CNS ADDRESS INAUGURAL ADDRESS DURING RONNIE PEREIRA MEMORIAL LECTURE 25 MAY 13

1. Shekhar Sinha, C-in-C West, Admiral Arun Prakash, Flag Officer Karnataka, Cmde D’ Souza, President Navy Foundation Bengaluru Charter, distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

2. I am honoured to be in your midst and at the outset, I wish to complement this initiative of the vibrant and active Bengaluru Charter of the Navy Foundation. Towards keeping alive the memory of an iconic leader of the not-so-long history of the Navy, there can be no better way to honour Admiral Ronnie Pereira, than by instituting a Memorial Lecture in his name. I must also compliment the Bengaluru Charter for such an appropriate theme for the inaugural lecture. The State of Karnataka, with Karwar, now functional as our most modern Naval Base and sanction accorded for the Phase II expansion, has an increasing stake in the nation’s maritime security calculus.

3. A strong and capable Navy, we know, is essential for safeguarding national interests in the maritime domain and closely linked to ’s future growth trajectory. We are indeed fortunate that Admiral Arun Prakash would, in the course of delivering the 2 inaugural lecture of the Admiral Pereira Memorial series, share his thoughts on the maritime dimension of India’s positioning as a 21st century power.

4. I will only try to rediscover some parts of Admiral Pereira’s life and personality. It is not an easy task talking about an idol such as Admiral Pereira, given the exalted position he occupies in our collective memory. It is even more difficult doing so, speaking to an audience, where many of you were closely associated with Admiral Pereira and hence know more about him than me. It is therefore my privilege to honour his memory as a great naval leader, through this talk. My inputs have been from many sources and veterans who knew him well and I thank them for sharing the details with me.

5. Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereira, the 11th Chief of Naval Staff, was commissioned into the Royal on his 20th birthday, on the 25th of May 1943. It is most befitting that we gather in his memory, exactly 70 years later, to the day.

6. Admiral Pereira was destined for greatness and his first appointment was during the World War, commanding Motor Launches in Burma and Malaya between 1943 and September 1945. These ‘homemade’, quickly fitted out, leaky wooden fishing trawlers, 3 masquerading as a gunboats, had a few sailors, and were sent to fight the might of the Japanese Navy in the Bay of Bengal. His official record states that he “Commanded two Motor Launches with distinction and took part in operations off the coast of Burma”.

7. In his exceptional career, he commanded six ships, including the old Kuthar and Delhi. He was an officer considered “excellent for instructional duties”. His meticulous planning, resourcefulness, and tireless efforts came to the fore as NOIC Bombay, when he organised the Presidents Fleet Review, for which he was awarded the AVSM.

8. Thereafter, he moved to the National Defence Academy as Chief Instructor and Deputy Commandant. During the two years he spent there, he touched and transformed the lives of the thousands of cadets, across all three Services, with whom he came into contact, who remember him to this day. I believe that some of them are here in our midst today.

9. One of his cadets reminisces, “he kicked us and turned a whole generation of juvenile delinquents to socially useful and upright gentlemen”. He was a tough disciplinarian, the creator of the legendary ‘Singharh Hike’, yet showered them with kindness and compassion. He believed and practiced the dictum, “Love your men, 4 but don’t spoil them. Kick them if you must. Above all, make them proud of themselves, their uniform, the country and you”.

10. Once while taking rounds of a Squadron, a habitual cadet offender, was in his cabin, missing from his place of duty. If caught by the Deputy Commandant he would have faced withdrawal from NDA. Showing some presence of mind, the Cadet, quickly changed into the clothes of a Cadet Orderly complete with ‘Gandhi Topi’ and started polishing shoes in the corridor. Adm Pereira who knew each of the 1,500 odd cadets in the Academy by face and name, easily saw through the charade. However, he only accosted the cadet by name, saying “Good thinking. I like people with imagination and quick reaction”. Doing this, he let the erring cadet know that he had been caught, but pardoned, giving him yet another chance to change.

