Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
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Military Governor of Hyderabad State | |
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In office 17 September 1948 – 25 January 1950 | |
Preceded by | Office Established |
Succeeded by | Mir Osman Ali Khan as Rajapramukh |
Personal details | |
Born | Second World War
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Arab Union)Order Of Merit | 10 June 1908
Family background and early life
Chaudhuri was born into an aristocratic
Other members of Chaudhuri's family were also distinguished in their fields, mainly law, medicine and literature. All six of his father's elder brothers, namely Sir Ashutosh Chaudhuri (judge during the
The Indian actress, Devika Rani, was Chaudhuri's first cousin, being the daughter of his father's brother, Manmathnath Chaudhuri. Among Chaudhuri's other close relatives were Barrister Kumud Nath Chaudhuri and Raisahib Babu Narendra Krishna Talukdar, Zamindar of Maligacha and honorary first class magistrate for Pabna District, Rajshahi. Writer Pramatha Chaudhuri, who married a niece of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, was his uncle.
Education
Chaudhuri completed his early education in Pataldanga Academy (Now known as Hare School) in Calcutta. Later he studied at
Military career
Early career
He was commissioned from Sandhurst as a second lieutenant onto the Unattached List, Indian Army on 2 February 1928.[4] Returning to India, he was attached to the 1st battalion North Staffordshire Regiment from 19 March 1928. He was accepted for the Indian Army and joined the 7th Light Cavalry on 19 March 1929.[5] In 1934, he attended the course at the Equitation School, Saugor. He attended the Staff course at Command and Staff College, Quetta from December 1939 to June 1940.
In 1940, as an acting major, he went overseas on the staff of the
In August 1944 he was transferred to the
In 1946, he was promoted to the temporary rank of Brigadier with the war-substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel, in Charge of Administration in British Malaya and in the same year was selected to command the Indian Victory Contingent to London.
Post-Independence career
Following a course at the Imperial Defence College in London in 1947, he returned to India and was appointed Director of Military Operations & Intelligence at Army Headquarters in New Delhi in November 1947. Chaudhuri worked with Major General Mohite to complete military evacuation from Pakistan. He had to organise the
In May 1948, he took over command of the
Chief of the Army staff
The debacle of the Sino-Indian War and subsequent government inquiries revealing India's military unpreparedness and mismanagement resulted in the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Pran Nath Thapar's resignation on 19 November 1962. On 20 November, Chaudhuri succeeded Thapar as officiating COAS with the acting rank of general.[12] Chaudhuri was officially appointed COAS on 20 February 1963,[13] and was promoted to substantive general on 20 July 1963.[14] In March 1964, he was decorated with the Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the United Arab Republic by its president, Gamal Abdel Nasser.[15]
Chaudhari was COAS during the
Chaudhari is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Border Security Force. In the aftermath of the 1965 war, he proposed a paramilitary force to patrol the Indo-Pakistani border in peacetime and would be relieved by the army when war was imminent.[16] For his services to the nation, he was presented with the Padma Vibhushan – India's second highest civilian honour — by the President of India.[17] He retired on 7 June 1966, after completing 38 years of military service.
Diplomatic career
After his retirement, Chaudhuri was appointed High Commissioner of India to Canada.[18] After a three-year stint at the High Commission of India at Ottawa, he relinquished office, handing over to A. B. Bhadkamkar in August 1969.[19]
Later years and legacy
Chaudhuri wrote two books on military matters and served as a literary reviewer for a leading Indian daily The Statesman. He was the first Indian army chief to write an autobiography in 1979. He loved Western music and founded and was first president of the Delhi Symphony Society, an organisation that promoted Western music. Chaudhuri was married to Karuna Chattopadhyay, with whom he had two sons.
Chaudhuri died at his home in Pamposh Enclave, New Delhi of a cardiac arrest on 6 April 1983, and was survived by his wife and two sons.[20] His funeral and cremation the following day, with full military honours, was attended by hundreds of serving and retired officers and soldiers, including his fellow Chiefs of Staff, Admiral A. K. Chatterji and Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh.[21] In his honour, the BSF awards its best infantry battalion with the GEN. J. N. Chaudhuri trophy annually.
