GEN KV KRISHNA RAO – THE FARSIGHTED GENERAL

Recently my wife and I were in Secunderabad in connections with the annual get-together of my 34th NDA Course. While there I sought permission from General KV Krishna Rao, our 11th Chief of the Army Staff, to meet him in connection with a book I am writing on General Kumaramangalam.
He most graciously accepted to meet us and invited us to his house on the morning of 03 November 2015. The General, 93 years of age, is, by the grace of God, hale and hearty. He does not use spectacles; though a bit hard of hearing does not use hearing aid and does not use a computer though he has written three voluminous books – an autobiography, one on leadership and the third a study on national security. He is an engrossing talker and it becomes difficult to keep track of the passage of time in his presence as he narrates episode after episode.
KV Krishna Rao was a brigadier when Kumaramangalam was the Vice Chief. KVK had never in his life asked for any specific posting but in 1965, on approval for promotion to the rank of brigadier the MS asked him for his preference. He had opted to command 114 Mountain Brigade deployed at Dham Chok and Daulat Beg Oldie, Ladhak and his request had been granted.
He exercised the battalions of his brigade in a realistic manner which was appreciated by the Western Army Commander Lieutenant Gen Harbakash Singh, the man who had saved Punjab in 1965, and Gen Kumaramangalam.
When he finished his command tenure he was sent to do the course at the Imperial Defence College, UK, now called RCDS. No sooner had he landed back in India after the course when Lt Gen Sartaj Singh, DMO, told him that the Gen PP Kumaramangalam, by then the Chief, wanted him to produce an appreciation on what the Commander in Chief of Pakistan would do. KVK was to himself set the aim and terms of reference as would have been given out by their President, Field Marshal Ayub Khan. He had a fortnight to write the appreciation.
Having written the appreciation Krishna Rao presented it to the DMO. He approved of it and asked him to take it to the Vice Chief, Lt Gen KS Katoch who in turn saw the value in it and arranged for the Chief, Gen Kumaramangalam himself to review it.
The high point of Krishna Rao’s career was in 1975 when he was GOC 16 Corps. General Raina, the then chief, appointed him as the Chairman of the Experts Committee constituted to develop a twenty-year perspective on reorganization and modernization of the Army. Eminent generals such as K Sundarji and ML Chibber were members of the committee. They visited Gen Kumaramangalam and Field Marshal Manekshaw at their residences at Hosur and Wellington respectively.
After nearly an hour of interesting interaction we bade good bye to the General and left him after signing his visitor’s book.