Manoj Mukund Naravane is an Indian Army officer who became the 28th Chief of Army Staff on 31 December 2019.
Wiki/Biography
Manoj Mukund Naravane was born on Friday, 22 April 1960 (age 62 years; in 2022) in Pune, Bombay State, India. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He attended school at Jnana Prabodhini Prashala in Pune, Maharashtra. He went on to study from the National Defense Academy in Pune and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. He holds a master’s degree in Defense Studies from the University of Madras in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is pursuing an M.Phil. in Defense and Management from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Naravane has also attended “The Defense Services Staff College” (DSSC) in Wellington, Tamil Nadu and the Army War College in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 8″
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Salt & Pepper
Manoj Mukund Naravane inspects the Guard of Honour
Family, Caste & Wife
Manoj Mukund Naravane was born in a Marathi Brahmin Family. His father, Mukund Naravane is an Indian Air Force officer, and his mother, Sudha is an All India Radio announcer. He is married to Veena Naravane (Teacher and Vice President of Army Wives Welfare Association). They have two daughters, Isha (Performing Artist) and Amala (PR Consultant).
Manoj Mukund Naravane with his wife Veena Naravane
Career
In June 1980, he was commissioned in the 7th battalion of the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment. The service number is IC-38750H. In his 39 years of service, he has commanded many regiments and battalions. He was part of the Indian peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka. He served as the Staff Director of High Command Wing at “Military War College” Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. Naravane is also the Indian Defense Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar.
Manoj Mukund Naravane in Myanmar
In January 2016, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and given command of the Ambala-based “Kharga Strike Corps”. In January 2017, he was appointed as the Chief Governing Officer (GOC) of the Delhi region. On 1 December 2017, he was promoted to the rank of Chief of Army Staff and appointed as the 20th General Officer Commanding of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla. He has commanded a battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu & Kashmir, and he has been a part of many counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the North East.
Manoj Mukund Naravane addressing the cadets at the training centre
On 1 October 2018, he was appointed as the General Officer Commanding Eastern Command, which controls India’s 4,000 km long border with China in the eastern sector. On September 1, 2019, he was appointed as the Vice Commander of the Army. On 16 December 2019, on the eve of Vijay Diwas, he was named as the next Army Chief. On 31 December 2019, he took over from Bipin Rawat as the next Chief of the Indian Army.
Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane will become the 28th Army Chief and will replace General Bipin Rawat on December 31. Once he took over, the heads of the three services were from the 56th course of the NDA. https://t.co/aBTV2fEH1G pic.twitter.com/ZcO3Ie86Jm
— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2019
On 16 December 2021, Naravane was appointed as chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee; the committee consists of three service chiefs. His appointment comes after the death of CDS Bipin Rawat, who was killed on December 8, 2021 in an IAF helicopter crash. On 30 April 2022, he retired as Army Chief, and he handed over the charge to General Manoj Pande.
Gen Manoj Pandey took over as the 29th Army Chief after Gen MM Naravane
Awards & Honors
- “Vishisht Seva Medal” in 2015
- “Ati Vishisht Seva Medal” in 2017
- “Param Vishisht Seva Medal” in 2019
Facts/Trivia
- Manoj Naravane likes to garden, paint, play golf and do 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. He is said to be a very humble person since his school days. Whenever someone congratulated him on his promotion, he would always say- “It’s part of the profession.”
- In 2017, he was the Commander of the 26 January Republic Day parade.
#RepublicDay The 2017 parade was led by Lt. General ManojMukund Naravane, Sena Medal, Commanding General Officer Vishisht Seva Medal, Delhi Area pic.twitter.com/LBSSwAOQho
— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 26, 2017
- Naravane is the third officer from the Sikh Light Infantry to be appointed Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) after Ved Prakash Malik and Bikram Singh. He will serve as CoAS for two years and four months.
- He has been an integral part of the Army’s work and decision-making, and he is often seen addressing press conferences and accompanying Cabinet Ministers to government functions.
Manoj Mukund Naravane (extreme right) with Nirmala Sitharaman (centre) at a government function
- Reportedly, he is a China expert, and he has experience in counter-insurgency operations in areas like Jammu & Kashmir and Assam.
Manoj Mukund Naravane during his time in the Eastern Command
- Interestingly, after Naravane took over as Army Chief, all three defense chiefs were from the 56th course of the National Defense Academy.
Manoj Mukund Naravane (extreme right) accompanying Narendra Modi
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
