Laxminarayan Ramdas

Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC (5 September 1933 – 15 March 2024) was an Indian naval officer who was a flag officer of the Indian Navy. Ramdas first served in the Indian Navy in 1953, before being promoted as a flag lieutenant to Ram Dass Katari, the first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral. In the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, he was involved in a naval blockade of East Pakistan, hindering attempts to evacuate 93,000 troops and leading to East Pakistan's surrender. During his service in the military confrontation, he was awarded the Vir Chakra. Ramdas later served as the 13th Chief of Naval Staff from 1990 to 1993.

Early life and education
Laxminarayan Ramdas was born on 5 September 1933 into a Tamil Brahmin family. He grew up in Matunga in Mumbai. He attended the Cambridge School Srinivaspuri in Delhi. After passing his Senior Cambridge, Ramdas joined the 1st course of the Joint Services Wing (JSW) in Dehradun in January 1949. He was part of 'B' squadron of 4 Division. The JSW later moved to Khadakwasla in Pune and was christened the National Defence Academy in 1954.

Career
Ramdas was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 September 1953, with seniority as a sub-lieutenant from the same date. He then attended the Royal Naval College, Greenwich from December 1953 to May 1955, where he trained as a communication specialist.

After his return to India, he was promoted to lieutenant on 16 August 1955. He then served as the Flag lieutenant to the first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Ram Dass Katari.

Ramdas was promoted to lieutenant-commander on 16 August 1963. Ramdas was promoted to Commander on 30 June 1969; he was appointed the first Officer-in-charge Naval Academy. He went on to establish and head the Naval Academy in Kochi, Kerala, for which he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 1971. The Naval Academy moved to Goa in 1986 and to Ezhimala in Kerala in 2009 as the Indian Naval Academy.



Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, as part of the newly formed Eastern Fleet, whilst in command of INS Beas, Admiral Ramdas took part in the most effective naval blockade of East Pakistan which frustrated Pakistan's attempt to evacuate 93,000 of their troops who eventually surrendered to the Indian Forces. INS Beas also captured a large number of ships carrying contraband to East Pakistan, bombarded Cox's Bazar and took part in the landing and other operations in an area which had been mined. He was awarded the Vir Chakra, the third-highest gallantry award.

The citation for the Vir Chakra reads as follows:

Post-war career
After the war, Ramdas commanded a Patrol Vessel Squadron in the Indian Navy. He later served as Naval Attaché in Germany for three years, and was promoted to captain on 1 July 1976.

Flag rank
Ramdas was promoted to acting Rear Admiral 7 April 1981 (substantive from 1 June 1981) and took over as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) at NHQ. On 29 June 1983, he was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF), and also took command of the Eastern Fleet.

Ramdas was promoted to Vice Admiral on 1 April 1985 and appointed Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition (CWP&A). On 20 February 1986, he took over as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DNCS). After an eighteen-month stint as DCNS, Ramdas was appointed Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command. He took command from Vice Admiral Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani at Kochi. In February 1989, he moved to Vizag as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command. On 26 January 1989, he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. He was at the helm of the Eastern Naval Command for about twenty months.

Chief of Naval Staff
Ramdas was appointed the next Chief of the Naval Staff, succeeding Admiral Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni. He took over as CNS on 30 November 1990. The Chief of the Army Staff was General Sunith Francis Rodrigues. On 1 August 1991, Air Chief Marshal Nirmal Chandra Suri took over as the Chief of the Air Staff. All the three service chiefs were from the same course, the 1st JSW, a first in India. On 30 June 1993, with the superannuation of General S. F. Rodrigues, Ramdas took over as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

Personal life
Ramdas was married to Lalita Ramdas (née Katari), daughter of Admiral Ram Dass Katari, the first Indian Chief of Naval Staff. He was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party and served as the party's internal lokpal. His younger daughter, Kavita Ramdas, is the senior advisor to the President of the Ford Foundation and had previously served for many years as country representative of the Ford Foundation in India. Kavita Ramdas is married to Zulfiqar Ahmad, a Pakistani national who is a peace activist.

Retirement
After retirement, Ramdas took up residence at Alibag. He together with his wife, then devoted themselves to a variety of humanitarian causes.

The couple also intervened in military matters. They were part of the group which filed a PIL in the Supreme Court of India against the appointment of the then Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh for the post of Chief of Army Staff.

The couple opposed the establishment of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu. For his efforts to demilitarise and denuclearize South Asia, and his efforts to prevent the building of the Kudankulam reactor, Ramdas was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for peace in 2004.

Ramdas died on 15 March 2024, at the age of 90.