Manoj Mukund Naravane is an Indian Army officer who assumed office as the 28th Chief of Army Staff on December 31, 2019.
Wiki/Biography
Manoj Mukund Naravane was born on Friday, April 22, 1960, in Pune, Mumbai, India (age 62 years; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Taurus. He was educated at Jnana Prabodhini Prashala School in Pune, Maharashtra. He is a graduate of the National Defense Academy, Pune and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He holds a Master’s degree in Defense Studies from the University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He studied for a master’s degree in philosophy. Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, received her PhD in Defense and Management. Naravane also studied at the Defense Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, Tamil Nadu, and the Army War College, Mohau, Madhya Pradesh.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Eye color: black
Hair color: salt and pepper
Manoj Mukund Naravane inspects the guard of honor
family, caste and wife
Manoj Mukund Naravane was born into a Maratha Brahmin family. His father, Mukund Naravane, is an Indian Air Force officer, and his mother, Sudha, is an All India Radio announcer. His wife is Veena Naravane (teacher and vice-president of Army Wives Welfare Association). They have two daughters, Isha (a performing artist) and Amala (a public relations consultant).
Manoj Mukund Naravane and wife Veena Naravane
Profession
In June 1980, he served in the 7th Battalion, Sikh Light Infantry. His service number is IC-38750H. During his 39 years of service, he commanded multiple regiments and battalions. He is a member of the Indian peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka. He served as Commanding Officer, High Command, “Army War College”, Mohau, Madhya Pradesh. Naravane also served as Defense Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar.
Manoj Mukund Naravane in Myanmar
In January 2016, he was promoted to lieutenant general and commanded the “Karga Strike Corps” stationed in Ambala. In January 2017, he was appointed as the Delhi Area Commander (GOC). On December 1, 2017, he was promoted to Army Commander and appointed as the 20th Commander-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Shimla. He commanded the National Rifles Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and was involved in many counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
Manoj Mukund Naravane addressing the trainees at the training center
On October 1, 2018, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Command, responsible for guarding the 4,000-kilometer-long border between India and eastern China. On September 1, 2019, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. On December 16, 2019, on the eve of Vijay Dewas taking office, he was appointed as the next Chief of Army Staff. On December 31, 2019, he succeeded Bipin Rawat as the next Chief of Staff of the Indian Army.
Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane will serve as the 28th Chief of Army Staff and will succeed General Bipin Rawat on December 31. Once he takes over, the chiefs of staff of all three services will be from the NDA 56th branch. https://t.co/aBTV2fEH1G pic.twitter.com/ZcO3Ie86Jm
— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2019
On December 16, 2021, Naravane was appointed chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee; the committee consists of three service chiefs. His appointment follows the death of CDS Bipin Rawat, who died in an Indian Air Force helicopter crash on December 8, 2021. He retired as Chief of Army Staff on April 30, 2022 and handed over the responsibilities to General Manoj Pande.
General Manoj Pandey takes over as the 29th Chief of Army Staff after General Naravane
Awards and Honors
- “Vishisht Seva Medal” 2015
- “Ati Vishisht Seva Medal” 2017
- “Param Vishisht Seva Medal” 2019
Facts/Trivia
- Manoj Naravane enjoys gardening, painting, golf and yoga.
- During his school days, Manoj excelled in sports and extracurricular activities. However, it was his dream to join the Indian Army.
- He has served in the Indian Army for 39 years. It is said that he has been a very humble person since his student days. Whenever someone congratulated him on a promotion, he would always say, “It’s part of the profession.”
- In 2017, he served as the commander of the Republic Day parade on January 26.
#republicday The 2017 parade was commanded by Lieutenant General ManojMukund Naravane, Delhi Area Commander, Sena Medal, General Vishisht Seva Medal pic.twitter.com/LBSSwAOQho
— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 26, 2017
- Naravane is the third Sikh light infantry officer to be appointed as Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) after Veeder Prakash Malik and Bikram Singh. He will serve as CoAS for two years and four months.
- He has been an important part of the Army’s work and decision-making and is often seen speaking at press conferences and accompanying cabinet ministers to government functions.
Manoj Mukund Naravane (far right) and Nirmala Sitharaman (centre) at a government event
- He is said to be a China expert with experience in conducting counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and other regions.
Manoj Mukund Naravane during his tenure in Eastern Command
- Interestingly, after Naravane became the Chief of Army Staff, the three Chiefs of Defense Staff all came from the 56th batch of the National Defense Academy.
Manoj Mukund Naravane (far right) escorts Narendra Modi
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education