Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani
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Vice Admiral Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani,
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 (29 June 1931 – 1 September 2009) was a former
flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countr ...
in the
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 sig ...
. He served as the
Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) may refer to: *Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (India) *Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (Pakistan) * Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (United Kingdom) The Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (V.C.N.S.) was a senior appoint ...
from 1987 to 1989. Prior to that, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief
Southern Naval Command The Southern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy. It is the Training Command of the Indian Navy. The Command is commanded by a Three Star Fla ...
. He was the Commissioning
Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of the , the lead vessel of the Rajput class destroyers. He was awarded the
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 ...
for gallantry during the
Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decemb ...
. Hiranandani is also credited with the detailed planning of the
Indian Naval Academy The Indian Naval Academy (INA or INA Ezhimala) is the defence service training establishment for officer cadre of the Indian Naval Service and the Indian Coast Guard, located in Ezhimala, Kannur district, Kerala. Situated between Ezhimala h ...
at
Ezhimala Ezhimala, a hill reaching a height of , is located near Payyanur, in Kannur district of Kerala, south India. It is a part of a conspicuous and isolated cluster of hills, forming a promontory, north of Kannur (Cannanore). The Indian Naval Acad ...
and
INS Kadamba INS Kadamba or Naval Base Karwar or Project Seabird is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar in Karnataka. The first phase of construction of the base, code-named ''Project Seabird'', was completed in 2005 and the base was commissioned on 3 ...
in
Karwar Karwar is a seaside city, ''taluka'', and administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district lying at the mouth of the Kali river on the Kanara coast of Karnataka state, India. Karwar is a popular tourist destination and with a city urba ...
, the foundation stones for which were laid during his tenure as flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command. During his tenure all Naval Training was centralized under the southern Naval Command. A brilliant tactician, his work remains pivotal to Indian naval training on maneuvers and operational tactics. After retirement, Hiranandani served on the
Union Public Service Commission The Union Public Service Commission (ISO: ), commonly abbreviated as UPSC, is India's premier central recruitment agency for recruitment of all the Group 'A' officers under Government of India. It is responsible for appointments to and exami ...
. Later, he was appointed the Official Historian of the Indian Navy. He authored three landmark books on Indian naval history, ''Transition to Triumph'', ''Transition to Eminence'' and ''Transition to Guardianship''. These books covered the history of the Indian Navy from 1965 to 2000.


Service career

Hiranandani 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. Fr ...
in 1949. He trained with 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 F ...
, between 1949 and 1953. He underwent specialized training in Gunnery and Missiles in 1957. In 1965, he attended the Naval Staff College at
Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...
. He held a Master's degree in Military Science and a doctorate in Political Science. In 1961, he was appointed the
Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...
of
INS Dronacharya INS Dronacharya is the gunnery school of the Indian Navy. It is located in Kochi, Kerala. It is responsible for training 820 officers and 2100 ratings per year in small-arms, naval missiles, artillery, radar and defensive countermeasures. See a ...
, and was promoted to commander on 30 June 1969. During the
Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decemb ...
, Hiranandani served as the Fleet Operations Officer of the
Western Fleet The Red Sea Fleet Command or officially Western Fleet (WF), also called ''" West Coast Fleet ",'' is a regional naval fleet and one of the two main formations of the Saudi Arabian Navy, with headquarters at Royal Naval Base at Jeddah, Western Pr ...
. In this role, he led the detailed planning and logistics for key naval operations. He was awarded the
Nau Sena Medal Nau Sena Medal (also spelt ''Nao Sena Medal'', 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 approval of the Presid ...
for his role in planning and implementing of Operation Trident and
Operation Python Operation Python, a follow-up to Operation Trident, was the code name of a naval attack launched on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After the first attack during Operation Trid ...
. Hiranandani served as the Deputy Director Weapons policy & tactics (1968-1970) where he was instrumental in the acquisition of the Missile boats used in Operation Python & Operation Trident. He developed the tactics on how to deploy them in War. During his Tenure as Commanding officer INS TIR (1970-1971) he developed & tested methods of towing the short range missile boats from Vizag in Bombay in heavy seas during the monsoon of 1971. These techniques were then used to tow the missile boats near Karachi harbour to be used as Missile delivery Vehicles with devastating effect. He was appointed the Director of Combat Policy and Tactics (DCPT), serving from 1974 to 1977. He was a deep thinker and brilliant tactician. His work on naval strategy remains the basis for much of the tactical training and operational maneuvers of the Indian Navy. He was awarded the
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal 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 ...
(AVSM) for this contribution. Hiranandani was promoted substantive captain on 1 January 1976. In 1980, he commissioned , the lead vessel of the Rajput class destroyers as its first Commanding Officer.


