ABOUT THE AUTHOR
FAMILY BACK GROUD AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND Nanda was born on October 10, 1915 in Punjab. He was raised on Manora Island at the entrance to the Port of Karachi. His parents were simple, god fearing people belonging to the Punjab middle class. His father, Mathra Das, came from a village near Gujranwala (today in the Pakistan part of Punjab), about half an hour train jounney from Lahore. His Mother Pooran Devi, came from a nearby village. He was the first-born among their seven children: three boys and four girls. Tharavati, the eldest girl, died young at Manora. Another sister Sita married Onkar Nath Saigal who finally retired from the Western Railway. His brother Gulzari joined the signal branch of the Army and retired as a Lieutenent Colnel and died a bachelor.Yet another sister Shiela, married a Naval Engineering officer, who served to the Indian navy for 35 year and retired as Rear Admiral.Shakunthala or ‘Kunti, his youngest sister also married into the Navy. Her husband Vidya Sagar Laroya,retired in 1989 as a Commadore. From Logistic branch. Kunti died of cancer in 1988. His youngest brother Mohan was a very handsome guy. He wore his Air Force fighter pilot’s uniform, successfully courted and married Pramila. He died tragically in an air crash in Hyderbad on the second anniversary of his marriage. Admiral S.M. Nanda completed primary education at Manora and secondary education at N.J. High school in Karachi. After finishing high school he got a job in the port and pilotage Department . He got married in 1936 at the age of 21 to a charming young lady, Sumitha, who hapened to be the sister-in-law of a frien of his father. He had originally applied to the Supply branch of the Navy and appeared an interview on 25th sept 1941. However He found himself assigned tio the executive branch of the Royal Indian Navy and was commissioned on 11th October 1941 as Acting Sub Lieutenent in the Royal Indian naval Volunteer Reserve (RINVR) He has 3 children, elder son is named Paul. He initially worked CEC and IBM and later Joined the government owened project Engineering Coorporation (PEC)He retired on 31 dec 91 and joined the family business. He married Mona. His young son Suresh followed in her footsteps and enrolled in the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakvala. He was commissioned into Executive branch of the Indian Navy. Suresh resigned his commission while autho was the CNSHe married Renu, the daughter of his friend Major general B.P. Wadhera. His daughter Veene, married her brothers NDA course mate Pradeep Mehra. He resigned his commission as a Major. He had attained th rank of Admiral at the relatively young of 55. 1 Mar 70 haw was the CNS and held this post till Feb 70. He retired as the chief of Naval staff (CNS) of the Indian navy in 1973 after he had served more than three decades in naval uniform. He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. After retirement ha took over as Chairman and managing director of the public sector gaint, the Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. He relates how he introduced new management techniques and methods to ensurevincreased levels of efficiency and productivity in the SCI.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Publisher - HarperColliins Publishers – India (15 June 2004) A joint venture with The India Today Group
No of pages 296
Price Rs. 395.00 (Third impression 2004)
Where the publication 1A, Hamilton House, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001, India
Printe and Bound Thomsan Press (India) Ltd .
RECOMMENDATION
. The admiral straddled a long and special period in India's history. He was oneof the first few to join the Royal Indian Navy during the Second World War. He led the IndianNavy as its chief during the India Pakistan War of 1971. That War saw the use of IndianNaval craft in combat for the first time. One can justifiably say that 1971 was the coming of age of Indian Navy. Admiral Nanda's memoirs are therefore a welcome personal insight intoan important part of India's war history.

The memoirs of Admiral Nanda make an interesting reading for all students of maritime history of India.

In this book, the author provides a detailed account of how exactly the IndianNavy carried out the operations
He played in the 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh.

