Former Commandants
Lt Gen K Bahadur Singh
MBE
Lt Gen K Bahadur Singh, MBE was
appointed the first Commandant of NDC in
October 1959. After doing his schooling at
Prince of Wales Royal Military College at
Dehradun he joined Royal Military College
Sandhurst and was commissioned on 31 January
1931 into 2 Highland Light Infantary at Kanpur.
During Second World War he became Japanese
prisoner of war after the fall of Singapore. He
received MBE at the end of war. In 1951, 190
Infantary Brigade was raised and commanded
by him. As Maj Gen he commanded 5 & 4
Infantary Divisions. His last appointment was
as Army Commander Central Command.
In 1967 he was appointed Lt Governor of
Himachal Pradesh.
V Adm AK Chatterji
V Adm AK Chatterji Born in 1914, he entered the Royal Indian
Navy in 1933 as one of the first cadet -entry
officers. Being qualified as an anti-submarine
specialist he saw active service afloat in the
Second World War in the Atlantic and Indian
oceans. In 1950 he commanded INS Delhi (the
erstwhile HMS Achiles of the Battle of River
Plate Fame) in the rank of Captain. He became
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff in February 1958.
In January 1964 in the rank of Vice Admiral
he assumed the appointment of Commandant
National Defence College. On his promotion to
the rank of Admiral he took over as Chief of
Naval Staff on 01 March 1968.
Air Marshal R Rajaram
DFC
Air Marshal R Rajaram,
DFC took over the
reins of the College from Vice Admiral AK
Chatterji on 16 January 1966. He had joined
the College at its inception, and had been
one of the first Senior Directing Staff with
the 1st course. A distinguished pilot, Air
Marshal R Rajaram brought to bear upon his
appointment the rich experience of field and
staff assignments. His tenure lasted less than
a year, and saw the unfortunate cancellation
of the Foreign Countries Tour due to financial
constraints post the Indo-Pak War 1965 and
the famine. He remained as the Commandant till
December 1966.
Lt Gen MM Khanna
MVC
Lt Gen MM Khanna,
MVC Lt Gen MM Khanna took over as the
Commandant on 21 December 1966. A
highly decorated and distinguished soldier, he
was the recipient of the Mahavir Chakra, the
second highest decoration for gallantry on the
battlefield. A forceful and dynamic personality,
he was an exemplary leader. He was particular
about the levels of analysis by the course
members. The papers and theses written by
the course members were well received by the
ministries. Lt Gen MM Khanna remained as the
Commandant till November 1968.
V Adm SN Kohli
Padma Bhushan, PVSM
V Adm SN Kohli,
Padma Bhushan, PVSM Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli assumed
charge of the NDC as the Commandant on 04
January 1969. Born on 21 June 1916 he was
educated at St Stephen’s College Delhi and then
joined Royal Indian Navy on 25 June 1938. He
was deputed to the United Kingdom in December
1948 in connection with acquisition of destroyers.
As Rear Admiral he commanded the Indian Fleet
from 1967 to 1969. During the 1971 Indo - Pak
War, as FOC-in-C Western Naval Fleet he was
responsible for all naval operations and defence
of western coastline. He was awarded Padma
Bhushan for “Demonstrating exceptional ability,
sagacity and fortitude in putting into effect the
several plans for the defence of our harbours
and coastline”. He took over as the Chief of the
Naval Staff on 23 February 1973.
Air Marshal H Moolgavkar
PVSM, MVC
Air Marshal H Moolgavkar,
PVSM, MVC took over as the Commandant of the National
Defence College on 1 April 1971. He had joined
the Indian Air Force in 1940 during the Second
World War and had flown substantial number
of operational sorties against the Japanese,
flying Spitfires and Hurricanes. In 1947-48 he
commanded Number 1 (Operational) Wing in
Jammu and Kashmir, and led numerous fighterbomber
missions in operations. He personally
led the air attacks on the Domel bridge in the
Uri Sector, and later on the Pakistani gun areas
in Uri. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for
his gallantry. He later rose to head the Central
and then the Western Air Command before
becoming the Chief of the Air Staff in 1976.
