The Life and Wisdom of India's 1st CDS Bipin Rawat

What happened on 8th December 2021 raises many questions, for us as a country for the army as a professional group. How did something like this even happen? How do you react and respond to a tragedy like this defines us as a person! This crash will be investigated for a long time, was it a technical snag? was it poor piloting? was it just the bad weather? The fact is we don't know and we do not wish to speculate. The crash itself is still a mystery but what happen before and after the crash was in our control! Our top General could not safely fly 50km! surely this doesn't happen everywhere. And what was the general flying in? Mi-17 v5 Russian made helicopter they call it the workhorse of the Indian air force! other countries also call this helicopter a Widowmaker! flying coffin! flying death chamber! In fact, this is what all high-ranking officials get, from CM to the Indian President just think about it! it could be anyone in that helicopter. 

Bipin Rawat was born on 16th March 1958 in Pauri Uttarakhand. His family has been serving in the Indian Army for multiple generations, and his father was Lieutenant-General Laxman Singh Rawat. Rawat attended Cambrian hall school, Dehradun, St Edward's School Shimla, National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the "Sword of Honor".

He is also a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the Higher command course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. From his tenure at the DSSC, he has an MPhil in Defence Studies as well as diplomas in Management and Computer Studies from Madras University. In 2011, he was awarded a Doctorate in Philosophy by Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut for his research on military media strategic studies.

Rawat was commissioned into the 5th battalion of 11 Gorkha rifles on 16th December 1975, the same unit as his father. He commanded a company in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, and was general officer commanding-in-chief (GOCC) southern command (Pune). During his career span of 37 years, he has been awarded for gallantry and distinguished services with the UYSM in 2013, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM.

On 17th December 2016, the government of India designated him as the 27th chief of the army staff, he is the fourth officer from the Gorkha brigade to become the Chief of the Army Staff. He is also the honorary General of the Nepalese Army as it has been a tradition between the Indian and Nepali armies to confer the honorary top rank on each other's chefs to signify their close and special military ties. He took over as the Chief of Defence Staff CDS on 1st January 2020- The 1st to occupy the post that made him the countries foremost military officer! His last few words to the country were to prepare the Nation for tackling Biological Warfare and his term of "2 and a half front war"

A glorious history with numerous achievements in his life. An outstanding soldier, a true patriot, A great contribution to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus, General Bipin Rawat, his spouse Madhulika Rawat and other Armed Forces Officers our Tributes.