Retired Major Gaurav Arya is the Senior Consultant Editor, Strategic Affairs at Republic Media Network. He is also an author and a renowned public speaker. He speaks on defence, leadership, motivation, team building, strategic affairs, national security and capacity building. He served in the Indian Army for 6 years before being forced to discontinue his career in 1999 due to medical reasons. Gaurav Arya gained recognition when his ‘Open Letter to Burhan Wani’ in 2016 went viral.
Wiki/Biography
Gaurav Arya was born on Monday, September 25, 1972 in Delhi, India (2020, 48 years old).
Gaurav Arya at the age of three
He graduated with honors in History from St. Stephens College, Delhi in 1992. In 1993, he passed the SSB exam and joined the Indian Army Short Service Commission as a Second Lieutenant. In 1999, he voluntarily retired from the Indian Army due to health reasons. After his discharge, he obtained an MBA in Marketing and Sales from the Indian Institute of Technology, Lucknow and started his corporate career.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 9″
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
family
Gaurav Arya was born into a prominent family. His father is an IPS officer of the batch of 1960. Apart from this, there is not much information available about his family.
Profession
In the military
After clearing the SSB exam, Gaurav Arya joined the Indian Army as a Short Service Commissioned Officer. He was attached to the 57th Short Service Commission (Non-Technical). In April 1993, Gaurav started training at Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai and was admitted to the Jaisami Company of the academy.
First from the left, Gaurav Arya, a gentleman cadet from the Chennai Officers Training Academy
Gaurav Arya (left) during training in 1993
After completing his training, Gaurav Arya was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 17th Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army.
Second Lieutenant Gaurav Arya 1994 photo
Till 2006, the tenure of officers recruited under the Short Service Commission Scheme was 5 years, which could be further extended to another 5 and 4 years. After serving 5 years in the Indian Armed Forces, Gaurav took early retirement in 1999 due to health reasons.
In the corporate sector
After retiring as a Major in the Indian Army, Gaurav Arya obtained an MBA in Marketing and Sales before entering the corporate world. He held various executive positions at HCL, Hutch (now Vodafone), Wipro, EY, Spice Retail Ltd, Sterea Infratech Ltd and Smart Group before joining Republic TV Network as Senior Consulting Editor, Strategic Affairs in March 2017.
Open letter to Burhan Wani and media appearance
In July 2016, Gaurav Arya wrote an article for Swarajya titled “An Open Letter to Burhan Wani” criticizing those protesting against engagement with Hizbullah terrorist Burhan Wani. In the letter, he spoke about the situation in Kashmir and how the separatist movement has not brought any benefit to the people of Kashmir. He said that the separatists in Kashmir suck the blood of humanity and send Kashmiri youths like Burhan Wani to face the army.
He concluded his letter by saying:
You are a terrorist. You chose to wage war against India. Like all other similar criminals in the past, it did not end well for you. Know this when you choose to fight the Indian Army; they will kill you. Your supporters want blood now. So be it. Cheers! ”
The letter received an overwhelming response online and in the mainstream Indian media. He even received a call from a then-serving Indian Army General to express his gratitude. The next day, he was invited by a news channel to participate in a debate panel on what happened to Burhan Wani. As a result, he started receiving invitations from various news channels to participate in debates on their shows.
Facts/Trivia
- In 1996, while stationed in the Lahaul Spiti area, he slipped from a cliff and ended up buried under a snowdrift. He stayed under the snow for several hours until he was rescued. After the accident, he developed a lung infection, which forced him to retire early.
- As a public speaker, he has addressed several prominent institutions and corporates around the world including Oxford University, Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Dell Computer Corporation, Samsung India Ltd. etc. In 2017, he was invited to the UK Parliament to address the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
- He hosts two shows on Republic TV related to the Indian Armed Forces, Patriot and Blitz. The two TV shows showcase the life of Indian Army soldiers and the hardships they face while on duty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education