Lt Gen MN Batra
PVSM
Lt Gen MN Batra,
PVSM took over the reins of
the College from Air Marshal H Moolgavkar
on 1 April 1973 and stayed at the helm till 26
December 1974. Lt Gen MN Batra had started
his service career with the Corps of Signals. He
thereafter shifted to the Intelligence Corps. He
had attended the 1st NDC course. From 1961 to
1971 he held prestigious assignments including
Director General of Military Intelligence. He
was thereafter posted to the National Defence
College as the Senior Directing Staff (Army). He
was instrumental for inducting Naval personnel
to run the National Defence College Officers’
Mess which hither-to-before was being run by
a civil contractor, which changed the traditions
and functioning of the College for the better.
V Adm SH Sharma
PVSM
V Adm SH Sharma,
PVSM took over as the
Commandant NDC on 8 January 1975 and was
in the chair till 6 January 1977. He had played a
prominent role during the Indo-Pak War 1971 as
Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Fleet. The
Fleet had sunk the Pakistani submarine Ghazi. Its
aircraft carrier battle group had blockaded East
Pakistan and had launched highly effective air attacks
to put down the Pakistani airfield at Chittagong and
interdict the riverine traffic. Subsequently it had
launched a brigade-sized amphibious operation at
Cox’s Bazaar to prevent the escape of the Pakistani
army via the sea. He had been the Senior Directing
Staff (Navy) at the National Defence College in
1970. After his tenure as Commandant, NDC he
went on to become the FOC-in-C of the Eastern
Naval Command.
Air Marshal R Rajaram
DFC
Air Marshal R Rajaram,
DFC took over the
reins of the College from Vice Admiral AK
Chatterji on 16 January 1966. He had joined
the College at its inception, and had been
one of the first Senior Directing Staff with
the 1st course. A distinguished pilot, Air
Marshal R Rajaram brought to bear upon his
appointment the rich experience of field and
staff assignments. His tenure lasted less than
a year, and saw the unfortunate cancellation
of the Foreign Countries Tour due to financial
constraints post the Indo-Pak War 1965 and
the famine. He remained as the Commandant till
December 1966.
Lt Gen WAG Pinto
PVSM
Lt Gen WAG Pinto,
PVSM Lt Gen WAG Pinto, was an intellectual and
a flamboyant personality, a combat veteran
who participated in the Indian offensive into
the Shakargarh Bulge as the General Officer
Commanding 54 Infantry Division during the
Indo-Pak War 1971. He used to wear a floppy
beret with several badges, quite like Field Marshal
Montgomery. He had been Chief Instructor
(Army) at the Defence Services Staff College,
President of Services Sports Control Board
and the Vice President of the Indian Hockey
Federation. He was also a member of the Indian
Olympic Committee. After his tenure with the
National Defence College, he got promoted
and became the Army Commander of Central
Command. He was at the helm of the College
from 2 January 1979 to 30 January 1980.
Air Marshal DG Kinglee
PVSM, AVSM
Air Marshal DG Kinglee, PVSM, AVSM was succeeded by Air
Marshal DG King-Lee on 10 September 1980.
Air Marshal King-Lee was a fighter pilot. He
had led the No. 8 and 9 Squadrons in the
North Western Frontier Province. He had been
an Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station
Gwalior and thereafter Air Advisor in the Indian
High Commission at Dacca for five years. He
subsequently became Air Officer Commanding
J&K. He was Senior Air Staff Officer at the Training
Command before taking up his assignment at the
National Defence College. He remained as the
Commandant till August 1982. He went on to
head the Eastern Air Command as its Air Officer
Commanding-in-Chief.
V Adm RV Aarte
AVSM
Vice Admiral Aarte, AVSM took over the reins
of the College on 1 September 1982 and
remained at the helm till 31 August 1984. He
was commissioned into the Navy in 1950 in
the Executive Branch, and had been a Logistics
Officer and Assistant Chief of Personnel. He
retired as the Chief of Logistics in November
1985.
Vice Admiral Aarte took up a case for
inclusion of a course member from the USA.
He felt that having US course member at the
National Defence College would allow better
interaction at the international level. Shri MK
Rasgotra, the then Foreign Secretary agreed
to the suggestion, and thus the course was
subscribed by an US Officer who joined the
25th Course.
