Shankar Roychowdhury Explained

Honorific Prefix:General
Shankar Roy Chowdhury
Office:37th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
Term:1 October 1996 – 30 September 1997
President:Shankar Dayal Sharma
K. R. Narayanan
Primeminister:P. V. Narasimha Rao
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
H. D. Deve Gowda
Inder Kumar Gujral
Predecessor:Vijai Singh Shekhawat
Successor:Satish Sareen
Office1:17th Chief of Army Staff
Term1:22 November 1994 – 30 September 1997
President1:Shankar Dayal Sharma
K. R. Narayanan
Primeminister1:P. V. Narasimha Rao
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
H. D. Deve Gowda
Inder Kumar Gujral
Predecessor1:Bipin Chandra Joshi
Successor1:Ved Prakash Malik
Office2:Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Term2:19 August 1999 – 18 August 2005
Constituency2:West Bengal
Birth Date:1937 9, df=yes
Birth Place:Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
Allegiance: India
Serviceyears:1957–1997
Rank: General
Military Blank1:Service number
Military Data1:IC-8417[1]
Unit:20 Lancers
Commands: Army Training Command (ARTRAC)
16 Corps
Battles:Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Bangladesh Liberation War
Military Blank2:Awards
Military Data2:
Party:Indian National Congress

General Shankar Roy Chowdhury is a former Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, and a former member of the Indian Parliament.[2]

Early life

General Roychowdhury was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India into the Zamindar family of Taki (India), a Bengali Kayastha family, on 6 September 1937. He received his schooling at St. Xavier's Collegiate School in Kolkata and later at Wynberg Allen School, Mussoorie and St. George's College, Mussoorie. He then became a cadet in the Joint Services Wing of the Indian Armed Forces in 1953.[3]

Military career

General Shankar Roychowdhury was commissioned into the 20 Lancers of the Indian Army Armoured Corps on 9 June 1957, after graduating from the Indian Military Academy. He took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 in the Chamb-Jaurian sector, and in Jessore and Khulna during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He commanded the 20 Lancers from 1974 to 1976, an Independent Armoured Brigade from December 1980 to July 1983, and an Armoured Division from May 1988 to May 1990. He subsequently commanded the 16 Corps in Jammu and Kashmir from 1991 to 1992.[3]

He is a graduate of the Indian Military Academy Dehradun, National Defence Academy Pune, Defence Services Staff College, Army War College; National Defence College and also holds a Doctorate D.Litt. (Honoris CAVSA).[2] He held several staff and instructional appointments, including that of Director General Combat Vehicles dealing with the Arjun tank.[3]

He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service to the Indian Army and the nation. He took over as GOC-in-C, Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in August 1992. He assumed charge of the Indian Army as the 18th Chief of Army Staff on 22 November 1994, upon the untimely death of his predecessor, General B.C. Joshi.[4] He retired from the Indian Army on 30 September 1997, after 40 years of military service.[3] [5]

Post-retirement

After retirement from the Army, General Roychowdhury became a member of the Rajya Sabha, where he highlighted defence related issues.[6] Since 21 January 2008, he has been a Director of Indian Metal & Ferro Alloys Ltd.[2] [3] His autobiography titled Officially at Peace was published by Penguin Books in 2002.[7]

Honours and decorations

Param Vishisht Seva MedalSamar Seva StarPoorvi StarPaschimi Star
Raksha MedalSangram MedalSainya Seva MedalHigh Altitude Service Medal
25th Anniversary of Independence Medal30 Years Long Service Medal20 Years Long Service Medal9 Years Long Service Medal

Dates of rank

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
Second Lieutenant9 June 1957[8]
Indian Army 9 June 1959[9]
Indian Army 9 June 1963[10]
Indian Army 9 June 1970[11]
Lieutenant ColonelIndian Army 1976
Indian Army 24 October 1982[12]
BrigadierIndian Army 12 April 1983[13]
Major GeneralIndian Army 2 January 1988[14]
Lieutenant GeneralIndian Army 1 July 1991[15]
General
(COAS)
Indian Army 22 November 1994[16]

External links

Notable publications

Notes and References

  1. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 97 . 21 January 1995 . The Gazette of India.
  2. Web site: Executive Profile of Shankar Roychowdhury (Retd.). Bloomberg Businessweek. 13 May 2014.
  3. Web site: General Shankar Roychowdhury. Bharat Rakshak. 13 May 2014.
  4. News: Shankar Roy Chowdhury appointed new chief of army staff. 13 May 2014. India Today. 15 December 1995.
  5. Book: Abidi. S. Sartaj Alam. Sharma. Satinder. Services Chiefs of India. 29 May 2012. 2007-01-01. Northern Book Centre. 9788172111625. 82–.
  6. Web site: General Shankar Roy Chowdhury. Indian Army. 13 May 2014.
  7. Book: Roychowdhury, Shankar. Officially at peace. 2002. Viking. New Delhi. 0670885851.
  8. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 78 . 5 April 1958 . The Gazette of India.
  9. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 301 . 15 August 1959 . The Gazette of India.
  10. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 308 . 14 September 1963 . The Gazette of India.
  11. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 112 . 30 January 1971 . The Gazette of India.
  12. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 84 . 19 January 1985 . The Gazette of India.
  13. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 24 . 11 January 1986 . The Gazette of India.
  14. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 1631 . 4 November 1989 . The Gazette of India.
  15. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 1771 . 16 November 1991 . The Gazette of India.
  16. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) . 97 . 21 January 1995 . The Gazette of India.