Kodandera
"Kipper" Madappa Cariappa (28 January 1899 – 15 May 1993) was the first
Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces
on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.
KM
Cariappa lived and remained, as he said, "an Indian and to the last
breath would remain an Indian. To me there is only two Stans - Hindustan
(India) and Foujistan (the Army)."
During the
1965 war, his son K C Cariappa, an Indian Air Force pilot, was shot
down over Pakistan by Army officer Major Zaidi. He was captured and
imprisoned as a POW by him. On realizing the identity of the wounded
soldier at Dargil, Radio Pakistan immediately announced the safe capture
of Flt. Lt K.C.Cariappa. Gen Ayub Khan, who was the former colleague of
General Cariappa before the 1947 Partition. Gen Ayub Khan then
contacted Field Marshal Cariappa, who was living a retired life at
Mercara, his hometown, with
information about his son's safety.
When Gen. Khan offered to release his son immediately, Field Marshal is
reported to have scoffed at the idea and told him to give his son no
better treatment than any other POW. "He is my son no longer." the old
Soldier is reported to have thundered. "He is the child of this country,
a
soldier fighting for his motherland like a true patriot. My many
thanks for your kind gesture, but I request you to release all or
release none. Give him no special treatment," the Field Marshal is
reported to have said
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