By Col.S.Ram
It was only a few years ago that Adyar Times highlighted a hero from our neighbourhood – Major General H Dharmarajan, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur, who had been awarded an Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (Feb.6, 2022 Edition). He has, on July 19, been conferred the highest award for distinguished service in the armed forces – the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, by the President of India who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Dharmarajan is the son of Late D.Hariharan and Malathi Hariharan who have been residents of Valmiki Nagar for nearly four decades. It was a matter of pride for the people of Tamil Nadu to witness the glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan where officers of the armed forces were conferred with the coveted recognition of their dedicated service to the Nation. Having done his early schooling at Vanavani School (IIT – Madras), he was selected as the only candidate from the state to join the Rashtriya Indian Military College at Dehradun in 1977. He went on to stand first in the National Defence Academy entrance exam. Dharmarajan has bagged as many as 13 different recognitions during the course of his more than 37-year career. Six of which are Presidential notified awards.
Having participated in extremely hazardous demining operations with the commandos while in Sri Lanka during Operation Pawan in 1987-1988, Dharmarajan successfully carried out the recovery and disarming of numerous improvised explosive devices. It was during one such operation in the thick Wanni jungles of Vavuniya that he was grievously injured while working with the special forces. Another Chennai-ite, Brigadier Dr.R.S.Rajan, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Military Hospital (Pune), performed the one-of-a-kind heart surgery to literally grant Dharmarajan a second lease of life in February 1989. He went on to participate in a variety of challenging operations – from the disputed frontier to the war zones in the United Nations Mission in Angola.
Besides, the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, he has earlier been awarded an Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, two Sena Medals (one of which was for gallantry in Sri Lanka), a Vishisht Seva Medal and a Mention-in-Despatch for another act of gallantry. He also has the privilege of having been recognised for significant actions along different fronts twice by the Chief of the Army Staff, as also by the Army Commanders of the Northern, Western, Southern and the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff. He was also conferred recently by the Capacity Building Commission of India (CBC) as an Innovator in Public Administration, and his case study has been included in the training being imparted to IAS Officers.
He is a distinguished graduate not only from the National Defence College in Delhi and the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington but also from the National War College at Washington DC, USA. Besides, he is also qualified at the Israel Defence Forces in the International Liaison Course. Further in his international achievements, he received a Diploma in the International Fellows Programme in the USA in 2011 and completed a Comprehensive Crisis Management Course in Honolulu, Hawaii. This officer’s involvement in multicultural outreach extended to the Royal Bhutan Army, Israel Defense Forces, Jordan Army, Kyrgyzstan Army, Philippines Armed Forces, Sri Lankan Army, UK Armed Forces, and the US Military.
Dharmarajan with his technical background, dealt with numerous projects, technology development and being a part of the army’s procurement chain, gained in-depth experience in the management of public finance in the Army’s Budget, especially in the COVID era. Having attended the Independent Directors’ Course at IIM, Mumbai, he has been registered in IIDB (IICA), 2023. He was also the Commandant of the prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) and earlier a part of the UNAVEM-III Indian Contingent (1995-96) and undertook high-risk operations with Uruguayan, Romanian, Brazilian, Zimbabwe, South Korean, Bangladesh, Zambia, Ukrainian contingents. He conducted UN Secretary General Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali in the Mission Area Angola. He has multinational peacekeeping interaction insights, along with exposure to UNIFIL, UNDOF, and UNTSO, besides MFO (Sinai), and LAWIO (Rafah) in 2000.
The Officer has also pursued a notable writing career, with an independent perspective espoused in various articles, and has been awarded consistently for exceptional dissertations at the National Defence College, New Delhi 2016, National War College, Washington DC, USA 2011, Indian Army Gold Medal Essay 2007, Defence Services Staff College, India 1999, College of Military Engineering, Pune, India 1993, United Services Institution (India) Medal Essay 1989, National Defence Academy India, 1985. He has a keen interest in yachting, parasailing, river rafting, trekking, cycling, and rock climbing – a small testament to his keenness for adventure far beyond just his work.
He superannuated earlier this year as the General Officer Commanding of Bengal, where he was also associated with facilitating the chambers of commerce and industry, and the civic administration towards benefitting the economy of the State.
Dharmarajan has undertaken numerous humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations, including earthquakes in Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra, floods in the North-East, Himachal Pradesh, and Angola, as well as demining in Sri Lanka, Rajasthan, and Nagaland. These words are a mere attempt at exemplifying Dharmarajan’s contribution to the country as an Army Officer. He continues to deliver post-retirement, in fields such as capacity building, innovation and research. There is no doubt that this is not the last we will hear of him.
Exemplary career profile of a very fine Officer whom I came across while doing the staff course at DSSC Wellington. Keep it up Dharmarajan. I got India finds you a suitable post after retirement to help the country on its road to development.
What a distinguished carrier. He was an epitome of perfection and meticulous planning. It’s nation’s loss that he superannuated without reaching the top slot of the Army. His fine capabilities to lead from front, set personal example in every walks of life, untiring energy are few of his traits which makes people admire. I am sure something big is designed by the almighty for him in the coming days as he is always forthcoming to face challenges. Wishing him all the best n congratulations Dharma
Short of words, was fortunate to know in and interact with him in UN Mission Angola.
He deserved much more than what he achieved. Destiny has planned something better for sure , best wishes.