He has personnaly never hasitated to learn from others. I
Style of Writing
. In this book, the author focuses on this significant event,providing a detailed account of how exactly the Indian Navy carried out the operations.Apart from this, the autobiography throws light on the various activities and functions of theIndian Navy. The book has been written in first person in a very simple language and easy to understand for one and all. All the events are in chronological order. The book in it self is a master piece which keeps the reader glued till the last page

Early life
Nanda was born on October 10, 1915 in Punjab. He was raised on Manora Island at the entrance to the Port of Karachi.[1][3] He was the eldest of seven children. Prior to joining the Navy, Nanda had worked for the Karachi Port Trust.
[edit] Naval career
Nanda enlisted into the Royal Indian Navy Volunteer Reserve during World War II on 11 October 1941. He stayed in the Navy despite rapid, large-scale demobilization at the end of the war.
After independence in 1947, he opted to join the Indian Navy.
In 1948, he was appointed First Lieutenant on board INS Delhi (1948) under the command of Captain H.N.S Brown, with then Lieutenant Commander Ram Dass Katari as his Executive Officer.[1]
From 1949 to 1951, he served as the Director of Personnel Services.
In 1951, he took command of the R class destroyer, INS Ranjit (1942). He was also the commanding officer of the navy's Frigate Squadron.
He was later transferred back to Naval Headquarters as Chief of Personnel.
He was promoted to Commodore in 1957, and sent to England to commission the Fiji class cruiser, INS Mysore (1957), as her Commanding Officer.
Later, he was appointed Director General of the Naval Dockyards and undertook a major expansion of the dockyards.
He then attended the Imperial Defence College and was appointed Chief of Materials upon his return.
Nanda was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed Deputy Chief of Naval Staff in May 1962.
He was appointed Managing Director of Mazagon Dock Limited in December 1964 and undertook preparations for the construction of Nilgiri class frigates, the first major naval vessels to be constructed in India.
Given the difficulty India had in negotiating the purchase of INS Vikrant (R11) from the UK, Nanda supported the acquisition of equipment from the Soviet Union.
The 1962 Sino-Indian War was largely fought over the Himalayas and the Navy did not have a major role. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Navy was ordered to stay within Indian waters. When the Pakistani Navy bombarded Dwarka, Nanda recognized the need to raise the Navy's profile and capabilities.
[edit] Chief of Naval Staff
In March 1970, Admiral Nanda took command as the 8th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. He was determined to change the mindset of the service from defence to attack. He got the opportunity to demonstrate this capability the following year during the war with Pakistan.
Nanda was instrumental in framing India's Naval strategy during the war. He feigned a defensive deployment southeast towards the Andaman Islands, instead moving his Eastern fleet northwards into the Bay of Bengal and enforcing a naval blockade against East Pakistan.
His strategy against West Pakistan was to strike hard against Pakistan's main port of Karachi.[1] He is recognized as the mastermind behind Operation Trident and Operation Python.[4] The plan for the operations included towing the limited-range Vidyut class missile boats, primarily designed for coastal defence, to about 250 nautical miles (460 km) south of Karachi during the day, out of range of the Pakistan Air Force aircraft.[5] The missile boats then closed in on Karachi port at night and attacked naval targets as well as the oil tank farm at Keamari. Operation Trident was successfully executed on 4 December, 1971, sinking Pakistan Navy destroyer PNS Khaibar, minesweeper PNS Muhafiz, an ammunition carrying ship MV Venus Challenger and irreparably damaging destroyer PNS Shah Jahan as well as destroying numerous oil storage tanks. Operation Python was again successfully carried out on 8 December 1971.
On the Eastern front, Nanda made the decision to deploy the air-craft carrier INS Vikrant into the shallower waters of the Gulf of Bengal off Dhaka, to prevent the risk of a submarine attack. When concerns were raised about Vikrant's boilers being cracked, he took personal responsibility for the risk of a boiler explosion and catapult failure on the carrier. His gambit paid off, as Vikrant was able to successfully enforce the blockade of East Pakistan without any such damage to the carrier.
The success of the naval blockades on two fronts is considered one of the primary factors in India's overwhelming victory during the war.
[edit] Awards
Admiral Nanda was revered in the Indian Navy for his bold decision-making and for frequently defeating bureaucracy in his quest to improve the living conditions of his sailors and their families. For his heroism at sea, he was at times called India's Nelson.
He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 1961 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 1966. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1972.[1][6]
Admiral Nanda retired from the Indian Navy in 1973.
[edit] Later life
Following his retirement, Nanda took an executive role with Crown Corporation, an arms trading firm headed by his son Suresh Nanda, which specialized in supply of imported weapons to the Indian Armed Forces.[7]
Nanda's reputation was tarnished by the involvement of his family in several high profile controversies, two of which involved allegations of corruption and payment of bribes to Indian government officials for facilitating arms sales. A third case was an an attempt at a cover-up by his son and grandson in a hit-and-run drunk driving accident, in which three policemen and three other individuals were killed at a police checkpoint by a speeding BMW driven by his grandson. * Operation West End was a sting-operation which exposed corruption between India's defence ministry and Crown Corporation. Admiral Nanda's son, Suresh Nanda, is alleged to have paid bribes to defence minister George Fernandes and other Samata Party officials for * selecting the Barak SAM system by Israel Aircraft Industries over the objections of the Indian defence research organization head APJ Abdul Kalam.[8] * helping select Slovakian Armoured Recovery Vehicles by disallowing a lower-priced Czech quotation.[9] * The BMW hit-and-run case, involved Admiral Nanda's grandson and Suresh Nanda's son, Sanjeev Nanda, was charged with driving over 6 people including 3 policemen around 3 AM on 10 January, 1999 in a drunken state, in a BMW car at high speed. The car did not stop, but the trail it left in its wake could be followed in the morning to where it was being cleaned of blood and other human remains.[10] As of 2007, the case was in appeal in a higher court after Sanjeev Nanda was acquitted in a lower court after allegations of bribery of the sole-surviving witness, who changed his testimony in court to say that he was no longer sure what hit them, and that it could have been a truck.
[edit] Death
Admiral Nanda died in New Delhi on 11 May 2009 at the age of 93. His funeral was marked with full military honours,[11] but not as well attended as his naval career mandated due to the involvement of his family in controversial cases.[1]
[edit] Reference
Born On: October 10, 1915
Born In: Punjab, India
Died On: May 11, 2009
Career: Chief of Naval Staff of Indian Navy
Nationality: Indian

