Admiral Jayant Ganpat ''"Podgy"'' Nadkarni,

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...

, NM, VSM,

ADC ADC may refer to: Science and medicine * ADC (gene), a human gene * AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS * Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer * Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...

(5 December 1931 – 2 July 2018) was an

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

Admiral who served as the 13th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 1 December 1987 to 30 November 1990.

Early life and education

Nadkarni was born on 5 December 1931. He was a graduate of the

Defence Services Staff College , motto_lang = sa , mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom'' , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali) , type = Defence Service Training Institute , affiliation = , endowment = , administrative_staff = , faculty = , pres ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

and the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

Naval career

Nadkarni completed training at ''TS Dufferin'' and joined the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. F ...

in March 1949. He received his basic training at

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

, on the training cruiser and at other establishments of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. He specialized in navigation and direction. Commissioned on 1 September 1951, he was confirmed as a sub-lieutenant on 16 May 1953. Promoted to lieutenant-commander on 16 May 1961, Nadkarni was the Navigating Officer of Cruiser INS Delhi during Liberation of Goa operations. Promoted to commander on 30 June 1967, he served as the commanding officer of and . He was promoted to captain on 30 June 1973. His service ashore included Chief Instructor (Navy) at

, Wellington and Chief Instructor Navy at the National Defence College.

Flag rank

As a Rear Admiral, he was appointed the

Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Western Fleet, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The FOCWF is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The appointment is conside ...

(FOCWF) on 30 May 1981. He subsequently was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Chief of Personnel at Naval Headquarters (NHQ). He also served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C), Eastern Naval Command before being appointed the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS). On 1 December 1987, he took command as the 14th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) until his retirement on 30 November 1990.

Awards and decorations

Nadkarni was a recipient of the

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal,

Nausena Medal Nau Sena Medal (also spelt ''Nao Sena Medal'', Literal translation, lit. ''Navy Medal'') is a gallantry award for servicemen in the Indian Navy. History The Nao Sena Medal was instituted on 26 January 1960 by the Government of India, with the ap ...

and the

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize exc ...

for his distinguished service.

Personal life and death

Nadkarni married Vimal Divekar in 1956. The couple had two sons, one of whom is the retired Rear Admiral Ravindra Jayant Nadkarni. Nadkarni died on 2 July 2018 at ''INHS Asvini'', aged 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nadkarni, Jayant Ganpat 1931 births 2018 deaths Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Flag Officers Commanding Western Fleet Indian Navy admirals Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Chiefs of Personnel (India) Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Nau Sena Medal Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal Academic staff of the National Defence College, India