Flag rank

Hiranandani was appointed the Chief of Staff of the
Western Naval Command The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the A ...
in 1981, with promotion to rear admiral on 7 May 1981. Promoted Vice Admiral on 30 June 1983, he was appointed the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff the same year. During this time he laid the foundation for the Project 15 Class of Stealth Guided Missile destroyers. He worked in close co-ordination with the DRDO & Bharat Electricals to indigenously design the electronics and Missile systems required for our new Warships. He was instrumental in putting together a long ship building plan which gave The Indian Navy the capability to be self sufficient in building its own up to date warships and missiles. In 1985, Hiranandani was appointed the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the
Southern Naval Command The Southern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy. It is the Training Command of the Indian Navy. The Command is commanded by a Three Star Fla ...
. During his tenure in this office, he led the detailed planning for the development of the
Indian Naval Academy The Indian Naval Academy (INA or INA Ezhimala) is the defence service training establishment for officer cadre of the Indian Naval Service and the Indian Coast Guard, located in Ezhimala, Kannur district, Kerala. Situated between Ezhimala h ...
at
Ezhimala Ezhimala, a hill reaching a height of , is located near Payyanur, in Kannur district of Kerala, south India. It is a part of a conspicuous and isolated cluster of hills, forming a promontory, north of Kannur (Cannanore). The Indian Naval Acad ...
,
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. He was also involved in the planning of
INS Kadamba INS Kadamba or Naval Base Karwar or Project Seabird is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar in Karnataka. The first phase of construction of the base, code-named ''Project Seabird'', was completed in 2005 and the base was commissioned on 3 ...
in
Karwar Karwar is a seaside city, ''taluka'', and administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district lying at the mouth of the Kali river on the Kanara coast of Karnataka state, India. Karwar is a popular tourist destination and with a city urba ...
,
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. He was instrumental in persuading the Chief Ministers of Kerala and Karnataka to transfer the land for these massive projects to the navy. He was awarded 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 ...
(PVSM) for these contributions. In 1987, he was appointed the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS). While serving as the VCNS, he was involved in Operation Cactus - 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt. He was the officiating CNS on 3rd November 1988 when the operation was launched as the CNS was out of the country. He was part of the apex level planning of the operation, in which several warships of the Indian Navy participated. Hiranandani retired from active service in the Indian Navy in 1989.


Later contributions

After retirement from the Navy, Hiranandani served as a member of the
Union Public Service Commission The Union Public Service Commission (ISO: ), commonly abbreviated as UPSC, is India's premier central recruitment agency for recruitment of all the Group 'A' officers under Government of India. It is responsible for appointments to and exami ...
for six years between 1989 and 1995. He retired as the commission's Acting Chairman. In 1995, he was appointed the ''Official Historian of the Indian Navy''. He authored a trilogy on the history of the Indian Navy. ''Transition to Triumph'' covering the period between 1965 and 1975 was published in 1999. ''Transition to Eminence'' captures naval history between 1976 and 1990 was published in 2004. ''Transition to Guardianship'' covers the history of the navy between 1991 and 2000 and was completed just before his death. It was released on Navy Day, 4 December 2009. Hiranandani also wrote a number of analytical reports on a maritime security and strategic issues. and analysis reports.


Personal life

Hiranandani was married to Susheel Hiranandani. His son is a physician and his daughter,
Meera Sanyal Meera Sanyal (née Hiranandani; 15 October 1961 – 11 January 2019) was an Indian banker and politician. She served as CEO and chairperson of the Royal Bank of Scotland in India. The daughter of a highly decorated Naval officer, Vice Admiral Gu ...
, was a banker and civil society activist.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiranandani, Gulab Mohanlal 1931 births 2009 deaths Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Deputy Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Indian Navy admirals Sindhi people Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Nau Sena Medal