SYMBOL OF PATRIOTISM: FIELD MARSHAL KODANDERA ‘KIPPER’ MADAPPA CARIAPPAPPA

The late Field Marshal KM Cariappa is a man known for many firsts, but most importantly, he received the baton of the Indian Army from the last British Commander in Chief, Gen. Sir Roy Bucher. . Born on January 28, 1899, in Coorg, Cariappa passed out of the Central High School in Madikeri, Kodagu (Coorg) and studied at the Presidency College in Madras.

Cariappa began his Army stint under the British and was among the few selected for the first batch of KCIOS (King’s Commissioned Indian Officers) at the Daly ly Cadet College in Indore and was commissioned in the Carnatic Infantry. He was in active service with the 37 (Prince of Wales) Dogra in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) and then posted to the 2nd Rajput Light Infantry (Queen Victoria’s Own). Cariappa went on to become the first Indian officer to undergo the course at Staff College, Quetta in 1933. In 1946, he got promoted as the Brigadier of the Frontier Brigade Group.

By Indian independence, Cariappa saw action in Iraq, Syria, Iran and Burma and became the first Indian Officer to be given command of a unit in 1942. He was conferred several awards and accolades in a career spanning three decades. He received the prestigious order of the British

Empire (OBE) for his role in the

Burma against the Japanese during the Second World War.

In 1947, Cariappa became the first Indian to be selected to undergo a training course at Imperial Defence College, Camberly,

UK.

During the Partition period, he handled the division of the Army and sharing of its assets between the two new nations.

Cariappa also led the Indian forces on the Western Front during raids on Kashmir by Pakistani tribal militias and successfully recaptured Zojila, Drass and Kargil and established a linkup with Leh.

On January 15, 1949, Cariappa became the first Commander-in-chief of the Indian Army. He was conferred with the five-star rank of field marshal, the highest honour in the Indian Army, which Sam Manekshaw is the only other officer to have held. He was also awarded the Order of the Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit by US President Harry Truman

Even after retirement in 1953, Cariappa served as the High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand till 1956. He passed away in Bengaluru in 1993, aged 94.