Awards and decorations
Padma Vibhushan | General Service Medal 1947 | ||
Sainya Seva Medal
|
Indian Independence Medal | Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) | 1939–1945 Star |
Burma Star | War Medal 1939–1945 | India Service Medal | Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit (United Arab Republic) |
Dates of rank
Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
---|---|---|---|
Second Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 2 February 1928[4] | |
Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 2 May 1930[22][23] | |
Captain | British Indian Army | 2 February 1937[24] | |
Major | British Indian Army | 1940 (acting) 22 September 1941 (temporary)[25] 8 February 1943 (war-substantive)[26] 2 February 1945 (substantive)[27] | |
Lieutenant-Colonel | British Indian Army | 22 September 1941 (acting)[25] 8 February 1943 (temporary)[28] 21 January 1946 (war-substantive)[1] | |
Colonel | British Indian Army | 21 January 1946 (acting)[29] | |
Major | Indian Army | 15 August 1947[note 1][30] | |
Major-General | Indian Army | February 1948 (acting)[note 1] | |
Brigadier | Indian Army | 21 January 1946 (acting)[29] 1 January 1950 (substantive)[1][note 1] | |
Brigadier | Indian Army | 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[30][31] | |
Major General | Indian Army | January 1952 (substantive) | |
Lieutenant General |
Indian Army | 16 December 1955 (local)[9] 8 May 1957 (substantive)[10] | |
General (COAS) |
Indian Army | 20 November 1962 (acting)[12] 20 July 1963 (substantive)[14] |
See also
Notes
- ^ Ashoka Lionreplaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."
References
- ^ a b c d "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 24 June 1950. p. 70.
- ^ "High Commissioners of India in Canada – High Commission of India, Ottawa (Canada)". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ Tucker, Rodney C (1950). Highgate School Register 1838–1950 (5th ed.). London. p. 245.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b "No. 33353". The London Gazette. 3 February 1928. p. 766.
- ^ "No. 33510". The London Gazette. 28 June 1929. p. 4274.
- ^ "No. 35396". The London Gazette. 26 December 1941. p. 7353.
- ^ "No. 35611". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1942. p. 2856.
- ^ "No. 35908". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1943. p. 858.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 14 January 1956. p. 8.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 May 1957. p. 131.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 27 June 1959. p. 154.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 5 January 1963. p. 2.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 6 July 1963. p. 227.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 31 August 1963. p. 292.
- ^ "UAR Decoration for General Chaudhuri" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India – Archive. 30 March 1964. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ISBN 9780691077246.
- ^ "PRESS NOTE" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 9 November 1965.
- ^ "PRESS NOTE" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 30 April 1966.
- ^ "INDIA'S NEW ENVOY TO CANADA" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 23 August 1969.
- ^ "General Chaudhuri Passed Away, An Outstanding Military Leader, Says Shri R. Venkataraman" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India – Archive. 6 April 1983. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "General Chaudhuri Cremated" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India – Archive. 6 April 1983. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "No. 33613". The London Gazette. 6 June 1930. p. 3572.
- ^ "No. 33632". The London Gazette. 8 August 1930. p. 4946.
- ^ "No. 34381". The London Gazette. 19 March 1937. p. 1827.
- ^ a b Indian Army List for October 1945 (Part I). Government of India Press. 1945. p. 153.
- ^ January 1946 Half Yearly Army List
- ^ "No. 37085". The London Gazette. 18 May 1945. p. 2577.
- ^ The Quarterly Army List: December 1946 (Part I). HM Stationery Office. 1946. pp. 2512a–c.
- ^ a b The Quarterly Army List: December 1946 (Part I). HM Stationery Office. 1946. pp. 220v–z.
- ^ a b "New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India – Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2017.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
- Pradeep P. Barua, Gentlemen of the Raj: The Indian Army Officer Corps, 1817–1949