The name S M Nanda arouses mixed feelings in the minds of people in India and around the world. While on one hand Admiral S M Nanda had a lucrative career as the Chief of the Naval Staff in the Indian Navy, bringing home victory for his country at the end of the Indo - Pak war, the last few years of his life did not show the Admiral in a favorable light. Admiral S M Nanda, along with his family members have been at the helm of several high profile illegal activities which has only helped the Indian hero to draw flak from the Indian media and the nation in general. Nevertheless, Admiral S M Nanda had to his name a number of prestigious Indian national honors during his lifetime.

Early Life
Sardarilal Matharadas Nanda, popularly known as S M Nanda, was born on October 10 in the year 1915. Though India was his birthplace, the Nanda family soon shifted base to Menora in Western Australia, therefore it was essentially in Australia that S M Nanda spent his childhood years. It was in this suburban area of Perth that he grew up. Later, the family returned to India and took up a residence near Karachi (now in Pakistan) in pre-independent India. As a child, he spent hours watching the activities of the Royal Indian Navy closely at a time when he did not even know that he would rise to the high ranks of the Indian Navy.

Career In The Indian Navy
S M Nanda always had a keen interest to be a part of the Indian Navy ever since he spent some of his growing up years near the port of Karachi watching the operations of the naval forces. This keen interest soon turned into a passion and then his career; for not only did he go on to join the Indian Navy, he rose to the ranks of the Chief of Naval Staff, which is the highest post of the Indian Navy. In 1941, S M Nanda joined the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve, prior to which he had served with Port Trust, Karachi. Post independence, Nanda held a number of important appointments, both ashore and afloat that gave him varied experience.