11. At a passing out parade, Adm Pereira advised the cadets, “You may not have enough money in your banks, but I can assure you, that you will never fall short of respect”. In memory of his contribution to training, NDA has named the scaled model of a ship as Training Ship Ronnie Periera. The only regret he ever had about his tenure at NDA was that he had to sit out the 1971 war.

12. He moved from NDA as the Fleet of the . Here again, he led his men with charismatic fervour. He was 5 remembered for embarking all his ships and pushing them hard to perform, and to be operationally ready. Thereafter, he became the Flag Officer Commanding South, followed by C-in-C , finally moving to Delhi as VCNS. Having become the VCNS, he thought that he had reached the pinnacle of his naval career and started building a house near Bengaluru to live after retirement. When he was appointed CNS, he broke the news to his dear wife, Phyllis, by saying, “we have official accommodation for a little longer!”

13. No tribute to Admiral Ronnie Pereira would be complete without recalling the anecdote of how, as CNS, he took an injured person to hospital, while keeping the mercurial Prime Minister, late Smt Indira Gandhi waiting. These stories, and many more, only go to show his incomparable courage of conviction and compassion, for which he was so loved and respected.

14. As CNS and Chairman COSC, he is remembered for standing his ground and getting free rations for officers and men, although his COSC colleagues were willing to back down before a formidable PM, who, also at that time, held the Defence portfolio. As CNS he would often say, “it’s your prerogative to have a Navy, and mine to run it”.

15. He was characterised by two exceptionally strong qualities - integrity and moral courage. He always stood up for what he believed 6 was the ‘right thing’ and never let anyone overbear on him. In today’s world of deteriorating moral standards and corruption, he stands out as a stellar example of leadership with honesty, one that deserves emulation.

16. To err is only human after all. Ronnie Sir, was as human as any one of us. While he often made mistakes, he made them stepping stones and tortured himself to learn from those mistakes. He was extremely critical of his own actions. Once he had trouble securing Delhi in Kochi harbour. Seeing his difficulty, Adm SM Nanda, the Fleet Commander, came onboard and deftly moored the ship. First thing in the morning, Adm Pereira took Delhi out of harbour, turned the ship around and secured the ship, just as the Fleet Commander had.

17. His simplicity, honesty, and humility were nothing short of a legend. It is said that as a C-in-C, on a visit to New Delhi, he even pushed his own staff car which had broken down, to prevent his Liaison Officer, who was in uniform, from doing so. Even when he retired, he drove the roads of this city on a ‘Lambretta’. When he wanted to sell his retirement abode called, “At Last”, in Bengaluru, so he could move to Coonoor, he patiently waited for a buyer who could pay him the full price by cheque. Till his last breath, he was a shining example of a man of high personal standards. 7

18. They say if you want to know the true worth of a person, attend his funeral. Admiral Pereira passed away on 14th Oct 1993 after fighting a valiant battle against cancer. His funeral was attended, apart from the many admirals, generals and air marshals, by numerous ordinary sailors, who came voluntarily from distant places to pay homage to an officer, and leader they had loved like no other.

19. We could speak endlessly of his tenacity, fortitude, resilience, and charisma. His towering stature, booming laughter, and down-to earth-character, immediately endeared his subordinates to him, portrayed his self-confidence, zest for life and spirit of adventure.

20. It is no wonder, that he is still remembered so fondly, more than three decades after he retired, across the three services and will be so for many more to come. The life and times of Admiral Pereira remains an inspiration forever. It is a great regret they don’t make more like him any longer.

21. Before I close, I would like to thank the Navy Foundation, and the Bengaluru Charter for their dedicated support and commitment to further the cause of the Navy and veterans. I wish this memorial lecture series a resounding success and I hope that this endeavour will further help propagate the memory of Admiral Pereira.

22. Shano Varuna. Jai Hind.