Lt Gen Himmeth Singh
PVSM
Lt Gen Himmeth Singh, PVSM of the Brigade
of the Guards was an intellectual who wrote
extensively on security issues. He had seen front
line service during Sino-Indo Conflict 1962,
and Indo-Pak War 1965 and 1971. He had
served earlier at the College of Combat. Lt Gen
Himmeth Singh took over as the Commandant
on 1 September 1984 and was in the chair till
30 June 1986. He oversaw the 24th, 25th, and
26th National Defence College Course. He
was instrumental for the majestic conduct of
the Silver Jubilee Celebration of NDC. He also
introduced many new concepts for instructions
in the College.
Air Marshal PK Puri
AVSM, VSM
Air Marshal PK Puri, AVSM, VSM took over from Lt Gen
Himmeth Singh on 5 July 1986 and remained
at the helm till 31 August 1988. He was from
the flying branch of the Indian Air Force, and
earlier served with No. 10, 11 and 13 IAF
Squadrons. He had been a Directing Staff at
the College of Air Warfare and Head of Faculty
at the College of Defence Management and
later rose to be the Commandant of the same
institution. He had a rich exposure to high level
Defence Planning as the Staff Officer (Air) at
the Cabinet Secretariat (Military Wing), and
later functioned as the Secretary of the Chiefs
of Staff Committee. He went on to be the Senior
Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Maintenance
Command and later the Air Officer Personnel
at the Air Headquarters.
V Adm SP Govil
PVSM, AVSM
Vice Admiral SP Govil, PVSM, AVSM was in the saddle
of the College from 1 September 1988 till
25 September 1990. An officer from the
executive branch, he had commanded INS
Ganga, INS Talwar and INS Dunagiri. He
had been the Chief of Staff, Western Naval
Command and Fleet Commander Eastern
Fleet. As a Vice Admiral, he was one of the
first Fortress Commanders of the Andaman
and Nicobar group of islands. After his tenure
as Commandant of the College, he went on
to become the Flag Officer Commanding-in-
Chief of a Naval Command and thereafter Vice
Chief of the Naval Staff.
Lt Gen KS Khajuria
PVSM
Lt Gen KS Khajuria, PVSM assumed the office
of the Commandant of the College on 26
September 1990, and was at the helm till 30
June 1992. Thus he oversaw the 30th, 31st and
32nd Course during his tenure. Lt Gen Khajuria
was commissioned in the Armoured Corps
and had been the Director General of Military
Intelligence during the critical period of the
Sri Lanka peace-keeping operations. He was a
soft-spoken man of considerable erudition and
scholarship. During his tenure the College was
visited by quite a few foreign delegations from
France, South Korea, UK, Bangladesh, Vietnam
and China.
Air Marshal S Kulkarni
PVSM, VM
Air Marshal S Kulkarni, PVSM, VM assumed the
office of the Commandant of the National
Defence College on 1 July 1992 and remained
till January 1995. He had been a Directing
Staff at the Defence Services Staff College,
and Commandant of the College of Defence
Management, Secunderabad. The British
officer of the course, Brig MJ Strudwick has
made a observation that one of the first acts
of Air Marshal S Kulkarni on assuming charge
as the Commandant was to readjust his chair in
the auditorium so that he could see both the
speaker and the course members. He was an
officer from the Flying Branch (Navigation) and
had commanded Air Force Stations at Begumpet
and Tambaram.
V Adm Vinod Pasricha
PVSM, AVSM, NM
Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha, PVSM, AVSM, NM took over
the reins of the National Defence College on 5
January 1995 and stayed on till 31 December
1996. A Naval Aviator, he had commanded
INS Kiltan and Vindhyagiri, and was the
Commissioning Commanding Officer of INS
Viraat, the India’s only aircraft carrier. He
had attended the 29th Course and had been
Director Naval Air Staff and Assistant Chief
of Naval Staff (Air) in the Naval Headquarters.
Prior to being the Commandant of National
Defence College, he had been Flag Officer
Commanding, Maharashtra and Gujarat Area
and then the Goa Naval Area. After his stint at
the College, he went on to become the Deputy
Chief of Naval Staff and then the FOC-in-C of
the Eastern Command and thereafter of the
Western Naval Command.
