It is said that when processes are executed very efficiently, one doesn’t notice the transitory pauses and hiccups. The astoundingly smooth transition of the Indian military—among other processes how Kings Commissioned Indian Officers made way for Commissioned Indian Officers—as it transited from owing allegiance to the British flag to the tricolour after 1947, is nothing short of spectacular.
In view of the fact that not much has been written upon it, any literature during that transitory phase is a welcome one. The painstaking and detailed notes, replete with personal anecdotes, made by General Satyawant Mallanah Srinagesh, Chief of Army Staff from 1955 to 1957, and carefully preserved by his family make for revealing reading. In that sense, ‘Commanded by Destiny—A General’s Rise from Soldier to Statesman’ is a pathblazer.
The accounts include not just the General’s 34 years in the army but also his gubernatorial terms in Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Mysore and a tenure at the Administrative Staff College of India—truly the saga of a journey from being a soldier to that of a statesman.
Rooted in the ethos of strict professionalism and pure nationalism, how the Indian military overcame institutional challenges to become one of the most respected modern armies in the contemporary world is the most important takeaway from the book.
Instrumental in helping provide a modern character to the Indian Army, Gen Srinagesh held out the importance of a truly national army that is still considered as the flag-bearer of nationalism, yet unburdened with the trappings of region, religion, language, caste and creed—a near impossibility in a country as diverse as India.
During India’s colonial era, the men were entirely Indian natives, while the officers were overwhelmingly British. This led to a belief that Indians were incapable of strong military leadership. It took men like Gen Srinagesh to dispel that notion. As corps commander, he was the one to land tanks at the 11,500 feet high Zoji La pass.
It was the discipline and military acumen that the general imbibed during his military years that aided his tenures as governor. It may have been among the early instances of retired military officers called to assume gubernatorial duties.
