Ram Dass Katari
Admiral Ram Dass Katari, PVSM, AVSM (8 October 1911 – 21 January 1983) was an Indian Navy Admiral who served as the 3rd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) from 22 April 1958 to 4 June 1962. He was the first Indian to hold the office and succeeded the last British officer to the post, Vice Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill. He led the Indian Navy in the conflict during the annexation of Goa against the Portuguese Navy.
R D Katari | |
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Born | Chingleput, Madras Presidency, British Raj (now in Tamil Nadu, India) | 8 October 1911
Died | 21 January 1983 71) Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India | (aged
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1927–1962 |
Rank | ![]() ![]() |
Commands held | Indian Fleet INS Rajput (D141) HMIS Kistna (U46) HMIS Cauvery (U10) |
Battles/wars | World War II Liberation of Goa |
Relations | Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas (Son-in-law) |
Other work | Ambassador to Burma Chairman, APSRTC Author, A Sailor Remembers |
Early life
Katari was born in Chingleput in Madras Presidency on 8 October 1911. His father was an Assistant Civil Engineer employed with the Government of Madras Presidency. He spent most of his childhood and youth in Hyderabad. He was educated at Mahbub College High School and at Nizam College in Hyderabad.[1]
Naval career
After graduation, Katari was in the first batch of Indian cadet-entry officers to join the Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship (IMMTS) Dufferin on its establishment in 1927. He topped the entrance examination. He finished the course earning the Viceroy's gold medal. Later, he was the first graduate of TS Dufferin to serve on its Governing Board.[2]
World War II
On 23 September 1939, three weeks after the start of World War II, Katari received a temporary commission as a probationary Sub Lieutenant in the Royal Indian Navy Reserve (RINR). He was assigned to the auxiliary patrol vessel HMIS Sandoway as its most junior officer on 11 May 1940.[3] Promoted to temporary lieutenant on 23 September 1940, he was subsequently assigned to HMIS Dalhousie, the naval gunnery school in Bombay.[4] On 9 April 1943, he was posted to Karachi and assigned to HMIS Bahadur, the Boys' Training Establishment for the RIN.[5]
Katari served in surface fleets of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. He specialized in anti-submarine warfare. Later, he also served as an instructor at the Anti-Submarine Warfare School.[6] He was promoted to acting lieutenant-commander on 30 September 1944.[7] At the end of the war, as a lieutenant-commander, he was appointed the commanding officer of HMIS Cauvery (U10) and led the mine clearance operations in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. In early 1946, the 56th Services Selection Board was set up at Lonavla to screen the RINR and Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RINVR) officers for a permanent commission in the RIN. Katari was appointed Senior Group Staff Officer and later Deputy President of the board.[8]
Post-Independence
Upon the Independence of India, Katari held the rank of Commander and was the Commanding officer of HMIS Kistna (U46). He led the defence operations off the Kathiawar coast during the integration of Junagadh. The Naval force consisted of three sloops - HMIS Kistna (U46), HMIS Cauvery (U10) and the HMIS Jumna (U21), two fleet minesweepers - HMIS Konkan (J228) and HMIS Madras (J237), the Motor Launch ML 420 and a tank landing craft.[9]
In 1948, the cruiser INS Delhi (1948) was purchased from the United Kingdom. She was commissioned on 5 July 1948, with Captain H N S Brown as the Commanding Officer and became the flagship of the Indian Navy.[10] From July 1948 to early 1949, Katari served as the Commander (executive officer) of the cruiser, with Lt S M Nanda as his first lieutenant. On 31 December 1948, Katari was promoted to acting rank of Captain.[11] In February 1949, the Naval Headquarters (NHQ) was re-organised and he was appointed the Chief of Personnel, taking over the post on 9 March.[12][13] On 31 December 1949, he was promoted to the substantive rank of Captain.[14]
