Admiral Ramdas, a war hero of the 1971 Pak war, recently passed away. Despite being an Admiral of the Indian Navy, his demise did not receive much attention in the media. The Times of India of Hyderabad only had one photo of his coffin on Page 8, and online journals only published his obituary. Shouldn't someone of his stature deserve a better farewell than this?
Or does he?
The complexity of Admiral Ramdas's years of duty in the Indian Navy and his post-retirement behavior is so confusing one wonders if he was dealing with a split personality disorder. The fall from the graces was spectacular and complete. The man who swore to protect his country decided to harm it post-retirement. Let's look at the positives first. Admiral Ramdas was brave and rose through the ranks of the Indian Navy rapidly. His exceptional track record had earned him numerous bravery medals, making him a true hero. He was awarded Vir Chakra during the 1971 war against Pakistan. The award is the third-highest wartime bravery medal. Admiral Ramdas was married to the daughter of an Indian Navy Admiral as well. His father-in-law was the first naval chief of the Indian navy post-independence. Admiral Ramdas was a 'blue-blooded' seaman whom India should be proud of. He should have been a role model for youngsters. Instead, the local newspaper relegated his sad demise to the back pages, with the current ruling establishment virtually boycotting the event. Online news sections of some newspapers did carry the obituary. Some, like The Wire, wrote an eulogy. Admiral Ramdas' life in retirement was a complete contrast to his exemplary service in the armed forces.
It is not uncommon to see veterans come into politics. We even had military chiefs such as General V. K. Singh becoming Lok Sabha M.P. We have had retired Air Force chiefs such as Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif getting selected for Governorship of the States and even serving as an ambassador to other nations. However, by and large, former army heads retire quietly. They publish books, give talks, and, I am sure, behind the scenes, get consulted by the Government of India. But they stay out of the public eye.
Admiral L. Ramdas charted an entirely new path - he became an activist. In India, especially during the decade of 2000, an 'activist' was a ghoulish ideological mixture of 'a serial opposer,' a borderline anti-national, a stooge for a foreign country or a foreign NGO, or a pawn for ruling disposition. We have had a variety of such activists in the last two decades. The UPA government of 2004-2014 provided moist ground for these creatures to thrive. Sometimes, it took time for citizens to discern whether the government was implementing its policies or opposing them through so-called activists. Admiral Ramdas can be considered a pioneer of this new-age activist breed. Admiral L. Ramdas was a self-proclaimed peace activist. These people will oppose everything and anything that can help the economy, society, or environment in any way, shape, or form. The peace activists in India also have an added distinction. This tribe opposes Indian interests and loves Pakistan. They hate Hindus and love Islamists.
Among his other post-retirement achievements, he stridently opposed the Indo-US nuclear deal because, per him, war is not the answer. Perhaps. But the deal was a civil pact, and it was a critical geo-political move to get the updated technology with acknowledgment of the right to have nuclear weapons (India has not signed NPT). The nuclear pact was about India finally arriving on a Nuclear stage. It was a necessary step from an energy security perspective; it was necessary from a geo-political perspective. But Admiral Ramdas wasn't going to have none of it. Nuclear energy was a disaster in waiting from his viewpoint. He also babbled that India's energy needs can be fulfilled by conventional fuel, completely disregarding the fact that traditional fuel has impacted India's environment and has tied our foreign policy in knots. He was one of the 'luminaries' spearheading the protest against the Nuclear power plant at Kundankulam, Tamilnadu. The demonstration was financed by local churches, which received significant funds from foreign NGOs. Even former Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh called out the role of NGOs in instigating the protest. Admiral Ramdas was happy to be in cahoots with these shady, anti-social elements.
But what if the energy-related development is not related to nuclear energy? Well, Admiral and his wife had that covered. They actively joined the so-called protest against the Narmada dam. After completion, the dam provided water to reach the far reaches of Gujrat state. Yet, Admiral Ramdas decided to throw his lot against this project. A point worth noting is that the Supreme Court of India approved both energy projects. The pattern looks evident. If there's developmental work, something that will have a long-lasting positive impact on India's growth, this man can be depended on to oppose it. He also agreed to head the Ford Foundation, a notoriously shady organization accused of fomenting trouble in India. Any high-level government officer would not lead a foreign organization. But it felt like Admiral Ramdas wanted to troll his past achievements. Despite leading the armed forces during his career, he agreed to head the Ford Foundation, a notoriously shady organization accused of fomenting trouble in India.
Admiral Ramdas wasn't just about opposing big-ticket projects. He had protested or opposed some eclectic happenings as well. For example, he opposed and filed a PIL in the Supreme Court against the Government of India appointing Lt. General Bikram Singh as chief of the army, i.e., he asked the executive branch of the governance not to execute their duties. In his opinion, similar to a Supreme Court verdict against the government's appointment of a Chief Vigilance Officer (CVC) due to concerns about the integrity of the appointee, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh cannot be appointed as Chief of the Army. Now, there were no probity concerns against Lt. General here. He was involved in army encounters during his service, which was unacceptable per Admiral Ramdas. In short, he was against a soldier for doing the soldier's duties since that was against the principles of peace! I would bet a hundred rupees if you could show me something more misplaced and delusional than this.
He was always supported by, and sometimes, his shenanigans were led by, his wife, who, as I mentioned earlier, was the daughter of an Admiral herself. As if this weird family dynamic was insufficient, Admiral Ramdas's daughter, Kavita Ramdas, married a Pakistani 'peace' activist! The daughter of an Admiral of the Indian Navy married a Pakistani!
As an aside, Kavita joined the Aam Aadmi Party and went 'legitimate' in opposing India's interest!
Don't let any eulogies fool you into believing who Admiral Ramdas really was. He was a soldier with a compromised ideology, a leader with misplaced ideals, and an activist for the sake of publicity. Admiral Ramda's activities have caused the nation pain and suffering and impacted our national interests. The saga of Admiral Ramdas's life is confusing and unfortunate. It's sad that our country produced and reared somebody like Admiral Ramdas. It's rather unfortunate that someone like Admiral Ramdas led the Indian armed forces. He used his stature and the pulpit that was afforded to him by Indian armed forces to be a shady 'peace activist' who seemed to be doing bidding for anti-India forces.
I hope his 'aatma' finds 'sad-gati,' and I hope we don't see more like him in the future.
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