to wonder how to begin my homage to the first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat﹘the beloved chief with whom I had the good fortune to work very closely as a Principal Staff Officer (DGMO) and later as Military Secretary.

My professional and personal association with him was strengthened due to two facts: both of us were Gorkha officers and came from the same hills of Garhwal, the ‘abode of the gods’.

Gen Rawat was commissioned into his father’s﹘Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt General L S Rawat’s﹘paltan after being given the ‘Sword of Honour’ for being the best cadet at the IMA, where he graduated from in December 1978.

In the initial years of service, I knew him more by his name and reputation. In fact, the link to him was his younger brother, Colonel Vijay Rawat (Retd), who was my junior and squadron type in NDA Khadakwasla. Vijay, typically of all in the family, was a quiet and dignified person. What was most endearing about the brothers was that they had no airs despite being the sons of a very senior officer.

I personally met then Lt Col Bipin Rawat in the “corridors of power” in Delhi and elsewhere, and was impressed by his forthright manners and ever pleasant smile.

I was fortunate to be the Director General of Military Operations when he took over command of the Indian Army as Chief in December 2016. His appointment was unusual in the way that he superseded two of his seniors. Many may point out several reasons, but I am sure the government took a very clear decision based on his much wider operational experience, and he proved to be the right choice.

As the COAS, he was unambiguous about the Army’s strategic response on the western border, and believed that “robust punitive actions” were needed along the Line of Control. This was implemented with vigour and changed the adversary’s behaviour. At the time of the Doklam crisis and the threat to the Jhamperi ridge and the Siliguri corridor, I found him to be decisive, clear-headed and bold. It was a new kind of response against our northern neighbour, setting a new normal.

In all matters of operations, logistics and management, General Rawat was very clear that the Army had to shed the old ways and prepare for new challenges.

His exemplary personal honesty and disdain for excessive pomp alarmed wrongdoers. He showed zero tolerance towards inappropriate military behaviour, and he always came down with a sledgehammer on any perpetrator.

Gen Rawat’s desire to reach out to the last man was reflected in his hectic weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, he was out in far-flung areas along the northeast, northern and western borders to meet the men and officers on ground. This always brought out better decision-making in operational and strategic decisions.

As GOC 19 Infantry Division, our chief showed a different side. Despite his multiple tenures in the Valley which create a certain fixation, he was always flexible and ready to try new options. He knew a very large number of people in Kashmir from different walks of life; in his visits he would listen to them and had the clarity to absorb the right insights.

In his short tenure as Chief of Defence Staff, he worked towards the much-needed integration of armed forces, creation of integrated theatre command, and modernisation of the forces with atmanirbharta (self-reliance) as the motto. His lasting legacy caught the imagination of all, as reflected in the outpouring of grief over his death.

One of his batchmates had mentioned that General Rawat was an extraordinary boxer at NDA.

In many ways, his actions were indeed like those of a good boxer﹘nimble on his feet, focussed and aggressive, prepared to guard against an adversary’s punch and ready to deliver the knockout blow whenever required.

Jai Gorakh! Jai Hind!

The writer is the Director General of the Indian Space Association. Commissioned in the 4th battalion of 9 Gorkha Rifles in 1981, he previously served as Director General of Military Operations, Military Secretary and GOC 15 Corps.