In November 1951, Katari was appointed Captain (D) 11th Destroyer Flotilla as well as the Commanding Officer of the lead destroyer of the squadron, INS Rajput (D141). Apart from the Rajput, the flotilla consisted of INS Ranjit (1949) and INS Rana (1942). He succeeded Captain Ajitendu Chakraverti to the post.[15] In September 1952, Katari was selected to attend the Imperial Defence College and in early 1953, proceeded to United Kingdom. He was the first Indian Naval officer to be selected for the course. He attended the course with Air Vice Marshal (Later Air Marshal & CAS) Subroto Mukerjee, the senior-most Indian Air Force officer.[16] After the year-long course, he returned to India in early 1954 and was appointed the Deputy Commander-in-Chief and promoted to Commodore.[17] During this stint, Katari officiated as the Commander-in-Chief in the acting rank of Rear Admiral and sat in on the meetings of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.[1] [18]
In December 1955, the Government of India announced the appointment of Katari as the Flag Officer (Flotilla) Indian Fleet. He would be the first Indian Officer to command the fleet and take over in September 1956 from Rear Admiral St John Tyrwhitt KCB, DSO, DSC & Bar. He was promoted to the acting rank of Rear Admiral on 12 March 1956.[19] Before taking up the appointment, Katari embarked to the United Kingdom and Europe on a study tour. He visited Naval establishments, schools, shipyards and defence equipment production units. He visited the HMS Nigeria (60) (later INS Mysore (C60)) which was being purchased by the Indian Navy. He also visited shipyards and factories in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich and Lübeck.[20][1]
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On 2 October 1956, he was confirmed as a substantive rear admiral and became the first Indian officer to be appointed the Flag Officer (Flotilla) Indian Fleet.[21] The transfer of command ceremony took place on board the flagship INS Delhi, berthed in the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. His flag was hoisted on the INS Delhi at 8 A.M.[22] It was on Katari's request that the transfer of command was fixed on 2 October, to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti.[1] In August 1957, INS Mysore was commissioned and Katari's flag was transferred from INS Delhi to INS Mysore, the new flagship of the Indian Fleet.[23]
Chief of Naval Staff
In February 1958, Katari was appointed the first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).[24] On 22 April 1958, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and took command of the Indian Navy. His flag was hoisted on INS India.[25]
As CNS, he designed the framework for India's strategy for managing maritime security issues. During his tenure, the Indian Navy underwent a consolidation of its acquisitions, and established plans for its future growth. It also instituted improvements to training and operational effectiveness programs. India's first aircraft-carrier, INS Vikrant, was commissioned during his tenure.[26] As CNS, he led the naval operations during the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule in December 1961.
He retired as CNS on 4 June 1962.[27] He relinquished the post of CNS as a Vice Admiral, then the highest rank in the Indian Navy.[28]
Later life
Katari served as the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) between December 1962 and May 1964. In 1964 he was appointed India's Ambassador to Burma, where he served for over five years.[29] He was the first setter of The Hindu Crossword and compiled the daily puzzles till his demise.[30][1] He also authored a memoir of the formative years of the Indian Navy during his service, A Sailor Remembers.
In 1968, the post of CNS was upgraded to the rank of full admiral, and on 21 October 1980, Katari and Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman, his successor as CNS, were promoted to the honorary rank of full Admiral on the retired list by President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.[31][32]
Death and legacy
Admiral Katari died at Secunderabad on 21 January 1983, aged 71.[33] The Katari Memorial Hall at A/21, Sainikpuri, near Secunderabad, was dedicated to the memory of ADM Katari on the event of his birth centenary on 8 October 2011.[34] The Admiral R D Katari Marg in Sainikpuri, Secunderabad where the College of Defence Management is located, is named after him. The Katari cadet's dining hall at the Indian Naval Academy is named after Katari.[35] The Navy Foundation organises the 'ADM RD KATARI MEMORIAL LECTURE' every year.[36][37][38]
See also
- Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa
- Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee
Citations
- Katari 1983.
