Vijai Singh Shekhawat Explained

Office1:14th Chief of the Naval Staff
Termstart1:1 October 1993
Termend1:1 October 1996
President1:Shankar Dayal Sharma
Primeminister1:P. V. Narasimha Rao
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
H. D. Deve Gowda
Predecessor1:Laxminarayan Ramdas
Successor1:Vishnu Bhagwat
Honorific Prefix:Admiral
V S Shekhawat
Honorific Suffix:PVSM, AVSM, VrC, ADC
Birth Date:1st October, 1936
Birth Place:chittosa, jhunjhunu Rajasthan
Nickname:"VP"
Allegiance: India
Serviceyears:1956 - 1996
Rank: Admiral
Commands:Eastern Navy
Western Fleet

INS Karanj
INS Kalvari
Battles:Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Awards: Param Vishist Seva Medal
Ati Vishist Seva Medal
Vir Chakra
Spouse:Binu Shekhawat

Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, ADC is a former Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. He was 14th Chief of Naval Staff and served as Navy Chief from September-30 1993 to September-30 1996.[1] Admiral Shekhawat is a Patron of the General K.S. Thimayya Memorial Trust.

Early life and education

Shekhawat attended the St. Joseph's Academy and Colonel Brown Cambridge School in Dehradun, Bishop Cotton Boys' School in Bangalore, and St Joseph's College in Darjeeling. He later attended the National Defence Academy in Maharashtra and the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Shekhawat was selected for the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in 1952, and was awarded the President Gold Medal for the best all-round cadet in December 1953. He was commissioned in 1956.[2]

Naval career

Early career

Shekhawat received submarine training in the UK from 1963–1964 and the USSR from 1966–1967, He served as Executive and Commanding Officer for several submarines, including the INS Kalvari and the INS Karanj, which he commissioned and sailed from the Baltic Sea to India. He received the Vir Chakra gallantry award for his service as commander of the Karanj during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Vir Chakra

The citation for the Vir Chakra reads as follows:[3] [4]

Promoted to substantive commander on 31 December 1971,[5] Shekhawat served as director of the Indian Navy Submarine Arm from 1975 to 1977. After attending the US Naval War College from 1977 to 1978, Shekhawat was promoted to captain on 1 July 1978,[6] and served from 1979 to 1981 as the Chief Instructor at the National Defence Academy.

Flag Rank

Shekhawat was promoted to acting Rear Admiral on 21 June 1984 (substantive from 30 June),[7] and served as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff.[8] He was given command of the Western Fleet during Operation Brasstacks. He was promoted to Vice Admiral on 8 August 1988,[9] with appointment as Director General of the tri-service Defence Planning Staff. and obtained the rank of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command in December 1990. In 1992, Shekhawat was promoted to the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, and in September 1993 he was again promoted to Chief of the Naval Staff.

Shekhawat retired in 1996. Admiral Shekhawat is married to Mrs. Binu Shekhawat and has two sons, one of whom is a pilot with the Indian Navy.

Awards and decorations

Param Vishisht Seva MedalAti Vishisht Seva MedalVir ChakraSamar Seva Star
Poorvi StarPaschimi StarRaksha MedalSangram Medal
25th Independence Anniversary Medal30 Years Long Service Medal20 Years Long Service Medal9 Years Long Service Medal

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat. Bahara Rakshak. 31 March 2014.
  2. Book: Services Chiefs of India. 127. S. Sartaj Alam. Abidi. Satinder. Sharma. Northern Book Centre. 2007. 9788172111625. 14 June 2017.
  3. Web site: VS SHEKHAWAT Gallantry Awards . gallantryawards.gov.in.
  4. Web site: Vir Chakra (VrC), Awardee: Adm Vijai Singh Shekhawat, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, ADC @ TWDI . twdi.in.
  5. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 1422 . 23 September 1972 . The Gazette of India.
  6. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 642 . 14 July 1979 . The Gazette of India.
  7. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 509 . 13 April 1985 . The Gazette of India.
  8. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 1062 . 12 July 1986 . The Gazette of India.
  9. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 1077 . 12 June 1993 . The Gazette of India.