Year: 1947, few months after Independence

Location: Indian Army HQ, New Delhi (erstwhile British India Command HQ)

Agenda of Meeting: Top-Secret (To select the first indigenous General of Indian Army)

Attendees: Jawahar Lal Nehru, Baldev Singh (First Raksha Mantri), Nehru’s close confidants and political advisers and Indian Army Top Brass.

Prelude: Nehru is skeptical of appointing a native Indian Officer as Commander-in-Chief, as he is paranoid about the idea that an Indian General might eventually dethrone him in a coup d’état. Infact, Nehru is of the opinion that India shouldnot have an Army at all !

Nehru: “I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of Indian Army as we don’t have enough experience to lead the same.”
(Possibly, it was a recommendation of Edwina!)

Immediately the room is filled with murmurs and each of his political advisers take turns voicing their support to Nehru.

Suddenly a senior Army officer bursts out: “I have a point, Sir.”

(The din in the room settles down and all eyes turn towards the speaker to find out who has the courage to challenge Nehru)

Nehru (visibly displeased): “Yes, Gentleman. Speak Freely !“, though the disapproval in Nehru’s eyes betray the insincerity of his words.

Indian Army Officer: “You see, Sir, us Indians don’t have enough experience to lead a Nation too, so shouldn’t we appoint a British as India’s first PM?”

There is a stifling silence now in the room and each passing moment appeared to last for eternity.

Nehru (trying to control his anger): “What’s on your mind ? Do you want to be the first General of Indian Army?”

Indian Army Officer:“No Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior Mr. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us.”

The army officer who had the courage to voice a counter suggestion against Jawahar Lal’s wishes, was Lt. General Nathu Singh Rathore, the first Lt. General of the Indian Army.

And thus came to pass, the selection of then Major General Cariappa as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, scheduled to replace General Sir Roy Bucher as Chief of Army Staff.

Finally, on 15 January 1949 Cariappa was appointed as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

This particular day every Year is celebrated as Army Day.

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Some more Trivia on Gen. Cariappa:
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During the 1965 war, his son K C Cariappa, an Indian Air Force pilot, was shot down over Pakistan. He was captured and imprisoned as a POW.

When Ayub Khan learned about this, he informed Cariappa that his son would not be kept in a POW Camp like other Indian POWs, since they had worked together before independence.

But Cariappa politely declined the offer saying, every soldier in the Indian Army was his son, so he could not request special privileges for only one.

He was also awarded the honorary title of Field Marshal