Lt Gen SRR Aiyengar
PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Lt Gen SRR Aiyengar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM took over from Vice
Admiral Vinod Pasricha on 1 January 1997 and
was in the saddle till 15 April 1999. He thus
oversaw the 37th, 38th and part of the 39th
Course. Lt Gen SRR Aiyengar was from the
Corps of Signals. He had been an instructor
and later Commandant at the Defence Services
Staff College, Chief Signal Officer of a Strike
Corps and Additional Director General in
the Complaint Advisory Board in the Chief
of the Army Staff Secretariat. He had been
Commandant of the Military College of
Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow prior
to joining the College as Commandant.
Air Marshal VG Kumar
PVSM, AVSM, VM
Air Marshal VG Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VM took over the reins
of the College from Lt Gen SRR Aiyengar on 16
April 1999 and continued at the helm for nearly
two years till 31 March 2001. He was a pilot from
the transport stream. He had been a Directing
Staff at the Defence Services Staff College
and had commanded the Air Headquarters
Communication Squadron. He was subsequently
Director Operations (Transport and Maritime)
in the Air Headquarters and then Indian Air
Attaché in the USA. On promotion to Air
Marshal he became Senior Air Staff Officer of
Central Air Command and was thereafter the
Director General Defence Planning Staff.
V Adm Yashwant Prasad
PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Vice Admiral Yashwant Prasad took over as
the Commandant of the College on 1 April 2001
and continued at the helm till 30 December
2002. Vice Admiral Yashwant Prasad was a
Naval Aviator who had commanded the aircraft
carrier INS Viraat, the INS Ranvir and Frigate
Brahmaputra. He had been the Assistant Chief
of Naval Staff (Operations), Flag Officer Naval
Aviation, Flag Officer Goa Area and then the
Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet. He had
done the Command and General Staff Course
from the Vorishilov General Staff Academy at
Moscow. Vice Admiral Yashwant Prasad went
on to become the Flag Officer Commanding-in-
Chief, Southern Naval Command and thereafter
the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
Lt Gen SS Chahal
PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Lt Gen SS Chahal took over from Vice
Admiral Yashwant Prasad on 31 December
2002 and was in chair till 30 June 2004. He had
been the Director General Military Operations
during Operation Parakram. He was a stern
disciplinarian. Lt Gen Chahal had been the
General Officer Commanding of 25 Infantry
Division. A key highlight of Lt Gen Chahal’s
tenure was the hosting of the 7th Meeting of the
National Defence Universities and Colleges of
the ASEAN Regional Forum by the NDC. It was
a mammoth event superbly choreographed and
hosted at the Taj Palace Hotel. 41 delegations
from the National Defence University/National
Defence Colleges of 18 of the 23 ASEAN
Regional Forum countries attended the event.
Lt Gen Tej Pathak
AVSM, YSM**
Lt Gen Tej Pathak took over from Lt Gen
SS Chahal on 1 July 2004 and remained as the
Commandant till 31 December 2004. Lt Gen Tej
Pathak was from the Para (Special Forces). He
had been the Commanding Officer of the 9 Para
(Commando) battalion and had commanded 10
Infantry Division and a Strike Corps. He had a
short but a eventful tenure as the Commandant
National Defence College, and thereafter went
on to be the Director General of the Rashtriya
Rifles.
Air Marshal PP Raj Kumar
PVSM, AVSM
Air Marshal PP Raj Kumar took over the
reins of the National Defence College on
1 January 2005 and was in the chair till 1
December 2006. He was a veteran helicopter
pilot. He had flown 12 different types of
helicopters and aircraft. He had commanded
a MI-8 helicopter unit in Sri Lanka and later
the Air Force Station, Vadodara. He had been
the Deputy Commandant at the National
Defence Academy before taking over as the
Commandant of the National Defence College.
Air Marshal Rajkumar went on to become the
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Andaman
& Nicobar Command and then the Air Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command.
V Adm Pradeep Kaushiva
UYSM, VSM
Vice Admiral Pradeep Kaushiva assumed
the office of Commandant National Defence
College on 2 December 2006 and stayed at
the helm till 30 September 2007. He had been
Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor of
the National Defence Academy. Commissioned
in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy
in January 1968, Vice Admiral Kaushiva had
specialized in Signals Communication and
Information Warfare. He had commanded the
Missile Boat INS Veer, Offshore Patrol Vessel
Vijaya and the Guided Missile Frigate Ganga.
