Rachna Bisht Rawat - Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform

The book is a powerful narration of the life and times of General Bipin Rawat, the man in and out of uniform. A strict disciplinarian in office, he was equally warm-hearted and sociable out of it. This chronicle of memories is a poignant reminder of the collective loss that the nation and the services suffered on that fateful day of December 202 1 General M.M. Naravane (retired), 28th Chief of the Army Staff

Writing an objective biography of a person who has held sensitive public appointments and a person known to you is most difficult. It is difficult to remain objective, bringing out the true character, shortcomings, achievements and failures of the subject. In Bipin: The Man behind the Uniform, Rachna has done a brilliant job. With her deep research, and many interviews with relations, friends and associates of Bipin Rawat, she brings out an interesting, most objective life story of Indias first Chief of Defence Staff. Her eye for detail and ability to catch and describe the emotions of her interviewees is remarkable. Rachna is a master storyteller on military life. The book is a racy narrative Very, very readable!General V.P. Malik, former Chief of the Army Staff

A riveting story on the life of General Bipin Rawat, from the inspiring pen of Rachna Bisht, that makes me wonder whether destiny is a matter of choice or a matter of chance. General Bipin Rawat believed in doing what is right, irrespective of the consequences, and that, to me, is the message of his life. A must-read for every citizen of India and the worldMgj. Gen. Ian Cardozo, AVSM, SM

BIPIN

THE MAN BEHIND THE
UNIFORM

RACHNA BISHT RAWAT

For all those serving in the armed forces
and those yet to join, so that you may know
your first Chief of Defence Staff better

In early 1978, a slim and medium-built Gentleman Cadet at the Indian Military Academy, whom no one had noticed before, was being brutally thrashed by his much stronger opponent in the boxing ring. Bleeding profusely from the nose and mouth, bout after bout, he refused to give up and eventually went on to win. Surprised spectators wanted to know who the boy was.

It was the shy and reticent Gentleman Cadet Bipin Rawat, of Zojila Company, who went on to become Indias first Chief of Defence Staff.

This is his story.

As crystal a memory can be, on 4 December 2021, in 5/11 Gorkha Rifles at Shanker Vihar, Bipin, Madhu, Payal and I were foreseeing ourselves sitting on rocking chairs next to a bonfire in Dehradun in our twilight years. It was not to be! On that fateful day, Madhu (though many of her friends called her Maddy, I could never do so) sent a picture with the unit Subedar Major on WhatsApp, saying, Will call you in the evening. That evening was not to come. There were plans and plans that went a-begging.

There are memories and memories, some so trivial that they do not merit recounting! At exercises, Utpal Roy, Durgaprasad, Bipin and I invariably carried lotas together for morning calls. Unimaginable today. I recollect that while doing pre-course training of 81 mm Mortars in 9 DOGRA, in US Club, Colaba, we suddenly heard the renowned baritone of Raaj Kumar, the famous actor, who was playing golf there. We asked the NCO instructor permission to go and shake hands with the actor. The instructor was so annoyed that he made us both lift up a base plate each and go around the green on which Raaj Kumar was putting. The actor saw us and gave a hearty laugh, and we were embarrassed like hell! Of course, we shook hands, and he obliged us by saying jaani in his inimitable way.

Indeed, Bipin and I had differences, and some discussions sounded as if on the warpath! We differed and agreed in equal measure, discussed every known issue or personality threadbare. That was the strength of our relationship, always. It was a relationship that cannot have a suitable adjective!

We visited each other at all our postings and at homes. Gen. and Mrs Lakshman Rawat were blessed to have Bipin and Madhu looking after them through their lives so well, at Arun Vihar, Noida. I recall Gen. Lakshman Rawat at the Flag Staff House at Baramulla, when Bipin was commanding the Division; this was the same house that Gen. Lakshman Rawat had occupied in the early 80s.

I have not seen in my life the kind of recognition that Bipin and Madhu got in their demise, at 3 Kamraj Road, with swelling crowds, serpentine queues of the public at large, and people running along the cortge to Brar Square for the last rites. The Delhi-Haridwar road was lined with people with flowers as we were on our way with the last remains. And Haridwar itself! Such recognition comes to the rarest of the rare, and I recollect writing that phrase in the only confidential report that I had the greatest of privilege writing on Bipin, as my Second-in-Command.

Rachna Bisht Rawat has been most persuasive and forceful in putting together the life of Bipin, in her inimitable way. When we first met, I recollect mentioning to her, Do justice to my dearest friends. Anything short of that will be unacceptable to me! The outcome is an eminently readable book; the best compliment is that the first read moistened my eyes.

Bipin and Madhu went so early, leaving indelible memories. So long, dear friends, till we meet again.

Lt Gen. Rakesh Sharma
Former Adjutant-General Gen. Bipin Rawat
Chair of Excellence, USI Distinguished Fellow,
Vivekananda International Foundation

In August 2019, when the nation was commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Operation Vijay, popularly known as the Kargil war, I went to the South Block, Central Secretariat, at Raisina Hill in Delhi, to gift the then Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, a copy of my book Kargil.

Accompanied by my editor Gurveen Chadha and son, Saransh, I stood in the meeting room, with all the twenty-five previous Chiefs of the Indian Army looking down at mestately and dignified, each one of them capable of making authors nervous with their gaze, even if it only came from a portrait on the wall. Two beautiful paintingsmarking Indias two historic war victories, 1971 and Kargil adorned facing walls. We were still looking around when the General walked in, perfectly on time, looking distinguished in his olive-green uniform.

Casual and smiling, he reached out to shake hands with me, with Gurveen and with Saransh, who was then a rebellious teenager and had absolutely refused to get his long hair cut for this meeting, despite repeated calls from his Army officer dad to do so. Manoj was posted in Allahabad those days and was horrified by the thought of his son going to meet his Chief with untidy hair.

I apologized to Gen. Rawat for Saranshs hair, but he just looked at Saransh and inquired, Do you want to join the Army, young man?

No, sir. I want to be a commercial pilot.

This from a boy who belongs to a family that has given generations of soldiers. I cringed.

But Gen. Rawats smile stayed as warm. That is perfectly fine. Not everybody needs to join the Army or keep their hair short. All the best to you, he said, winning over a teenage fan right away.

We had been told that the Chief was following avery tight schedule and could give us just ten minutes, which should be enough for a quick photo shoot, where he would accept a copy of the book from me. Not only did he do that, but he also helpfully suggested that we stand under the painting of soldiers hoisting the national flag on a captured peak in Kargil; and he sat down next to me, looking relaxed and unhurried as he asked questions about the book and the people I had interviewed.