Destiny has its own way and the soldier loves to die in action. This is true for everyone in uniform with the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat being no exception to this rule; in such a death, one attains salvation. It is tragic and most unfortunate for the nation to lose such an illustrious soldier who distinguished himself at every level of his career spanning over four decades, from the Sword of Honour from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) to becoming India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
The four-star General from Gorkha regiment died while on the way to Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) that was once commanded by another Gorkha officer, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. Like legendary Manekshaw who was the first Field Marshal of the Indian Army, General Rawat became the first CDS of India. Both were national heroes and both died at the same Military Hospital Wellington that I once commanded. It was here that I also had the honour to treat the late Field Marshal.
General Manekshaw was the architect of 1971 war while General Rawat was the man behind the concepts of surgical strikes and a unified theatre command. Both were monumental steps in restoring the nation’s pride. General Rawat had a vision for the armed forces to make it formidable and a force to reckon with, in tune with the changing technology and the threat of cyberwarfare. Similarly, nobody can match Manekshaw when it comes to military leadership. General Rawat will be always remembered as the man who streamlined armed forces’ functioning to make it lean and fighting fit.
I was fortunate to be associated with these two legends. I was very close to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and when he died on June 27, 2008, I was holding his hand, watching his sublime exit from the mortal world. General Rawat was my colleague in Kolkata where he was the Major General foreseeing the military operation in the eastern theatre of war. Later, his military experience there helped him become the architect of the famous surgical strike against insurgents hiding in the jungles of Myanmar while he was the Corps Commander. The Eastern Command Hospital that I commanded during 2012-2014 was the brain child of late Field Marshal and it was here that I treated both General Rawat and his father late Lt Gen Laxman Singh Rawat, another General from the same Gorkha regiment, which the father-son duo had the honour to command. I had known General Rawat’s wife, Mrs Madhulika, and helped her as a doctor and a friend at the time of need.
When General Rawat was the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS), I was not only his neighbour at 21 Safdarjung Road residence but also his friend. When his name was announced as the 27th Army Chief, I immediately visited him and congratulated him. My association with late Field Marshal Manekshaw made his trust in me stronger. He was not in the race and in normal course he would not have become the Chief of Army Staff but destiny has its own way.
His life has been cut short by this tragic air crash that took with it his beloved wife Madhulika and 11 other armed forces personnel. In his death, the nation has lost a soldier and a true patriot and this loss is irreversible. May Mrs Madhulika and General Bipin Rawat rest in eternal bliss.
Lt Gen (retd) BNBM Prasad has worked closely with General Bipin Rawat in Kolkata and both were later neighbours
The author is Former Director General Hospital Services and Chief Consultant Medicine Armed Forces & President’s Honorary Surgeon. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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