CDS (I) 2024 General Knowledge · Question 112 of 120

Correct — B, K. M. Cariappa. General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa took over as Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on 15 January 1949, succeeding the last British holder of the post, Lieutenant General Sir Roy Bucher, and held it until 14 January 1953. He was the first Indian to command the Army of independent India, and the date of his taking over is why 15 January is observed each year as Army Day. Much later, on 15 January 1986 — thirty-seven years to the day — he was conferred the five-star rank of Field Marshal, one of only two Indian Army officers ever to hold it, the other being Sam Manekshaw.

• (a)S. M. Srinagesh — A later chief, not the first. S. M. Shrinagesh held the office from 1955 to 1957, by which time the designation had been shortened to Chief of the Army Staff.
• (c)K. S. Thimayya — One of the best-remembered names in Indian military history, which makes him a tempting pick, but he headed the Army from 1957 to 1961, well after Cariappa.
• (d)K. S. Rajendrasinhji — The genuinely difficult distractor. Rajendrasinhji Jadeja succeeded Cariappa on 14 January 1953 and so was the second Indian to hold the post — first is Cariappa, second is Rajendrasinhji.

Until independence the Indian Army was commanded by a British Commander-in-Chief, an office of enormous authority in the colonial structure. Independence created the problem of Indianising the top of the service, and for the first eighteen months a British officer continued in the post. Cariappa's appointment in January 1949 completed the transfer. The designation itself was then wound down in two steps: from June 1948 the office was styled Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, and in 1955 it was shortened to Chief of the Army Staff alone, so that no single officer would carry the older title's overtones in a republic.

The safest anchor for this item is the date rather than the name: Army Day, 15 January, exists because of this appointment, so if you can recall why that day is observed you have the answer. The distractors are all real chiefs, which means guessing by familiarity will not work; Thimayya in particular is better known to most students than Cariappa because of the 1962 debates and because of Thimayya's role in Korea. Two supplementary facts settle the surrounding confusion. The order of succession runs Cariappa (1949-53), Rajendrasinhji (1953-55), Shrinagesh (1955-57) and Thimayya (1957-61), so three of the four options are simply later entries in the same list. And Field Marshal rank came to Cariappa in 1986, long after his retirement, whereas Manekshaw was promoted to it in January 1973.

• K. M. Cariappa became Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on 15 January 1949 and served until 14 January 1953.
• His predecessor was Lieutenant General Sir Roy Bucher, the last British holder of the post.
• 15 January is observed as Army Day in India because of this handover.
• Cariappa was made Field Marshal on 15 January 1986, with the investiture at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 28 April 1986; he and Sam Manekshaw are the only two Indian Army officers to have held the rank.

• Picking Thimayya because he is the more famous name.
• Picking Rajendrasinhji, who was second rather than first.
• Forgetting that the office was renamed twice — Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief from June 1948, plain Chief of the Army Staff from 1955.

As a 'who was the first' item, usually anchored to a date that is separately observed. Learn the firsts of each service together with the day that commemorates them.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Army Day is observed in India on 15 January to mark which event?

  • (a)The formation of the Indian Army in 1895
  • (b)K. M. Cariappa taking over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1949
  • (c)The surrender at Dhaka in 1971
  • (d)The raising of the first Gorkha regiment

  Answer(b) K. M. Cariappa taking over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1949.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which two officers of the Indian Army have held the rank of Field Marshal?

  • (a)K. M. Cariappa and K. S. Thimayya
  • (b)Sam Manekshaw and K. S. Rajendrasinhji
  • (c)K. M. Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw
  • (d)Sam Manekshaw and S. M. Srinagesh

  Answer(c) K. M. Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw — the only two Indian Army officers ever to hold the five-star rank.