He had been the Fleet Communication Officer
of the Western Fleet and Fleet Operation
Officer of the Eastern Fleet. He had also been
the Director of Naval Operations.
V Adm Sanjeev Bhasin
PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin took over
the reins of the National Defence College on
1 October 2007 and was in the saddle till 31
December 2008. He attended the 38th NDC
Course. He had the distinction of commissioning
Missile Corvette INS Khukri and Guided Missile
Destroyer INS Mumbai as the Ship Captain. He
became a Vice Admiral in November 2006 and
was Director General Project Seabird which
was responsible for establishment of the Karwar
Naval Base. He thereafter became Deputy
Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (Doctrine,
Organisation and Training) at the Headquarters
Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence.
Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin went on to become
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western
Naval Command.
Lt Gen Prakash Menon
AVSM, VSM
Lt Gen Prakash Menon took over the
command of the National Defence College on 1
January 2009. He had an M.Phil and Ph.D from
the Madras University. His Ph.D thesis subject
was ‘Limited War and Nuclear Deterrence
in the Indo-Pak Context’. He commanded
an infantry brigade in North Kashmir and a
Counter Insurgency Force in South Kashmir. An
alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College
and College of Higher Defence Management,
he was Secretary of the NDC from 6 December
2004 to 17 June 2005. The Golden Jubilee
celebrations of the College were held under
his stewardship. From the NDC he moved on
as Military Advisor to the National Security
Council Secretariat.
Air Marshal PK Roy
AVSM VM VSM
Air Marshal PK Roy took over the reins
of the college on 01 Jan 2011. Being an ace
helicopter pilot he has flying experience of
4500 hrs on various types of helicopters. He
has commanded a Helicopter unit, Air Force
Station Thoise and Air Force Station New
Delhi.He has served as the Military and Air
Attache in the Indian Embassy at Ukraine.
He has also held the appointments of Senior
Officer in Charge Administration at HQ Eastern
Air Command and Assistant Chief of Air Staff
(Personnel Airmen and Civilians) at Air HQ. He
is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College,
Wellington, Higher Air Command Course at
College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad and an
alumnus of National Defence College, New
Delhi.
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba
AVSM
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba
Commissioned on January 1, 1978, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba is a Navigation and Direction Specialist. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, College of Defence Management and the Royal College of Defence Studies, London.He has commanded four ships including a Minesweeper-INS Kakinada, a Frigate-INS Himgiri and Destroyers-INS Ranvijay and INS Mumbai.The Admiral has held various important appointments including that of the Directing Staff at the College of Defence Management, Secundrabad, Fleet Operatons Officer, Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Special Patrol Vessels & Alternate Operating Bases (APV & FOB), COS, Southern Naval Command, FOST, FOC Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area and COS, Eastern Naval Command prior to taking over as Comdt, NDC.
Lt Gen NS Ghei
PVSM**, ADC
Lt Gen NS Ghei was commissioned in parachute Regiment. He commanded a parachute Battallion in OP MEGHDOOT/OP VIJAY, the Parachute Brigade, a Mountain Division in Counter Terrorism and a Corps on the Western front. He had a long tenure of two and half years as Commandant, Nation Defence College and under his tutelage the NDC evolved into an icon of excellence where he brought about constructive changes in the training curriculum. The 20th ARF, HDUCIM was conducted by NDC under his able leadership.
Lt Gen YVK Mohan
SM, VSM
Lt Gen YVK Mohan was commissioned in 11 Gorkha Regiment on 19 Dec 1981. He commanded the Battalion in OP MEGHDOOT,a Infantry Brigade in High Altitude Area and a Mountain Division on the Northern Borders. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the Royal College of Defence Studies, London. He held various important appointments including Directing staff at NDA, Khadakwasla, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, AMA at Indian Embassy, Nepal, DACIDS (AFTI) and ACIDS (Jt Ops) of HQ IDS before taking over as Commandant NDC. His tenure as Commandant NDC he brought fresh perspective and methodical approach not only in training curriculum but college administration as well.