Apparanda Aiyappa

Lieutenant General Apparanda Chengappa Aiyappa MBE (also known as A.C. Iyappa) was a World War II hero and the first Indian Signal officer in chief (Head of the Indian Army Corps of Signals). He was also the first chief of the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Lieutenant General

Apparanda Chengappa Aiyappa

MBE
Born2 September 1913
Kodagu
Allegiance India
Service/branchIndian Army Corps of Signals
RankLieutenant General
Battles/warsWorld War II
Other workChief of Bharat Electronics Limited

Early years

Iyappa was born on 2 September 1913 [1] during the British Raj, into the wealthy and influential Apparanda family which belonged to the Kodava community of Kodagu. He studied in Bishop Cotton Boys' School, Bangalore and later in Stamford School, Lincolnshire in England. After college he went on to join the Indian Military Academy and from there got a commission into the British Indian Army.

Brief history of Signals in India

When the post World War I re-organization of the Indian Army was carried out, the Indian Signals Corps was formed as a separate corps on 17 April 1920.[2]

Military career

On 7 July 1935 he was commissioned from Indian Military Academy on to the Indian Land Forces, Special List and on 12 August 1935 he was attached to the 1st battalion 7th Rajput Regiment and the Indian Signal Corps. He was promoted Lieutenant, Indian Land Forces, Special List on 2 December 1936. He was appointed to the Indian Army 23 November 1937. In early 1939 he was permanently appointed to the Indian Signal Corps.[3][4][5]

Bharat Electronics Limited

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) was set up at Bangalore, by the Government of India under the Ministry of Defence in 1954 to meet the specialised electronic needs of the Indian Defence Services. Over the years, it has grown into a multi-product, multi-technology, multi-unit company serving the needs of customers in diverse fields in India and abroad. BEL is among an elite group of public sector undertakings which have been conferred the Navratna status by the Government of India. When it was first set up, the Government of India made Iyappa its first chairman; he remained in this position for 18 years.[6]

Legacy

Today there is a park named after him (General Iyappa Park) near BEL circle in Bangalore.[7]

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References
  1. Indian Amy List October 1939 page 221F
  2. Controller of Defence Accounts, Jabalpur Archived 3 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Indian Army list (various issues between 1936 - 1939)
  4. "Famous Coorgs". Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  5. Times of India
  6. BEL India web site
  7. Google map
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