Field Marshal KM Cariappa’s Son Remembers His Father’s Glorious Life

KC Cariappa remembers his father as a “staunch Indian” whose respect for the uniform preceded everything else.

Former Air Marshal KC Cariappa stands before his father Field Marshal KM Cariappa’s portrait.

(Photo: Arun Dev/The Quint)

(This story has been reposted from The Quint's archives on the occasion of Former Field Marshal KM Cariappa’s birth anniversary on 28 January.)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

As the country remembers Field Marshal KM Cariappa, the first commander-in-chief of the Indian Army, his son former Air Marshal KC Nanda Cariappa, opens up about his private moments with the legendary veteran.

KC Cariappa remembers his father as an army man whose respect for the uniform preceded everything else.

“General Thimayya once pulled out a cigarette when my father was driving his jeep. He told General Thimayya not to smoke in the car and certainly not when in uniform. So, he pulled up the car, allowed General Thimayya to get off and finish his smoke and then carried on,” KC Cariappa recounted.

The “fearless” former Field Marshal thought himself his worst enemy, KC Cariappa said.

His standards were so high that he would often say that he was his own worst enemy.

KC Cariappa, former Air Marshal

The discipline and the high standards of the Indian Army's first commander-in-chief reflected in his personal life as well – he was never seen without a jacket and tie or a bandhgala at the dinner table.

“He insisted that anyone who sits at the dining table must be properly dressed. His idea of being properly dressed was a tie, a jacket or a bandhgala. He himself would always be dressed in a light-coloured suit for breakfast and lunch, a dark-coloured suit or a bandhgala for dinner,” KC Cariappa fondly remembered.

But most importantly, KM Cariappa was a “staunch Indian.”

“One of the things I was taught was ‘love your country, do your duty towards your country’. Whenever I would say I’m a Kodava, he (my father) would say, ‘no, you’re an Indian first’. He insisted that it should apply to all Indians across the country,” the younger Cariappa told The Quint.

His respect towards the armed forces and the country is evident from the farewell gift KM Cariappa asked for before his retirement.

When he retired from the army in 1953, it was customary for the outgoing officer to be given a farewell gift irrespective of his rank. So, he was asked what he would like to have and he said, “I would like to get a statue of an Indian jawan because it is a jawan who has made me what I am today.”

KC Cariappa

“After his retirement, every morning before his breakfast, he would first offer a silent prayer to his parents. He would then salute the statue and say, ‘Thank you for making me what I am today’,” his son recalled.

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