Seven years later, in 1948, Nanda joined Navy's first cruiser INS DELHI in the UK as her First Lieutenant. Upon returning to India, he served as Director of Personnel Services at Naval HQ for two years from 1949 till 1951. Next, he commanded the destroyer INS RANJIT as also the Frigate Squadron. His career graph took a major turn when he was posted back to Naval Headquarter, as he became the Chief of Personnel and was promoted to the position of the Commodore. In the year 1957, Nanda commissioned the cruiser INS Mysore in the UK. Subsequently, he was appointed Director General, Naval Dockyard Expansion Scheme, at Bombay.

For his immaculate and dedicated service, S M Nanda was awarded with the Ati Vishishta Seva Medal in 1961. Thereafter, he underwent a course at the Imperial Defence College, London, returning to Naval Headquarter to assume the appointment of Chief of Material in the Rank of Commodore. In the May of 1962, Nanda was appointed as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff in the rank of Rear Admiral. Two years later, he became the Managing Director of Mazagon Dock, Ltd. Bombay, and served there for 18 months. During this period, the re-organization scheme of the Mazagon Dock and Leander class frigates project were simultaneously taken up and he was responsible for giving both a good start.

Nanda was awarded with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished service in 1966. On February 28, 1970, he succeeded Admiral AK Chatterji, and took over the office of the Chief of the Naval Staff. He remained in office as the Chief of Naval Staff for three years until February 28, 1973. During his term, Admiral S M Nanda went on to create history with his operations in Karachi. It was under his leadership that the Indian Navy successfully completed its operations in the Indo-Pak war, which subsequently led to the formation of the separate state of Bangladesh. It was his involvement in the Indo-Pak war that won Admiral S M Nanda the title of 'the man who bombed Karachi'. Admiral S M Nanda was awarded with a Padma Vibhushan award in 1972.

1971 War
The 1971 war, one of the shortest in world history, was a conflict between two neighboring countries India and Pakistan. During the 13 days of war, Indian and Pakistani forces, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, clashed in the eastern and western coastal regions of the borders leading to a perpetual destruction of the coastal city of Karachi. The war effectively came to an end after the Eastern Command of the Pakistani Armed Forces signed the Instrument of Surrender, the first and perhaps the only public surrender to date, on December 16, 1971 following which East Pakistan was seceded as the independent state of Bangladesh.

Career Milestones * Admiral S M Nanda was one of the most successful officers occupying the office of the Chief of Naval Staff in the Indian Navy. He came to be regarded as a national hero and was also felicitated for his involvement in the Indo - Pak war of 1971. * After the end of the Indo - Pak war, Admiral S M Nanda was awarded the Padma Vibushan, the second highest civilian award given by the Republic of India, in 1972 for his exceptional contribution to India's efforts in the Indo -Pakistani war. * Admiral S M Nanda was also felicitated with the Ati Vishist Seva Medal and the Param Vishist Seva Medal for his services in the Indian Navy. * Admiral S M Nanda's name is still recorded as a national hero in Indian history.
Controversies & Scandals
Not all was good in the life of Admiral S M Nanda after his retirement from the post of the Chief of Naval Staff in the Indian Navy. Passing years saw the national hero getting involved in a number of incidents that made for scandalous media reports and high profile controversies. Admiral S M Nanda joined hands with his son Suresh Nanda and became an arms dealer with the Crown Corporation, an organization founded by Suresh Nanda, which dealt with the trading of weapons across countries. As part of his operations with the Crown Corporation, Admiral S M Nanda paid huge amounts as bribe to government officials around India to facilitate the easy flow of import and export of weapons across borders.

Listed as 'Operation West End' by the media, this sting operation was the idea of Tehelka. The report that was published in the year 2001 said that Admiral S M Nanda had bribed several politicians within the Defence Ministry of India, to allow for the easy passage of illegal weapons across different countries of the world. The Tehelka report cited the name of the then Defence Minister of India as a prime culprit in Operation West End. The other bribed officials were politicians from the Samata Party. As if this were any less, Nanda family yet again came to the limelight for all the wrong reasons when Admiral S M Nanda's grandson, Sanjeev Nanda was involved in rash driving led to a hit and run case which resulted in the death of six people, three of whom were police officials.