- "Captain Ram Dass Katari, IN" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 5 December 1953.
- The Navy List: December 1941. HM Stationery Office. 1941. p. 1061.
- The Navy List: December 1942. HM Stationery Office. 1942. p. 1184.
- The Navy List: April 1944. HM Stationery Office. 1944. p. 3030.
- Abidi & Sharma 2007, p. 105.
- The Navy List: July 1945. HM Stationery Office. 1945. p. 2106.
- Thomas 2019, p. 59.
- "Ministry of Defence" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 5 October 1947.
- Blueprint to bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951-65. Lancer International. p. 30. ISBN 978-8170621485.
- "Promotion of Officers in the RIN" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 December 1948. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- "NHQ Reorganised" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 3 February 1949.
- "CAPTAIN KATARI BECOMES CHIEF OF PERSONNEL RIN" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 9 March 1949.
- "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 14 January 1950. p. 93.
- "CAPTAIN KATARI TO TAKE COMMAND OF DESTROYER FLOTILLA" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 26 November 1951.
- "Press Information Bureau (Defence Wing)" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 13 September 1952.
- "Two Senior Naval Officers promoted Commodores" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 5 December 1953.
- "Admiral Pizey returns from United Kingdom" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 5 September 1954.
- "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 November 1956. p. 236.
- "FIRST INDIAN TO COMMAND NAVAL FLEET COMMODORE KATARI'S NEW APPOINTMENT" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 24 December 1955.
- "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 2 March 1957. p. 55.
- "ADMIRAL KATARI TAKES COMMAND OF INDIAN FLEET" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 2 October 1956.
- Blueprint to bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951-65. Lancer International. p. 80. ISBN 9788170621485.
- "FIRST INDIAN OFFICER TO COMMAND THE NAVY" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 3 February 1958.
- "CHANGE OF NAVAL COMMAND" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 18 April 1958.
- Blueprint to bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951-65. Lancer International. ISBN 978-8170621485.
- "Vice Admiral Ram Dass Katari". Information Resource Facilitation Centre, Indian Navy. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- "Admiral AK Chatterji Fellowship Book Release | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
- "People". Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- "Remembering Admiral Katari, the first crossword setter of The Hindu". Crossword Unclued, 8 October 2012.
- "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 29 November 1980. p. 1360.
- "Former Naval Chiefs Honoured" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 3 November 1980. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- "Deaths". The Times. 26 January 1983.
- "Inauguration of Katari Memorial heritage Hall at Sainikpuri Secunderabad". The Hyderabad Deccan. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- "Mess". ina.gov.in.
- "24th Admiral RD Katari Memorial Lecture | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
- "25 Th ADM RD katari Memorial Lecture at New Delhi". pib.gov.in.
- "26TH ADM RD KATARI MEMORIAL LECTURE AT NEW DELHI ON 10 MAR 17" (PDF). indiannavy.nic.in.
References
- Katari, Ram Dass (1983), A Sailor Remembers, Vikas, ISBN 9780706920642
- Thomas, Anup (2019), Pride & Honour- Biography of Admiral R.L. Pereira, PVSM, AVSM, Southern Naval Command, Indian Navy, ISBN 978-8193600115
- Abidi, S Sartaj Alam; Sharma, Satinder (2007), Services Chiefs of India, Northern Book Centre, ISBN 8172111622
Military offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by St John Tyrwhitt |
Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet 1956-1958 |
Succeeded by Ajitendu Chakraverti |
Preceded by Stephen Hope Carlill |
Chief of the Naval Staff 1958–1962 |
Succeeded by Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman |
Preceded by General K S Thimayya |
Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee 1961–1962 |
Succeeded by Air Marshal Aspy Engineer |
Diplomatic posts | ||
Preceded by R S Mani |
Ambassador of India to Burma 1964–1969 |
Succeeded by Baleshwar Prasad |