General Bipin Rawat was an Indian military officer, a four star general of the Indian Army. He served as the first CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) of India from January 2020 until his death on 8th December 2021. Prior to being CDS, he also was the 57th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee as well as 26th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.
To me, he is one of the bravest army officers I’ve ever known about. So why not take a look into his earlier life?
General Rawat was born in Pauri in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. He himself came from a family of military officers. His father had retired as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff in 1988 as a lieutenant-general and his mother was the daughter of the ex-MLA of Uttarkashi district.
Rawat attended Cambrian Hall School in Dehradun and St. Edward’s School in Shimla. He then joined National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun where he graduated 1st in the order of merit and was awarded with ‘Sword of Honour’. He was also a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington and the Higher Command Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College (USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Rawat was commissioned into the 5th battalion, the 11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1978, the same unit as his father. From then on Rawat had helped the Indian Army in many dangerous conflicts. He once commanded a company in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir and as a colonel also commanded his battalion in the eastern sector. Rawat also commanded MONUSCO. As Chief of the Army Staff, he also made bilateral visits to Nepal, Russia, The United States, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka among many others. Throughout his career of about 43 years he was awarded for the distinguished and gallantry service with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and many more.
The General along with his wife and members of his staff were aboard a helicopter flight to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, where Rawat was to deliver a lecture. At 12.00pm, local time, the aircraft crashed near the residential colony of a private tea estate employees. Group Captain Varun Singh was the sole survivor. Bipin Rwat and his wife Madhulika were cremated according to Hindu rituals by his two daughters. They were accorded a 17 gun salute.
General Bipin Rawat was one of the greatest and bravest army officers that the Indian Armed Forces ever had. As youngsters and true patriots we have a lot to learn from this national hero, which we have to cultivate in ourselves and towards our motherland as well. Each and every citizen of our country should try to be like him, devoted to our motherland. Jai Hind
Excellent!!