Death
Admiral S M Nanda passed away on May 11, 2009 after complaints of breathlessness and high temperatures. He was aged 93 during the time of death. Though his life was shrouded with controversy during his last years, his death brought about sadness to the entire Indian Navy family. Admiral S M Nanda's funeral service which was completed at the Brar Square Crematorium in New Delhi was attended by some of the most honored officials of the Indian military. Even today India remembers Admiral S M Nanda as the hero of the Indo-Pak war, or as 'the man who bombed Karachi'.

Timeline
1915: S M Nanda was born on October 10 in Punjab.
1941: Joined the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve
1948: Joined Navy's first cruiser INS DELHI in the UK as her First Lieutenant
1949: Served as Director of Personnel Services at Naval HQ
1957: Commissioned the cruiser INS Mysore in the UK
1961: Honored with the Ati Vishishta Seva Medal
1962: Appointed as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff as Rear Admiral
1964: Became the Managing Director of Mazagon Dock, Ltd. Bombay
1966: Awarded with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal
1970: Took oath as the Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy.
1972: Awarded with the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution in the 1971 Indo - Pak war.
1973: Admiral S M Nanda retired from services of the Indian Navy.
2009: Left for the heavenly abode on May 11

Nanda was admitted to Fortis, Vasant Kunj with complaints of fever and breathlessness, Navneet Singh, a physician of the hospital who treated the former Navy chief, said.
Nanda, who was awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) and the Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) for his distinguished service, was appointed the Chief of Naval Staff on March 1, 1970. He retired in 1973.
His legendary command of the Navy during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and his success in steering it to a resounding victory is the high-water mark of the modern Indian Navy.
The funeral will take place on Saturday with full military honours at Brar Square Crematorium here at 1600 hrs.
New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) Former Indian Navy chief Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda, who is best remembered for staging the daring raid on Karachi during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, died here late Monday night after a prolonged illness. He was 94.
Nanda is survived by his wife and two sons.
Nanda’s body was consigned to the flames at the Brar Square crematorium with full military honours Tuesday evening. The funeral was attended by top brass of the Indian Armed forces. However, defence ministry officials were conspicuous by their absence.
Nanda was a recipient of the Padma Vibushan, India second highest civilian honour. He had led the Indian Navy with distinction during the 1971 war, with the Karachi raid still being studied in detail at many a military establishment across the country.
The raid had destroyed the oil tankers at Karachi, depriving the Pakistani war machine of much needed fuel. The Pakistan Navy was humbled and the Indian Navy had complete control over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
Nanda’s death marks the end of an era. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who led the Indian Army during the 1971 operations, died last year, also aged 94. The Indian Air Force chief during the war, Air Chief Marshal P.C. Lal, had died in 1984, aged 67.
Condoling Nanda’s demise, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said: “In his passing, the nation has lost a hero and a visionary leader, who contributed significantly to the growth of the modern Indian Navy. He will always be remembered in the most glowing terms for his leadership of the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pak Conflict of 1971, in which the Indian Navy carved its name in golden letters in the annals of history by its sterling offensive actions.”
“Admiral Nanda remained in constant touch with the navy even in his twilight years and continued to be a source of inspiration and support to the naval community. His demise is a great loss to the navy and the nation,” Mehta said.
Born in Karachi in 1915, Nanda was commissioned into the then Royal Indian Navy in 1941. He assumed the charge as the sixth Indian Navy chief in 1970 and retired in 1973 after over 31 years of distinguished service.
Since Independence in 1947, Nanda held a number of important appointments both ashore and afloat that gave him varied experience. In 1948, he was posted on the Indian Navy’s first cruiser INS Delhi, which was then being refitted in Britain. He later commanded the destroyer INS Ranjit, as well as a frigate squadron.
Nanda was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for distinguished service in 1966.